The Peninsula Press reports that Gov. Jerry Brown of California vetoed a bill recently that would have limited local law enforcement's ability to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The bill, known as the Trust Act, sought to limit local cooperation, only including cases where undocumented immigrants are charged with, or convicted of, "a serious or violent felony." Most county sheriffs in California opposed the bill because it conflicted with the Secure Communities mandate and would have made their jobs more difficult. Secure Communities, which was put in place in 2008, created a new channel for data transfer from state and local law enforcement officers, making it easier for ICE to identify undocumented immigrants and place detainers on them. According to ICE statistics, 52,716 of the 68,555 people removed from the United States under Secure Communities this year were convicted criminals. However, considering only 77 percent were convicted criminals, these statistics have led critics of Secure Communities to say that it has facilitated the detention and deportation of tens of thousands of immigrants who are not immediate threats to public safety. If the Trust Act had become state law, it would not have explicitly stopped the flow of data to ICE but would have limited the execution of detainers to cases that involve "serious or violent felonies." Avid supporters of the bill included Santa Clara Sheriff Laurie Smith, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, immigrant rights groups and its sponsor, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano.

http://peninsulapress.com/2012/09/30/brown-vetoes-limits-on-law-enforcement-cooperation-with-immigration-authorities/

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The Huffington Post reports that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Thursday that she will instruct immigration agents to consider same-sex relationships the same as heterosexual ones in determining whether an individual should be deported, a victory for advocates and members of Congress who worried verbal instructions could be ignored. Although the administration had previously stated that same-sex relationships will be taken into account when making deportation decisions, putting it in writing for field officers is considered to be an important change.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/28/deportation-same-sex-couples_n_1923094.html?ulm_hp_ref=mostpopular

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EFE reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) suspended the 287(g) program in Alamance County, North Carolina where the sheriff's office was cited by the Justice Department for discriminatory practices against Latinos. The decision comes with the release of the results of a two year investigation into the actions of the office of Alamance County Sheriff Terry S. Johnson, whose deputies have made an inconsistent number of unnecessary arrests of members of a local Hispanic community.

This is the second time this year that ICE suspended the enforcement of a 287(g) contract. The Obama administration in June cancelled the program's contract with all state and local police agencies in Arizona. Sheriff Johnson, who publicly criticized the 'moral values' of Mexicans, signed, up for 287(g) in 2007. Since the enforcement of 287(g) began in Alamance County, Latino leaders have complained that the officers have engaged in racial profiling. Among the discriminatory practices that the Justice Department found in Alamance County were the setting up of checkpoints in Hispanic communities and a pronounced tendency to detain Latinos for offenses that would normally only warrant issuing a ticket. The Justice Department conducted more than 125 interviews with county residents, as well as employees and former employees in Johnson's office, which has until Sept. 30 to respond to the allegations and make changes or face legal action.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2012/09/20/immigration-officials-suspend-controversial-enforcement-program-in-north/

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The Miami Herald writes about a new report issued by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Immigration Statistics.

According to the report, immigration agents deported 391,953 undocumented immigrants during the 2011 fiscal year, including 188,000 convicted criminals. Citizens from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador made up 93 percent of all people deported last year. In the 2012 fiscal year that ended September 30, 2012, just over 366,000 people had been deported as of August 31st, including more than 191,000 convicted criminals. Although Homeland Security officials have said they are focusing their efforts on criminals, the fast pace of deportations the past two years has left many Latino immigrant communities disillusioned. In addition to formal deportations last year, DHS agents expelled about 324,000 foreigners back to their countries without formal court proceedings. According to the report, most were undocumented immigrants who agreed to leave voluntarily after they were detained, rather than be removed by the authorities.

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/09/20/3824197/number-ofreport-undocumented-immigrants.html

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