According
to the Border Patrol, there has been an increase in the number of armed
undocumented entrants across the
Arizona
border. During the first four months of fiscal year 2003, there have been 12
reported encounters, compared with only four during the entire two previous
years. Many advocacy groups claim that the reason for the increase is the
growing number of private armed groups patrolling near the border, leading
migrants to fear danger from what some call vigilante groups. Members of these
groups say the reason they are armed is because of violence done by migrants.
*********
The Border Patrol is reporting that the number of deaths along the US-Mexico
border is down substantially from the same period last year. In a number of
sectors on the Mexican border that saw multiple deaths last year there have been
only a handful this year.
*********
Officials in
Pasadena
,
California
,
recently freed 16 undocumented immigrants they suspect were being held by
smugglers pending payment of smuggling fees. The fortified house was discovered
after family members of some of those being held made a payment and were told
they owed more money. After that, they contacted a police officer.
*********
Prosecutors in
New
York
have charged two men with operating an immigrant smuggling ring that brought in
at least 40 people to the
US
over the past six years. The charges stem from the investigation launched just
before New Year’s Eve into a claim, later found to be false, that five
possible terrorists had just entered the
US
.
While there is no evidence that anyone involved in the ring, or anyone brought
to the
US
,
has connections to terrorism, officials say that it is important to thoroughly
investigate rings such as this so that they can gain a better understanding of
how they operate.
*********
Last week a group of about 20 Haitians was detained after arriving on Key
Biscayne near
Miami
.
Because of the policy instituted last year after the arrival of more than 200
Haitians, they will all be detained while in the
US
.
*********
A year after Florida Gov. Jeb Bush announced that state law enforcement agents
would check the immigration status of people pulled over for traffic violations,
the policy is going largely unenforced. The state began issuing driver’s
licenses set to expire when a person’s legal stay in the US expired, making it
possible for a police officer to tell if a person was in the US without
authorization. According to a number of police departments, they are either
unaware of the policy or are unsure of how to enforce it. Despite these
problems, the governor’s office says that the program is part of an overall
plan to prevent terrorist attacks.
*********
The Haitian Lawyers Association has filed a lawsuit against the federal
government, seeking the release of six of the Haitians detained by the INS after
more than 200 arrived in
Miami
last October. According to the suit, the continued detention of the asylum
seekers denies them their due process rights.
*********
The Haitian Lawyers Association has filed a lawsuit against the federal
government, seeking the release of six of the Haitians detained by the INS after
more than 200 arrived in
Miami
last October. According to the suit, the continued detention of the asylum
seekers denies them their due process rights.
*********
Tom
Ridge
,
the newly appointed Secretary of Homeland Defense, met this week with his
Mexican counterpart, Interior Minister Santiago Creel, pledging to better
protect their common border from terrorism while improving the flow of trade.
During the meeting, the two discussed the implementation of the “smart
border” agreement signed by US President George W. Bush and Mexican President
Vicente Fox. After the meeting, Creel expressed hope that Ridge would help to
restart talks on the legalization of undocumented Mexicans in the
US
.
*********
A former member of the Haitian military is one step closer to being deported
from the
US
after a federal appeals court denied his appeal. Carl Dorelien was convicted of
human rights violations in
Haiti
based on his participation in a 1994 massacre of 25 people. He was ordered
deported in 2001 after an immigration judge found that it was not likely that he
would be subjected to torture if returned to
Haiti
.
