Daily news updates from CIS

October 1, 2009

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[For CISNEWS subscribers --

1. Task force recommends limiting 287(g) program (story, link)
2. ICE repatriating some deportees unescorted
3. Health officials want illegals vaccinated against H1N1
4. Illegal crossings up on stretch of TX border
5. FBI: No imminent threat from Afghan terror case
6. Health care verification requirement defeated in committee (story, 2 links)
7. Congress urged not to limit high-tech visas
8. Lawmakers praise illegal slated for deportation
9. SCOTUS to consider suit over detention death
10. NC Republicans to challenge community college policy
11. NC county leaders mull crackdown
12. AZ police program targets gangs, illegals
13. NM county to implement Secure Communities
14. IL county sheriff mulls housing detainees
15. Pittsburgh school officials reach out to foreign parents
16. Groups brand border deaths 'humanitarian crisis' (story, link)
17. Activists seek clearer rules for female asylum seekers
18. Census boycott baffles some experts
19. MO translators help with medical issues
20. Catholic Charities aids abused foreign women
21. Union accuses firm of exploiting Filipino teachers
22. DC area drawing strong Asian influx
23. Demand for H-1B visas decreases
24. Illegal alien patients wary of offers to repatriate
25. TN baby kidnapper posed as immigration agent (story, link)
26. Terror suspect violated visitor visa
27. Smuggler expected to admit role in deaths
28. Temp agency owner jailed for illegal hiring
29. UT sweep nabs 70 gang members
30. International fugitive snagged at border (link)
31. Federal agent arrested for smuggling (link)

Subscribe to CIS e-mail services here: http://cis.org/immigrationnews.html

-- Mark Krikorian]


1.
Task force advises limiting federal immigration arrest program
By Jeremy Roebuck
The Monitor (McAllen, TX), September 30, 2009
http://www.themonitor.com/articles/federal-31189-force-task.html

A U.S. government task force recommended Wednesday that the federal Department of Homeland Security scale back an initiative that allows local authorities to enforce the country’s immigration law.

The so-called 287(g) program — named after the section of law that created it — should be limited to identifying illegal immigrants in state prisons and county jails and exclude any efforts to track them down outside of criminal investigations, the Southwest Border Task Force said.

The proposal came as part of the group’s first report to the Homeland Security Advisory Council, which sought input in June from several border politicians, law enforcement officials, academics and business leaders.

The task force presented 18 other proposals Wednesday on issues ranging from streamlining the border crossing process to ongoing cooperation with Mexican law enforcement.

“Our goal is to get all of the Southwest border on the same playing field and draw out the realities on the border versus the rhetoric,” said Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño, the task force’s vice chairman.

Civil rights and Hispanic groups have urged President Barack Obama’s administration in recent months to end the 287(g) program amid mounting evidence that some participating police departments have used the newly granted authority to justify racial profiling.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whose jurisdiction includes unincorporated areas outside Phoenix, has been accused of targeting individuals for immigration review based solely on their appearance and is currently facing a U.S. Justice Department investigation into alleged civil rights violations stemming from his participation in the program.

Treviño, a staunch critic of 287(g) in its current form, said Wednesday that assuming a role in enforcing federal immigration law distracts local authorities from their primary duties and can cause problems with illegal immigrants in their communities.

“We do not want a repeat of what has happened in Maricopa County,” he said.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced during the summer that her department would review 287(g)’s scope. Since then, the number of participating law enforcement agencies has swelled to nearly 70.

In addition to changing the 287(g) program, the Southwest Border Task Force also urged Wednesday that Homeland Security place more emphasis on recruiting customs agents for the nation’s land ports of entry.

Although Congress has appropriated money to expand the ranks of the U.S. Border Patrol by 8,200 since 2006, hiring for customs agents has not kept pace. Homeland Security budgets for fiscal year 2009 included funds for 2,200 new Border Patrol agents but only 22 additional customs agents.

Other task force recommendations include:

>> Creating a White House office to coordinate approving applications for new border ports of entry such as the soon-to-open Anzalduas International Bridge in Mission. Currently, local entities must complete 13 steps before winning approval and deal with four government agencies outside of Congress and the White House.

>> Adopting clear definitions for terms such as “spillover violence,” which the task force suggested should be narrowly defined as violence originating within a Mexican criminal organization that plays out north of the border.

>> Setting up a federal government grant program that would routinely provide money to border-area law enforcement.

Homeland Security is not bound to implement any of the recommended policy changes, but Treviño, the vice chair, said he is hopeful they will receive fair consideration.

“If DHS — or any other federal law enforcement agency — is going to meet their mission, they are going to have to have the 100 percent cooperation of local law enforcement,” he said. “I think this is a good first step.”

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Border task force urges more customs inspectors
By Christopher Sherman
The Associated Press, September 30, 2009
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6645591.html

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2.
Criminal deportees often fly unescorted
By Susan Carroll
The Houston Chronicle, September 30, 2009
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6643862.html

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials routinely put illegal immigrants unescorted on commercial flights for deportation, including some who are sex offenders or have other criminal records, according to documents and field agent accounts.

The practice has prompted complaints from a key U.S. senator and ICE union leaders, who contend that putting illegal immigrants convicted of serious crimes on commercial airlines unescorted poses a severe public safety risk.

Unescorted deportees have caused disruptions on flights and have absconded after unscheduled stops, including two Peruvian deportees who disappeared from Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport in July, according to field agent reports collected by union officials. Internal ICE documents show that illegal immigrants convicted of sex crimes involving victims as young as 11 have been allowed to fly unescorted.

'This is an absolute risk to public safety,' said Chris Crane, ICE Council 118's vice president for Detention and Removal Operations. 'And it's happening every day.'

Of the 27,899 illegal immigrants put on commercial airlines last year for deportation, more than 75 percent flew unescorted, according to ICE data.

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said she became 'gravely concerned' about the policy after being told of at least three instances involving unescorted sex offenders placed on commercial flights.

Last October, she wrote to Julie Myers, the then-head of ICE, requesting that the policy be changed to require escorts for all sex offenders. The Bush administration took no action and did not respond to the senator's letter, according to Landrieu's spokesman.

Each case gets a look

Pat Reilly, an ICE spokeswoman, said the agency reviews deportees' cases individually and considers whether they have a history of criminal, aggressive or antisocial behavior before deciding to put them on commercial flights. ICE supervisors then assess 'the alien's risk to the public, as well as the likelihood of absconding,' Reilly said. She added that deportees may have records that do not necessarily make them a danger on a public flight, such as convictions for driving while intoxicated or fraud.

Reilly said the agency tries to use ICE-managed aircraft for deportations whenever possible, calling them secure and cost-effective. Only about 15 percent of the 186,930 illegal immigrants removed from the U.S. by air last year were placed on commercial flights, according to ICE data.

Reilly said if the deportees are unescorted, ICE does not need to notify the airlines because 'they pose no risk' to the public.

ICE has coordinated the removal of 7,552 illegal immigrants classified as 'criminal aliens' via commercial flights since Oct. 1, at a cost of nearly $44 million, according to ICE.

ICE officials did not say how many of those 'criminal aliens' were unescorted. The agency also did not respond to a request for the number of incidents and disruptions on commercial flights.

Field agents have documented recent incidents involving illegal immigrants on commercial flights without escorts, including:

On July 22, two Peruvians scheduled for deportation from Houston escaped after problems aboard Continental Flight 590, which was bound for Lima, Peru, according to union officials. The plane had taxied on the runway for hours before a passenger became ill, forcing the plane to return to the gate and passengers to deplane.

'Those prisoners have never been seen again,' said Crane, with the ICE Council.

ICE officials said they were looking into the Houston case last week but could provide no information as of Tuesday on the two deportees, including whether they had a criminal record.

The Transportation Safety Administration confirmed an April 23 incident on an American Airlines flight from Miami to Guatemala City involving a 'disruptive passenger.' E-mails between ICE field agents and supervisors show that an ICE deportee had to be restrained and note that the incident is under investigation by ICE.

Reilly said the deportee being removed 'was not a criminal and had no history of antisocial behavior.' However, field agents reported to the union that the man had displayed high-risk behavior before being cleared for the flight by supervisors.

Supervisors' discretion

Under ICE's policy, deportees with no criminal record and no history of mental or behavioral problems are generally classified as Level 1 and do not require escorts on commercial flights.

Level 2 deportees may have some criminal history, but are not considered violent offenders or a danger to public by ICE, and are permitted to fly unescorted.

Level 3 deportees, the highest-risk category, may have convictions for serious or violent crimes, or a history of mental illness or erratic behavior that triggers a mandatory escort.

A subtle policy change in 2006 allowed supervisors to use discretion on whether or not deportees with a more serious criminal history require escorts, union officials said.

ICE records obtained by the Houston Chronicle show that supervisors have overridden field agents' classification of deportees and cleared them for commercial flight unescorted.

Cases include:

A man convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl was put on a commercial flight unescorted on June 25, 2007. The man worked at a high school and had lured the girl to a motel and threatened her not tell anyone what he did to her, according to the ICE escort threat assessment. He was still allowed to fly solo, however, since a supervisor ruled he was 'basically sentenced to probation,' and added the notation: 'not a crime of violence.'

Another man convicted of attempted sexual abuse of a 15-year-old also flew unescorted on a commercial flight on March 13, 2007, ICE records show.

An illegal immigrant described by his probation officer as a 'pedophile' with a record for molesting an 11-year-old was deported unescorted May 1, 2006, according to ICE's threat assessment and internal e-mails.

In each of the cases, the field agents initially classified the deportee as a Level 3 offender requiring an escort but were overridden by supervisors, who adjusted them to Level 2 and cleared them to fly alone.

Senator wants ban

The Chronicle provided ICE officials with information on each of the cases involving sex offenders, including the dates of the flights in question, but Reilly said the agency would need more details, such as the name of the deportee, to provide additional information.

In her letter to ICE, Landrieu said ICE should not be making case-by-case determinations on escorting sex offenders, urging instead for a ban on putting sex offenders on flights unescorted.

The ICE union also supports a mandatory escort policy for 'violent' criminals. Crane said field agents have been 'trying to blow the whistle on (the policy) for years, at the risk of their own jobs,' but so far have seen no changes.

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3.
U.S. To Offer A/H1N1 Flu Vaccine To Illegal Immigrants
Bernama (Malaysian National News Agency), October 1, 2009
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=443684

Los Angeles (Bernama) -- The United States has decided to vaccinate the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country against the A/H1N1 flu to prevent the disease from further spreading.

'We believe it's important that all people be vaccinated regardless of immigration status if there's a pressing public health concern,' said Jon Feere, legal policy analyst at the Center for Immigration Studies, reported China's Xinhua news agency.

Public health experts said that leaving the country's immigrants unvaccinated would increase the health risk to everyone and make it much harder to control the epidemic.

However, most illegal immigrants are afraid that the government would arrest and deport them after receiving the vaccination, or the immigration law enforcement agencies would come to arrest them once they show up at the clinic.

In an attempt to quell those fears, federal health officials are trying to assure them that no one will be asked to prove their immigration status to get the vaccine at any public health clinic or mass vaccination site.

'Whether you're legal or illegal, the flu virus does not discriminate and neither do we,' said Arleen Porcell, spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The vaccine is provided free by the U.S. government, but some clinics or retail stores may charge a fee to cover administrative costs. The A/H1N1 flu vaccinations are set to start in October in the United States.

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4.
Illegal crossings on the rise in West Texas
By Angela Kocherga
The KVUE News (Austin), September 30, 2009
http://www.kvue.com/news/state/stories/093009kvue_illegal_crossings-cb.1d05b63a7.html

The number of illegal immigrants caught trying to cross the border in 2009 has dropped by double digits in nearly every area, but there's one hotspot in West Texas where crossings are up.

An isolated stretch of border in West Texas near Big Bend National Park is fast becoming the preferred route for illegal immigrants.

At a government shelter for deported Mexican immigrants heading home, KVUE News' reporter got a look at the log. The lists show an increasing number of people from across Mexico are coming through here.

The border patrol credits tighter enforcement elsewhere for pushing more people this way. But locals say that's only part of the story.

'They start coming because in other parts of the border they're having problems with the delinquents or criminal organizations charging people to cross the border,' said Jose Spenser, Ojinaga motel owner.

He's referring to is the Zetas, drug cartel enforcers who we're told now charge a fee per immigrant along smuggling routes leading to South Texas.

'They say in those areas around McAllen, Del Rio, Piedras Negras in those areas where they work,' Spenser said.

Spenser runs a low cost rooming house in Ojinaga. He's heard this from several immigrant guests.

The streets of Ojinaga may look quiet, but residents say this is becoming an increasingly busy illegal border crossing as more and more people look for a safer route to the United States.

With several border cities in Mexico now coping with drug cartel bloodshed, this once tranquil area could see even more smuggling traffic.

Apprehensions in the area, known as the Marfa sector, grew by 20 percent this year.

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5.
FBI Chief Sees No Imminent Threat From Zazi Case
Reuters, September 30, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/09/30/news/news-us-usa-security-newyork.html

Washington, DC (Reuters) -- FBI Director Robert Mueller on Wednesday said there was no imminent threat related to the case of an Afghan-born man charged with plotting a bombing attack in the United States.

Najibullah Zazi, indicted by a grand jury on a charge of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and was ordered held in prison without bail.

'We do not believe there is an imminent threat,' Mueller said at a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing. The investigation was continuing, he said.

Prosecutors allege Zazi took a bomb-making course at an al Qaeda training camp in Pakistan, had bomb-making notes on his laptop computer, and acquired bomb-making materials similar to those used in the 2005 London attacks, buying acetone and hydrogen peroxide at beauty supply stores.

Zazi, an Afghan immigrant, is a permanent U.S. resident.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told senators that U.S. officials had considered raising the national threat level because of the Zazi investigation, but decided against it.

The current threat level for the country is set at 'elevated,' or yellow, while it is considered 'high,' or orange, for all domestic and international flights.

'We thought about it and rejected it because we didn't have in the Zazi investigation any kind of specific location, time, threat that would, in our view, justify actually raising the color codes,' Napolitano told the committee.

The highest level in the five-tier system is 'severe,' or red, though DHS is considering recommendations to change the system amid some criticism that it is not very effective.

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6.
Senators turn back ID requirement for immigrant healthcare
By Jeffrey Young
The Hill (Washington, DC), September 30, 2009
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/60939-senators-turn-back-id-requirement-for-immigrant-healthcare

Senate Finance Committee Democrats rejected a proposed a requirement that immigrants prove their identity with photo identification when signing up for federal healthcare programs.

Finance Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said that current law and the healthcare bill under consideration are too lax and leave the door open to illegal immigrants defrauding the government using false or stolen identities to obtain benefits.

Grassley's amendment was beaten back 10-13 on a party-line vote.

The bill, authored by committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), would require applicants to verify their names, places of birth and Social Security numbers. In addition, legal immigrants would have to wait five years, as under current law, after obtaining citizenship or legal residency to access federal healthcare benefits such as Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program or receive tax credits or purchase insurance through the exchange created by the legislation.

But the would not require them to show a photo ID, such as a drivers license. Without that requirement, the bill 'remains dearly lacking when it comes to identification,' Grassley said. 'Frankly, I'm very perplexed as to why anyone would oppose this amendment,' he said.

But Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman, who represents the border state of New Mexico, said that the type of fraud Grassley said he wants to prevent is highly uncommon. 'The way I see the amendment, it's a solution without a problem,' Bingaman said.

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Senate Finance Panel Has Votes To Pass Health Bill, Baucus Says
By Lori Montgomery and Ceci Connolly
The Washington Post, October 1, 2009
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/30/AR2009093001752.html

Abortion, immigration, taxes enter health mark up
By Jeffrey Young
The Hill (Washington, DC), September 30, 2009
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/61023-abortion-immigration-taxes-enter-health-mark-up

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7.
India trade leader: Visa limits a 'business killer'
By William Ehart
The Washington Times, October 1, 2009
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/01/india-trade-leader-sees-visa-limits-as-business-ki/

Proposals in Congress to limit visas for foreign high-tech workers would be a 'business killer' for India's burgeoning information technology industry and would not reduce U.S. unemployment, the head of an Indian trade group told The Washington Times during a newsmaker interview Wednesday.

Som Mittal, president of India's National Association of Software and Service Cos., said he was concerned that pending legislation would sharply restrict the hiring of foreign workers by domestic and overseas companies operating in the United States, harming rather than helping the U.S. economy.

Sens. Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat, and Charles E. Grassley, Iowa Republican, have proposed legislation that would prevent any large company from hiring more foreign high-tech workers if more than half its work force already consists of visa-holding foreigners.

'It's a business killer for us,' Mr. Mittal said, adding that such a move could harm U.S. competitiveness and was not needed anyway because there are not enough Americans to fill the high-tech jobs.

The Grassley-Durbin visa reform bill was first introduced in 2007. Congress is preoccupied with health care and climate change legislation, but Mr. Mittal said he fears that elements of the visa bill could be incorporated in immigration legislation that Congress is expected to take up next year.

Businesses are currently allowed to hire a limited number of skilled foreign workers through the H-1B and L-1 visa programs. Critics say these programs deny job opportunities to American workers and are plagued by fraud.

Mr. Grassley said his proposed legislation would help prevent abuse of the H-1B visa program.

'With unemployment at rates higher than weve seen in some time, theres no shortage of Americans pounding the pavement looking for jobs,' Mr. Grassley said Wednesday.

'Theres no question the H-1B program is important and necessary at times for some employers, but it was never meant to replace qualified American workers,' he said. 'The system is obviously broken when an H-1B visa holder is working at a laundromat rather than in high-skilled positions.'

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8.
Wrong turn on highway may lead to WA man's removal
By Manuel Valdes
The Associated Press, October 1, 2009
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gOiWadUeb0XxCoXQdf_89v-pzkQQD9B25UI00

Seattle (AP) -- All it took was a wrong turn for Jorge-Alonso Chehade to face deportation.

But that wrong turn also brought him attention and praise from Washington state's congressional delegation, pro bono attorneys and maybe, just maybe, a chance to stay in the United States.

In March, the 22-year-old college graduate was visiting friends in Bellingham at Western Washington University. On the way back early in the morning, tired from a night's fun and unfamiliar with the area, Chehade and a friend took the north Interstate 5 ramp instead of the southbound one.

Bellingham is about a 20 minute drive from the Blaine border crossing into Canada. The border's location is well marked along the way.

But before they noticed, Chehade said, they had missed the last exit. The two friends had to clear U.S. customs and Chehade was arrested by border officers. He was sent to the immigration detention center in Tacoma, where he spent two weeks before being released on bail.

'I left the country by an inch,' Chehade said.

Brought here on a visa from Peru, Chehade stayed on illegally since his teen years. After years of treading carefully, the wrong turn tripped him up. Since then, Chehade has rallied a variety of support in his fight to stay.

Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Seattle, and Democratic Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell have all written letters of support for Chehade. McDermott went further, introducing a private bill in Congress last week asking Congress to give Chehade permanent residency.

'This young man came to the United States with his parents and has overcome a number of obstacles to lead an exemplary life in the United States, including graduation from the University of Washington in 2009,' McDermott said in a statement. 'As a longtime supporter of the American DREAM Act... I am proud to play a small role in trying to help him stay in the United States with his community, which loves him.'

Chehade is also receiving backing from DreamActivist.org — a Web site that has emerged to assist undocumented students facing deportation by connecting them to immigration activists and labor unions that might help them. It mobilizes its e-mail network of thousands of people to lobby for the deportation delays.

The Web site, as its name suggests, is supportive of the so-called Dream Act, a bill that would give undocumented students a path to permanent residency if they attend college or join the military. The site is run by seven undocumented students.

The Dream Act legislation has stalled in Congress the past two years. Supporters hope the bill will be taken up again when comprehensive immigration reform is expected to be taken up next year.

Since July, DreamActivist has helped delay the deportation of three students, one each from New Jersey, Michigan and Florida.

One of those students, Herta Llusho, 20, immigrated with her mother from Albania when she was 11 in 2001. The mother and daughter sought political asylum, which was denied by U.S. immigration courts, and the have been told they must leave the country.

Llusho, a student at University of Detroit-Mercy in Michigan, joined DreamActivists and began a fax and phone campaign, sending 5,000 faxes to her congressional representatives and Homeland Security officials. She obtained a few weeks extension, but her goal is to stay permanently.

'I really don't like to tell people my story, but as I realized there are more stories like mine,' Llusho said, 'I thought this is a big problem that needs to be solved.'

In Washington, Chehade furiously used Internet networking sites and tools to reach people. He made YouTube videos and spoke out in educational forums in Seattle and eastern Washington.

The decision to go public is a big one for undocumented students like Chehade and Llusho, particularly if their families are illegally in the country.

It's a risk, though, that some are willing to take.

In a letter to the pro bono lawyers now representing Chehade, ICE field office director Neil Clark wrote, 'You make no mention of (Chehade's) family in the United States although the agency is aware that his parents and siblings are here, presumably unlawfully...'

Chehade's lawyers have advised him to stay in the U.S. while he continues his fight, instead of voluntarily leaving as he originally planned.

The attorneys also requested ICE defer Chehade's removal, which they have so far denied.

'This individual had ample access to due process and immigration proceedings,' ICE spokeswoman Lorie Dankers said. 'The judge found he did not have a legal basis to remain in the United States. ICE has the responsibility to carry out the judge's order.'

Now Chehade has an order of removal, meaning immigration authorities could arrest him any day.

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9.
Supreme Court to decide if federal medical officials can be sued for damages
By Jesse J. Holland
The Associated Press, September 30, 2009
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-us-supreme-court-immigration-custody,0,3934507.story

Washington, DC (AP) -- The Supreme Court will decide whether the family of a now-deceased immigrant who was denied medical care for cancer while in custody can sue federal medical officials for damages.

The case could have far-reaching implications for doctors, nurses and other medical personnel working for governments.

Francisco Castaneda, a Salvadoran immigrant, was denied a biopsy for a painful lesion on his penis for 11 months while in prison, despite the recommendation of several doctors. He was later diagnosed with penile cancer, had his penis amputated and died at age 36.

The federal government has admitted liability for medical negligence. Castaneda and his estate also sued individual medical officials for damages, but the government says the law requires any action to come under the Federal Torts Claim Act.

Under that law, damages cannot be awarded against individuals, punitive damages are not allowed, and the case would not be heard before a jury. The medical officials named asked a federal judge and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to throw out the lawsuits, but the lower courts refused.

The medical officials appealed to the Supreme Court, saying other federal courts have forced similar lawsuits to be filed under the Federal Torts Claim Act.

The Obama administration argues that making government medical officials personally liable for damages would make it harder to recruit people to work for the Health and Human Services Department's Public Health Service and other government medical jobs.

'The court of appeals' decision will likely have an adverse impact on the government's ability to recruit, hire and retain medical personnel for the PHS, and may affect other federal entities that have medical missions covered by similar immunity statutes.' Solicitor General Elena Kagan said in court papers.

Castaneda spent eight months in state prison after being convicted in 2005 of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute. He complained about the lesion while at the San Diego Correctional Facility, and again when he was transferred to immigration custody in San Pedro, Calif., because he was in the United States illegally.

Castaneda informed Immigration and Customs Enforcement staff in 2006 that a 'lesion on his penis was becoming painful and growing,' a federal judge said. But a government doctor would not admit him to a hospital, calling a biopsy 'an elective outpatient procedure.'

After the American Civil Liberties complained in 2007, a doctor performed a biopsy and said Castaneda likely had cancer.

ICE decided to release him 11 days later. Castaneda went to a hospital and was diagnosed with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. Less than a week later, his penis was amputated. He died a year later.

The case will be argued in front of the court in 2010.

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10.
NC GOP lawmakers will challenge enrollment change
The Associated Press, September 30, 2009
http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/6107636/

Gastonia, NC (AP) -- Two Republican state lawmakers say they'll attempt to overturn a new admissions policy that allows illegal immigrants to attend North Carolina's community colleges, arguing it's unfair to legal residents in a tough economy.

Reps. Wil Neumann and Pearl Burris-Floyd of Gaston County held a news conference Tuesday to announce they'll introduce a bill in the spring that would block enrollment of undocumented immigrants, the Gaston Gazette reported Wednesday.

The State Board of Community Colleges approved a policy Sept. 18 to enroll undocumented immigrants as long as they pay out-of-state tuition rates and have graduated from an American high school. They also can't take the place of students who are in the U.S. legally.

Although out-of-state tuition is five times the rate of in-state tuition, the policy still means legal residents will subsidize some of the costs for illegal immigrants, according to the GOP House members.

'While illegal residents do pay some taxes, their immigration status prohibits them from shouldering the same tax burden that legal residents do,' Neumann said. 'Extending services to them essentially compels taxpayers to subsidize lawbreakers. That's wrong.'

State law gives the General Assembly the chance to disapprove the policy, which is set to take effect April 1 but first must go through an administrative procedure required of most rules approved by state agencies. The Legislature also could pass its own law barring enrollment of illegal immigrants.

Democrats control both the House and Senate. Legislative leaders of the majority party have declined to take up the enrollment issue since it gained attention in late 2007.

The community college board approved the policy as a way to help children who entered the country illegally with their parents but didn't make the decision to come to America.

System leaders say they don't expect many undocumented immigrants to enroll because of the high out-of-state tuition price $7,721 per year for a full load and they would receive lower priority to enter because of surging enrollment.

Neumann and Burris-Floyd said they remain worried that immigrants unlawfully in the country may eventually displace legal residents in the classroom.

'We must uphold the law of the land, and if we fail to do that, we are encouraging a lawless environment,' Burris-Floyd said. 'In a lawless environment, no one is protected.'

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11.
Leaders mulling verification law
Want to stop influx of illegal immigrants into Beaufort County
By Betty Mitchell Gray
The Washington Daily News (NC), September 30, 2009
http://www.wdnweb.com/articles/2009/09/30/news/doc4ac28bf9bb6b1943961843.txt

Some Beaufort County leaders believe it may be time to act to halt the influx of illegal immigrants into the county by enacting ordinances, such as requiring businesses to verify that potential employees are in the country legally, a move increasingly used by counties and states nationwide.

Beaufort County Commissioner Hood Richardson said he is ready to take action.

“I’m not interested in waiting,” said Commissioner Hood Richardson in an interview Tuesday.

Richardson said a schedule for considering and enacting such ordinances would depend on the views of the other commissioners.

At a recent meeting, members of the county’s Immigration Committee — which includes Richardson and Commissioners Al Klemm and Stan Deatherage — began discussing specific actions they could take to curb illegal immigration into Beaufort County.

They want to seek advice from Michael M. Hethmon, a lawyer with the Immigration Reform Law Institute, about possible local ordinances that pertain to employment practices. Hethmon specializes in the representation of the interests of United States citizens in immigration-related cases and provides technical advice in drafting legislative proposals to reform the nation’s immigration law.

States and counties across the nation have begun to pass or consider ordinances requiring businesses to use E-Verify — an Internet-based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Services Administration — when hiring new employees.

Oakland County in Michigan recently passed an E-Verify ordinance, according to the IRLI. Beginning Thursday, businesses that provide services to Oakland County will be required to use E-Verify or any subsequent verification program established by Homeland Security. That county is preparing rules to implement the new law.

As of April, the most recent date for which statistics are available, 12 states had passed laws requiring some or all employers to use E-Verify in hiring new employees. Five states had E-Verify laws under discussion by their legislatures, according to NumbersUSA, a political action committee concerned with immigration issues.

Earlier this year, members of the North Carolina General Assembly introduced measures that would have required all North Carolina counties and cities to participate in E-Verify programs when hiring new employees.

The measures would have also required businesses that received any city, county or other governmental contracts to verify information on all of their employees. And the bills would have imposed penalties — such as the loss of a business license — on those employers who failed to comply with the new regulations.

“It’s a pretty good piece of legislation,” said Sen. John Snow, D-Cherokee, in an interview this week. “And it’s one of the few things we can do on the state and local level (about illegal immigration).”

Snow said his bill is likely eligible for consideration when the Legislature reconvenes in May, but he is unsure of the response to the bill from fellow senators. Snow said his bill stalled in the Senate Appropriations Committee after business groups raised concerns with some Senate leaders about the proposal.

A similar bill, introduced in the state House by Reps. Wil Neumann, R-Gaston, and George Cleveland, R-Onslow, was referred to the House Appropriations Committee where it waits for approval.

Richardson said an E-Verify ordinance is one of the options he is willing to consider.

“This is something worth considering,” he said. “But there isn’t a silver bullet.”

Commissioner Stan Deatherage, in an interview Tuesday, said, “It is very important that we have the full participation of all employers in verifying the legitimacy of their employees.”

But he questioned whether the county could move forward on an E-Verify ordinance until the state approves a measure requiring statewide use of E-Verify.

County Manager Paul Spruill said at the Immigration Committee meeting that an ordinance targeting employers would not necessary affect all undocumented county residents because not all of them enter the United States to get a job.

“The incentive (to come to the United States) might not only be employment,” he said. “It might be the education system.”

The commissioners have the authority to pass ordinances affecting business and employment practices but they do not have the authority to bar individuals from the public school system, he said.

The county’s Immigration Committee has worked in recent months to try to identify the cost to Beaufort County of undocumented residents who receive services from county governmental agencies.

The committee’s latest figures suggest that about $1.1 million in county health department, social services, education and housing in the county jail is provided to Spanish-speakers who do not speak English and require translators when seeking services.

Spruill cautioned that not all Spanish-speakers in Beaufort County are illegal immigrants.

“You need to be careful about their actual fiscal impact,” Spruill said.

Spruill is expected to present figures of the estimated cost to the taxpayers of Beaufort County to the commissioners at a future meeting.

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12.
Officer assigned to gang task force
By Dustin Gardiner
The Arizona Republic (Phoenix), September 30, 2009
http://www.azcentral.com/community/peoria/articles/2009/09/29/20090929gl-peogang0930.html

A Peoria police officer is helping to combat gang-related crime and illegal immigration across the state. An officer from the department has been assigned to the state's Gang and Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission Task Force for an additional year.

About the task force The task force is a specialized unit that receives training and equipment to target street gangs and illegal immigration. Officers work undercover to infiltrate and obtain intelligence on criminal enterprises, particularly Arizona's active human-smuggling networks. Various prosecutorial agencies from state, county and federal government also work with the task force to address gangs and immigration problems collectively, according to the task force's Web site.

Who's paying for it? The state Department of Public Safety pays up to 75 percent of the officer's salary, benefits and overtime. Peoria must pay the remaining 25 percent.

Benefits for Peoria In addition to helping the state fight gangs and illegal immigration, the task force responds to cities' requests for gang suppression. Priority is given to cities, like Peoria, that contribute officers and assistance to the task force.

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13.
ICE program targets dangerous illegal immigrants
The Associated Press, October 1, 2009
http://www.kvia.com/Global/story.asp?S=11238200

Albuquerque, NM (AP) -- A program started by the federal government will help law enforcement agencies in Bernalillo County accurately identify and remove dangerous illegal immigrants from the community.

The Secure Communities program, administered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, uses biometrics to help determine whether an individual arrested by a participating state or local law enforcement agency is a dangerous criminal illegal immigrant who may be deported.

The program can be used by agencies that use electronic booking machines. In Bernalillo County, this includes Albuquerque police, state police and the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office.

Federal officials say the program has already been implemented in about 80 counties, including Dona Ana, Grant, Hidalgo and Luna counties in New Mexico. It's expected to be available nationwide by the end of 2013.

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14.
McHenry Co.: We have room for your inmates
By Charles Keeshan
The Chicago Daily Herald, September 29, 2009
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=325114

With traditional funding sources like property taxes, sales taxes and building permits continuing to free fall, McHenry County is on the lookout for new ways to generate revenue.

Sheriff Keith Nygren may have found one by turning to an old place.

Nygren said he is considering a plan to convert an out-of-use portion of the old county jail area of the McHenry County Government Center into a secure setting to hold up to 34 inmates.

The sheriff then would rent those to other jurisdictions in need of somewhere to hold their detainees, generating as much as $1 million a year for county coffers.

Based on the needs of agencies like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service, Nygren believes those beds would fill up almost instantly, at a going rate of $85 per day.

The infrastructure for the additional detention space -- the doors, locks, cells, etc. -- already is in place. Additional work to prepare the space has been completed with labor from jail inmates.

'What we're trying to figure out now is how we could staff it without asking for additional personnel,' Nygren said.

Although the idea has yet to be formally proposed to the county board, Yvonne Barnes, chairman of the board's Law and Justice Committee, said she is aware of the effort, and so far encouraged by it.

'We're always looking for ways to grow our revenues,' she said. 'It would be a shame if we didn't take advantage of it.'

Renting out space in the jail is nothing new for McHenry County. The jail currently rents about 300 cells daily to agencies include ICE, the Marshals Service and Kane County, earning the county about $12 million a year, Nygren said.

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15.
Paynter leaders spread out to reach immigrant families in Baldwin-Whitehall district
By Mary Niederberger
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 1, 2009
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09274/1002004-55.stm

Any parent who has entered a child into a new school understands the stress of maneuvering the new system and making sure the child's needs are met.

There are stacks of paperwork to wade through, emergency contact information to provide, new rules and bus schedules to memorize, and new staff to meet and remember.

Add to that a language, cultural and transportation barrier and you might begin to understand the experience of refugee families.

To ease that burden, school officials from Paynter Elementary in Baldwin Borough went to Prospect Park apartments last week with interpreters to share with refugee parents the information they would need to help their children.

For more than a decade, the Baldwin-Whitehall School District has experienced the challenge of meeting the needs of numerous refugees who have been resettled by various social service agencies to the sprawling Prospect Park apartment complex.

The families come from across the globe and generally do not know a lot of English or understand of the American education system. They generally have no access to cars or other transportation to get to the schools.

Of the Baldwin-Whitehall schools, Paynter has the highest proportion of refugee students -- 97 of the school's 704 students. Paynter is the elementary school in the attendance area of the Prospect Park apartments.

The entourage that met with refugee parents last week included Paynter Principal Darlene DeFilippo, Vice Principal Patricia Fusco and social workers Reita Melvin and Sarah Dunn.

There were three groups of refugees, each with its own interpreter arranged by the school officials. The groups were from Burundi, Myanmar (Burma) and Nepal.

The families sat in three different rooms, grouped by their nationality, and the school officials moved from room to room sharing their information and offering their services.

Some of the refugee children have never attended a public school system before so their parents are unfamiliar with the regulations and routines.

Mrs. DeFilippo started by explaining to parents they are welcome at the school and are encouraged to be a part of their children's education and to join the PTA. Some parents didn't understand the concept of a PTA, but once it was explained, they appeared interested in being involved.

Mrs. DeFilippo said the district would provide transportation from the Prospect Park complex to the school for such activities as open house.

She told the parents that their children are served both breakfast and lunch at school and asked them to inform the school of food allergies or diet restrictions.

She also asked parents to let the school know if their children stay home sick and that they must bring a written excuse when they return to school.

One of the trickier concepts to explain was how a two-hour weather delay works. 'It's really confusing, so watch TV, listen to the radio and talk to your neighbors,' Mrs. DeFelippo said. 'The bus will still come but it will be two hours later.'

The principal also asked parents to make sure the students wear socks and shoes to school rather than sandals or flip-flops. 'With the flip-flops, a lot of the kids are getting injured on the playground,' she explained.

The principal also explained that the nurse has medications such as Tylenol available to give to their children if they suffer a headache, but that it can't be given without their permission. She passed around medication authorization forms for the parents to sign.

Mrs. DeFilippo also explained to parents the importance of maintaining an emergency contact phone number and a current address with the district.

She informed the parents about an upcoming afterschool program that will include tutoring, help with homework, games and snack time.

And, she reminded them of the importance of parent-teacher conferences, which will be held in November.

Social worker Sarah Dunn's presentation focused on solving problems for the families. She came equipped with name labels for the families to place on their mailboxes so that letter carriers will deliver school mail to them.

Some of the district's mail to the refugee families was returned because postal workers didn't know where to deliver it.

Ms. Dunn also told the parents that if their children say they've been picked on or teased, 'we want to hear about it.' Likewise, if students don't have socks and shoes, 'let us know,' she said.

Parents left the meetings with their heads full of new information and hands full of papers. But they smiled and appeared appreciative, if overwhelmed.

Baldwin-Whitehall Superintendent Lawrence Korchnak said district officials plan to reach out to the refugee families regularly to make sure the children have a smooth transition to school.

'We want to educate them about our procedures and expectations and give the parents somewhat of an idea of what to expect from the district,' Dr. Korchnak said. 'This is an attempt to face the challenge of their transition here and to put forth our true commitment to them.'

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16.
Border deaths called 'humanitarian crisis'
By Lynn Brezosky
The San Antonio Express News (TX), October 1, 2009
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/62954977.html

Brownsville, TX -- The 15-year death toll of unauthorized immigrants trying to enter the United States has topped 5,600 and should be recognized as 'an international humanitarian crisis,' U.S. and Mexican civil rights groups said in a report Wednesday.

The scathing 57-page report released by the American Civil Liberties Union and Mexico's National Commission on Human Rights concluded that Department of Homeland Security initiatives such as Operation Gatekeeper were implemented with full knowledge that the strategies would divert migrants to some of the nation's deadliest terrain.

'The deaths of migrants have become an integral component of border security policies, laws and measures,' the report said. 'Migrant casualties are viewed as an unfortunate but necessary consequence of the global war on terrorism.'

The number of deaths has continued to rise even as Border Patrol data indicate migration has dropped each year since 2007, a trend attributed to fewer job opportunities during the U.S. recession, the report said.

The death toll for the 2009 fiscal year that ended Wednesday was expected to be among the highest ever, with deaths in Texas surging in the Laredo and Del Rio sectors. Arizona's Tucson sector is the highest, with at least 171 deaths.

Averaged out, at least one migrant has died per day.

Causes of death included heat exhaustion or hypothermia, drowning and automobile accidents, which authors blame in part on high-speed Border Patrol chases and nail strips to flatten tires.

Rafael Lemaitre, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Washington, D.C., said the agency was working with government and humanitarian agencies on both sides of the border to prevent illegal crossings in the first place.

'We see this as a shared problem between the United States and Mexico,' he said. 'It's a twofold strategy — prevent the illegal crossings from taking place and target the criminal networks and smugglers.'

The Border Patrol in recent years has distributed public service messages throughout Mexico on the dangers of crossing the border, trained special search and rescue forces, and erected beacons with panic buttons.

Officials said 911 calls in the Tucson sector increased by five times.

Humanitarian groups maintain that the rising number of deaths is evidence that such 'persecutor as savior' initiatives fall short.

Meanwhile, private-sector humanitarian efforts to set up water stations or offer medical assistance have been thwarted, if not by vandalism then by laws that can charge helpers with aiding and abetting, unlawful transport or littering.

The death toll itself is another problem, the report said. Border Patrol statistics do not include bodies found by local law enforcement or on the Mexican side of the border. There is no centralized procedure for identifying the dead.

'Families of migrants are faced with complex, often contradictory bureaucratic mazes for finding missing or dead relatives,' the report said.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The ACLU report is available online at: http://www.aclusandiego.org/article_downloads/000888/Humanitarian%20Crisis%20Report%209-30-09.pdf

+++

Illegal immigrant deaths highest since 2005
By Jaime Richardson
The Green Valley News (AZ), September 30, 2009
http://www.sahuaritasun.com/articles/2009/09/30/news/00desertdeaths930.txt

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17.
Clearer Rules Urged For Asylum Seekers
System Fails to Protect Women, Study Says
By Tara Bahrampour
The Washington Post, October 1, 2009
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/30/AR2009093004587.html?hpid=topnews

Women seeking political asylum in the United States based on gender-related persecution can get mired in a legal labyrinth that can leave their cases unresolved for years, according to a report being released Thursday by the Tahirih Justice Center, a nonprofit group in Falls Church that works to protect immigrant women and girls from violence.

The center is among several advocacy groups calling for congressional legislation or regulatory action by the Obama administration to clarify the status of women fleeing their home countries to escape gender-specific dangers, such as forced marriage, genital mutilation, honor killings and domestic violence.

Tahirih and two other groups held a briefing on the issue Wednesday afternoon at the Rayburn House Office Building, where Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) agreed the system isn't working.

'There needs to be far more protection for women and girls. . . . We're punishing the victim, and it really needs to be changed,' Moran said.

Until the system changes, advocates say, there will be more cases such as the one involving a 23-year-old victim of domestic violence from Honduras. The woman, who now lives in Frederick, has strong evidence that she was beaten and stabbed by the man she was living with, a Honduran police officer.

The woman's lawyers have compiled a thick case file that includes hospital photographs of her face swollen with bruises, and stab wounds on other parts of her body.

Police in Honduras would not take her complaints seriously, and a women's center there told her nothing could be done. She fled here after the man threatened to kill her, she told U.S. immigration authorities.

In September the woman learned that an immigration judge in Baltimore had refused to grant her political asylum and the benefits that come with it: monetary and medical assistance, job placement and English-language classes. Instead, she was given a more limited Convention Against Torture protection, allowing her to live and work in the United States as long as the threat in Honduras exists.

Victims of domestic violence seeking asylum must prove they would not be safe in their country. Applicants also must be a member of a persecuted race, religion, nationality, political opinion or social group, for example, women in a country where gender-specific violence is tolerated.

In the case of the Honduran woman, 'the judge said the domestic violence was not on account of membership in a particular social group,' said Daria Fisher Page, a senior staff attorney at Tahirih.

The woman is appealing the decision, which her supporters say illustrates the system's shortcomings.

The United States became one of the first countries to make asylum available for victims of gender-based persecution in 1995, but the rules for granting it have never been clear.

In 1996, a woman fleeing genital cutting in Togo was declared eligible for asylum by the Board of Immigration Appeals, the Justice Department body that handles asylum appeals.

The landmark decision provided a precedent for other judges to rule in favor of asylum for gender-based persecution.

But in 1999 the board reversed a grant of asylum to a woman fleeing abuse in Guatemala. (She is still waiting for her case to be resolved.)

The Bush administration never acted on the regulations proposed the next year, in the last days of the Clinton administration, affirming that such women could comprise a social group.

Various judges have issued different rulings on similar cases.

This will continue in the absence of clear regulations, said Karen Musalo, professor at University of California's Hastings College of the Law and director of the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies.

This year, the Department of Homeland Security filed a brief in a California case stating that a woman who had been abused by her husband in Mexico was eligible for asylum.

Homeland Security spokesman Matt Chandler said Wednesday that the department 'continues to view domestic violence as a possible basis for asylum in the United States.

The issue is highly complex, and we are moving ahead to develop regulations that will address these cases.'

The U.S. government does not keep track of how many women apply for asylum based on gender-related persecution.

Advocates say the numbers remain low, in part because it is so hard for such women to escape their situations and come here.

That belief is shared across the political spectrum.

'Looking at Canada and other countries [that offer such asylum], we don't see that it opens the floodgates,' said Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, which urged the Bush administration to grant asylum to women fleeing extreme violence.

Besides calling for more sweeping regulations, the Tahirih report recommends removing the one-year deadline for women to file for asylum after arriving in the United States and urges that asylum seekers not be detained.

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18.
Baffling 2010 Census Boycott
The East Bay Express (Oakland, CA), September 30, 2009
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/blogs/baffling_2010_census_boycott/Content?oid=1204673

For the first time, the decennial census will be distributed in the two languages to 13.5 million households in predominantly Spanish-speaking neighborhoods…Latino advocates hope the forms will lead to a more accurate count by winning over the trust of immigrants who are often wary of government and may be even more fearful after the recent surge in immigration raids and deportations — - Associated Press.

The bilingual forms could have big implications for California which has one of the largest Spanish speaking populations in the United States . The US Census Bureau estimates that one-in-five California residents over the age of five speak English less than 'very well,' and that one-in-five speak Spanish at home.

Including this new segment of the population in the count could affect the allotment of block grant funding that the state receives. Emergency health care, Medicaid, and public school funding could all be affected. But opposition has come from within the Latino community. The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders and the Mexican American Political Association have been organizing a boycott of the new forms. MAPA president Nativo Lopez told the Univision TV network's 'Al Punto' 'We're calling for a boycott, asking for non-cooperation with the Census, until there's just and comprehensive immigration reform and legal status for everybody.' He told ABC 7 News 'it is the height of hypocrisy that the administration on one hand would seek to encourage immigrants to participate when it's convenient for the government and then on the other hand, turn around and deny immigrants benefits, services and rights.'

Mark Krikorian, head of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Immigration Studies, wrote in the National Review Online 'I honestly don't understand the logic of it since the more illegal aliens who are counted, the more (illegitimate) representation hard-left elites receive.'

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19.
Interpreters step up for better health They help immigrants who know little English communicate better with their doctors.
By Harry Jackson
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO), October 1, 2009
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/lifestyle/stories.nsf/healthfitness/story/8B44B2A014A07737862576410070FF3C?OpenDocument

Honduran immigrant Carlos Galeano took his 15-month-old son Carlito for a checkup at the Rodgers Health Center in Kansas City.

But Galeano doesn't speak English and the pediatrician, Dr. Colette Fleming, doesn't speak Spanish.

Erika Bredée, a specially trained interpreter in St. Louis, arrived via live Internet video to help them speak the same language.

Bredée watched and listened as the doctor examined the child. The doctor and dad watched Bredée on their screen.

Before translating Fleming's English words to Galeano's Honduran ear, Bredée clarified certain words, phrases and instructions with the doctor. Only when she and the doctor agreed they were clear did she translate instructions to Galeano.

After several exchanges, Carlito was deemed healthy. He protested his vaccinations and got an appointment for the next visit.

BEING THERE WHILE HERE

The scenario is an expansion of services by the Missouri Telehealth Network. The Network, since 1994, has linked specialists from large, urban medical centers to patients and doctors in rural and remote parts of Missouri.

While monitoring the service about a year and a half ago, the sponsors found that immigrants and refugees increasingly arrived in Missouri unable to speak English well enough to converse with their doctors.

Clinics were recruiting relatives, friends and even children to translate for them.

That's risky, said Rachel Mutrux, director of the Telehealth Network. Untrained interpreters could misunderstand medical words.

Seeking a solution, Telehealth sponsors learned of the Language Access Metro Project in St. Louis. For more than a decade, LAMP has maintained a pool of interpreters that has grown to 120 people who offer 35 languages, said Nikki Lopresti, LAMP director.

LAMP interpreters are trained in medical interpretation, then make house calls to clinics and hospitals in the St. Louis area.

'They don't only interpret verbatim, they watch for cultural signs,' Lopresti said. 'Someone may say she's being punished by the spirits, for some (sort of misbehavior) and our interpreters are prepared for that.

'They can look at body language, hear cultural differences that the (medical people) might miss.'

Catholic Family Services in St. Louis created the program a decade ago to interpret medical information for immigrants and refugees in St. Louis, St. Louis County and parts of St. Charles County, Lopresti said.

So about a year ago, LAMP accepted the invitation to blend with the Telehealth Network to create the Missouri Telehealth Interpretation Project.

A two-year grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health supports the fledgling project.

The grant runs out in October of 2010.

SLOW START

The program has taken off slowly. While LAMP serves about 2,200 appointments a month in the St. Louis area, only 60 people from outside the area have used the service since May.

Dana Hughes, with the University of Missouri Institute of Public Policy, hopes that will accelerate as more equipment is installed and more people know about the program.

About 48 of the state's 114 counties are connected, said Mutrux of Telehealth. That will expand to 58 by the end of the year, she said.

Meanwhile, the system is a hit in Kansas City.

'We're so happy with this,' said Fleming of the Rodgers Health Center. 'Access to interpreters gives us more time with families, more time with disease and wellness.'

Says Bredée, from Mexico and an interpreter for 12 years including a year with LAMP, 'I just enjoy helping people.'

'They don't only interpret verbatim, they watch for cultural signs. Someone may say she's being punished by the spirits, for some (sort of misbehavior) and our interpreters are prepared for that.' Nikki Lopresti, LAMP director

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20.
Catholic Charities Helping Abused Immigrant Spouses
By Scott Sarvay
The WPTA News (Fort Wayne, IN), September 30, 2009
http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/62926682.html

Fort Wayne, IN -- Thousands of women from foreign countries marry American men each year and move to this country. Unfortunately many of those women are abused once they get here.

Luz Ostrognai is a caseworker at Catholic Charities. She deals with immigrants who are victims of domestic abuse. She says many women fear they'll be deported if they leave their abusive spouses and aren't citizens yet. Ostrognai says the 'Violence Against Women' act protects immigrants from abusive spouses.

Ostrognai says, “That they don't have to be in that situation, that they don't have to be abused because the U.S. Government doesn't want that to happen, they want to be able to help these people to get legal status so they can work so they can be productive part of this society.”

Ostrognai says immigrants in abusive relationships can get help by contacting Catholic Charities or the YWCA.

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21.
Union claims Filipino teachers held in 'virtual servitude' in Louisiana
By Greg Toppo
USA Today, October 1, 2009
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-10-01-filipino-teachers_N.htm

Unions representing teachers in Louisiana on Wednesday filed a complaint with state authorities alleging that a Los Angeles recruiting firm broke the law by holding more than 350 Filipino teachers in 'virtual servitude' in order to hold onto their jobs in five Louisiana parish school systems, including New Orleans' Recovery School District.

The complaint, filed by the Louisiana Federation of Teachers and its parent organization, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), alleges that Universal Placement International charged Filipino nationals about $15,000 apiece to get jobs — more than 40% of some new teachers' salaries in a few Louisiana parishes — and required that they pay 10% of their monthly salary for two years to keep them.

The two unions were scheduled to announce the complaint on Thursday morning. They want the firm to repay the fees to teachers and want the state to invalidate Universal's contracts and prosecute its officials.

The new filing comes less than three weeks after the AFT issued a report alleging that about 19,000 teachers were working in the USA on temporary visas in 2007 — a growing recruitment trend as schools struggle to hire enough highly qualified teachers in hard-to-staff subjects such as math, science, foreign languages and special education. AFT says the field is largely unregulated and suffers from 'widespread and egregious' abuses of migrant teachers.

In Louisiana, many of the Filipino teachers told union investigators that they were required to rent housing provided by Universal, which sublet apartments at a profit. The complaint also alleges that Universal threatened to 'take them back to the airport for a return flight to the Philippines' if teachers questioned the contract terms.

The state union's president, Steve Monaghan, said in a statement issued Thursday that he believes the complaint, filed with the state Workforce Commission and attorney general, will prompt 'other migrant educators' to come forward with their own complaints of mistreatment.

A call to Universal seeking comment was not immediately returned Thursday morning.

The complaint also alleges that Universal violated Louisiana law by charging workers before they drew their first paycheck and by not maintaining an office in the state. It also violated federal law, the union says, by charging teachers some $6,600 in H-1B visa application fees, which employers are obligated to pay.

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22.
Education, jobs draw influx of Asians to region
By David Sherfinski
The Examiner (Washington, DC), October 1, 2009
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Education_-jobs-draw-influx-of-Asians-to-region-8319326-62912877.html

Asians are flocking to the Washington area, drawn by the region's strongeducational and economic opportunities.

And with strong academic success, high household incomes and low poverty rates, the area's Asian-American and Asian immigrant populations are contributing to the strength of the Washington region.

The major draw is the quality school systems, which are ranked among the best in the country, said Cora Foley, who is co-organizing the Fairfax County Asian American History project.

'That is the major magnet,' she said.

Asians are 'especially concerned about the future of their children,' said Alan Kraut, professor of immigration history at American University.

Indeed, after leaving the U.S. Foreign Service, Foley and her husband, Michael, decided to settle in Springfieldbecause of Fairfax County's outstanding public school system.

Asian students this year for the first time took more than half of the coveted spots at Fairfax's Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, the Washington region's top public high school.

And Asian students in Montgomery County had a 95 percent graduation rate last year, the highest in the county.

'My mom would say to me, 'All we have is [our] education,' ' Vy Nguyen, the Vietnamese-American team leader for the Fairfax history project, said in an interview posted on its Web site. ''People here aren't going to respect you -- especially because we're Vietnamese. So make them respect you. Learn. Because education will get you anywhere.' That's what my parents taught me.'

The desire to live in Washington is so strong that Asians -- 392,471 of them in a recent census survey of foreign-born populations -- are approaching Hispanics as the region's largest immigrant group.

They now make up more than half of the foreign-born population in Fairfax and Loudoun counties, and 37 percent in Montgomery County, according to recent census data. Nationally, Asians, who have been coming to the U.S. in large numbers since the 1970s,constituted 27.3 percent of the foreign-born population.

'A lot of the new immigrants know how to speak English and have advanced degrees,' said Preston Rico of Rockville, presidentof the Asian American Parents'Advisory Council in Montgomery County.

Rico, who moved to the U.S. from the Philippines when he was 11, said his parents came to escape a dictatorship, butthatAsian immigrants now are coming for economic and educational reasons.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova said Montgomery and Fairfax countiesare attractive -- for multiple reasons.

'We both are known for our economic development and for being business-friendly,' she said. 'We would be attractive to your Asian-American community because that is a strong ethic of theirs -- to achieve and to be entrepreneurial.'

Asians earned a median household income of $91,841 in the Washington-Alexandria-Arlington region, higher than the $85,824 by the general population, according to recent census data. The poverty rate of Asian families was 4.3 percent, compared with 4.8 percent overall.

In Montgomery County, Asians' median household income of more than $101,000 topped the county's median of $94,000, census data shows.

In Fairfax County, Korean-Americans are the largest and fastest-growing segment of the Asian population. They own nearly 50 companies there, including biotech and information technology companies, as well as restaurants, stores and dry cleaning shops.

But for Foley, whose family migrated from the Philippines in the '70s, her attachment to the area goes beyond education and the economy.

'A lot of Asian-Americans feel welcome here, in large part,' said Foley, who retired from the State Department two years ago. 'The community is very positive in the acceptance of our heritage and culture.

'They consider Fairfax to be home,' she added. 'I do.'

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23.
Demand wanes for highly skilled worker' temporary visas
By Sumathi Reddy
Newsday (NY), October 1, 2009
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/demand-wanes-for-highly-skilled-worker-temporary-visas-1.1490338

A year ago, temporary visas for highly skilled employees - commonly referred to as H-1B visas - were snapped up in just one day.

But this year, as federal officials today begin issuing the visas, the cap has yet to be met for the first time since fiscal year 2005, a sign experts say points to the recession and restrictions on U.S. companies that received federal bailout money.

Experts point to waning demand from foreigners who see brighter economic futures in their home countries as well as frustration from current visa holders who can face lengthy waits to receive green cards.

Anu Boddu knows that frustration. The 37-year-old moved to Hauppauge from India nine years ago to work on a renewable H-1B visa. Her green card application was filed in 2003. Six years later she's still waiting, the mounting frustration so severe she's considering relocating her family - including her two American-born children - back to India. 'I can't plan my life,' she said. 'I can't plan my future, my kid's futures.'

Anil Kapoor, chief executive of Great Neck-based SVAM International, said he's hired about four H-1B visa employees this year, compared to 40 to 50 in previous years. He said he filed a couple dozen petitions for H-1B visa employees for fiscal year 2010, which begins today, but unless the economy picks up, he doubts he'll be filling most of them. 'We're still hiring but especially when the resources are available locally, H1 does not make sense,' he said.

Kapoor said demand in India for visas has decreased. 'The driven software engineers don't want to come here,' he said. 'The kind of talent we were able to tap on earlier, that talent is not interested.'

The result, Duke University professor Vivek Wadhwa said, is 'our first reverse brain drain.'

Federal immigration authorities on April 1 began accepting petitions by employers for H-1B visas for fiscal year 2010. Last year the 65,000-cap for applicants with bachelor's degrees was met in one day. In previous years, it took anywhere from 56 to 132 days. But not since 2004 has the cap for applicants with bachelor's degrees not been met by the start of the fiscal year.

As of Sept. 25, 46,700 H-1B petitions subject to the cap had been filed, said Chris Rhatigan, a spokeswoman for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. A separate category for applicants with advanced degrees has met its 20,000-visa cap. Rhatigan said USCIS will continue to accept petitions in both categories.

Critics of the H-1B program say the numbers are still too high. 'We now have record high unemployment for engineers and we're still importing engineers under the H-1B visas,' said John Miano of the Programmers Guild, an advocacy group for U.S. technology workers. 'It goes down in the bad economy but it's still way too high.'

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24.
Undocumented patients wary of offers to return to home countries
By Madison Park
CNN, September 30, 2009
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/09/22/illegal.immigrants.healthcare/index.html

Going back to Mexico is not an option, said the 43-year-old man, kneeling next to his wife's wheelchair.

His wife, 45, lost her eyesight to diabetes. She also has high blood pressure. And her kidneys are failing.

For years, he has taken her to a dialysis clinic attached to a public hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. The facility that gave her free care plans to close Saturday.

They are illegal immigrants with no health insurance and, they say they have nowhere to go for his wife's vast medical needs. The closing clinic offered to help return them to Mexico.

The Atlanta clinic is the latest known case of a medical institution that's offering to send illegal immigrants who can't afford treatment back to their native countries -- a practice that critics liken to patient dumping.

Returning to the country of origin is completely voluntary, said Matt Gove, a spokesman for Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital. 'We can't make anybody do anything,' he said. 'To patients who've expressed a need or desire to go to their home country, if we can help them, then we try.'

Hospitals have offered medical transfers to foreign countries, but there are no nationwide data tracking the practice. It's unclear how many undocumented patients have returned and whether the repatriations are voluntary.

Last year, a hospital in Chicago, Illinois, was planning to discharge an undocumented comatose patient to Mexico, but he died while his family fought to prevent the deportation. A Stuart, Florida, hospital sent an illegal immigrant who had brain damage back to Guatemala after the man racked up $2 million in unpaid medical bills. A Florida jury vindicated the hospital for its actions in July.

Medical repatriations are happening because hospitals bear the financial burden for uncompensated care, said one expert.

'When they have a large volume of uncompensated care or people who aren't able to pay their bills, and they have limited resources coming in from the government and from insurers, they have to do the best they can,' said Carla Luggiero, a senior associate director of federal relations for the American Hospital Association.

Some question who should be responsible for the medical care of illegal immigrants.

'There is no reason why the U.S. taxpayers should have to pick up the tab- when the person is a citizen of another country- it ought to be the responsibility of that government,' said Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for Federation for American Immigration Reform or FAIR, a group that favors strict limits on immigration.

The Atlanta couple, who asked to be identified only by the husband's initials, G.L., and the wife's, A.L., said they rejected Grady Memorial Hospital's offer to return to Mexico because they had seen bad medical outcomes there. The woman's mother, sister and niece died of kidney failure in the country despite receiving care, they said.

'In Mexico, dialysis does not guarantee life like it does here,' G.L. said. 'Maybe they live one year. Here, people can last up to 10 years or more. ... To go back to Mexico would be a death sentence.'

Dialysis replaces kidney function, mechanically cleaning the blood.

A judge ruled last week that Grady could close this week, rejecting a legal request by 36 patients who sought to keep the clinic open until they could find permanent treatment elsewhere. The hospital agreed to pay for three more months of dialysis at a different clinic, according to a court document.

The immigrant couple worry where A.L. will find consistent treatment after the Grady Dialysis Clinic closes. Without dialysis, fluids and toxins accumulate in her body, which can lead to brain damage or respiratory problems that could result in death.

On top of a wooden dresser in their studio apartment, there are rows of orange prescription drug containers: statins, lisinopril for her hypertension, furosemide for her swelling. There's also a plastic Virgin Mary.

'As humans, we have a right to life,' said her husband, a mariachi band musician.

When the treatment ends, they will most likely have to go to emergency rooms, he said.

By federal law, hospitals must treat emergency patients regardless of citizenship or ability to pay. But emergency care is more expensive than regular care. Dialysis is a lifelong treatment and the only alternative is a transplant.

Financial challenges

Grady's dialysis clinic provides care to the poor and uninsured regardless of citizenship.

Crippled by the economy and growing financial pressures, the public hospital, which served about 724,000 patients last year, has a $33 million deficit. Its dialysis clinic has a $2 million deficit and needs another $2 million to upgrade its equipment, said Grady's attorney, Bernard Taylor. More than half of its 96 patients were illegal immigrants

'It presents challenges to hospitals like us who want to do everything they can to meet needs of the community, but have to make certain decisions in order to stay open,' Gove said. 'We have to make difficult decisions in order to ensure the hospital stays open.'

Patients said the clinic gave them three options: Use emergency rooms, move to another state or leave the country.

Paul Root Wolpe, director of Emory University's Center for Ethics, said that when it comes to repatriating patients, the choices are not always black and white.

'To have an illegal immigrant sent home to their death where they don't have access to proper care is ethically indefensible,' he said. 'Assuming they can get proper care, it's no different than sending anyone home if they are in a country illegally. The gray area has to do with sending someone home to significantly inferior care.'

For Ignacio Godinez Lopez, who crossed the border with his parents illegally when he was 14, the choice was clear.

'I don't want to go back. I have no family back there ... ' said Lopez, 23 ,who relied on Grady for dialysis three times a week for kidney failure.

'The only person out there (Mexico) is my grandma and grandpa. They're old. They're sick, too. If I get sick, there's going to be nobody to take care of me and give me medicine, so I prefer to stay here than go over there.'

A Grady spokesman declined to say how many of its dialysis patients returned to their countries. At least six patients returned to Mexico, and one is in the process, according to the Mexican consul in Atlanta.

Sonal Ambegaokar, a health policy attorney at the National Immigration Law Center, which protects the rights of low income immigrants, expects medical deportations to increase as long as health care problems remain unresolved. She likened the practice to patient dumping: 'It's this underlying current of 'You shouldn't be here, let's send them overseas.' '

'By trying to deport immigrants, a hospital is going beyond its authority,' she said. 'We would argue that they are acting as immigration agents without any authority to do so.'

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25.
Police look for newborn snatched from Nashville home, woman described as the kidnapper
By Lisa Sampson
The Associated Press, October 1, 2009
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-tenn-newborn-snatched,0,3719886.story

Nashville, TN (AP) -- Eric Peterson heard a bang on his door in his quiet Nashville neighborhood and opened it to a woman covered in blood.

She pleaded with him to go rescue her children. She said she had left them at her house a few doors down to get help after a woman stabbed her with a kitchen knife. By the time Peterson got to the home, the baby was gone.

Authorities are searching for the baby boy and the woman his mother says was posing as an immigration agent and snatched him from her home.

Maria Gurrolla told reporters she had never seen the woman before she showed up at her door Tuesday evening. She said the woman got a knife from the home and stabbed her several times.

'I need my baby back,' the 30-year-old mother said Wednesday through an interpreter outside Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Gurrolla said she did not see the woman take the baby because she ran to Peterson's home. Peterson told The Associated Press she was 'covered from her head to her toe with blood' with gashes on her neck and upper chest.

She asked him to save her children from the 'lady in the kitchen' who had a butcher knife. When he got there, he saw a woman speeding away from the home. He brought Gurrolla's 3-year-old daughter back safely to his house, but found no baby, he said.

Gurrolla, who had a long scratch on her face, said the woman, whom she described as white and 'robust', did not say anything about wanting to take the baby, who was on the sofa.

'She said she was an immigration officer and she was there to arrest her,' said Gurrolla's cousin, serving as interpreter. It was not clear if Gurrolla was an immigrant, but police said she has lived in Nashville for at least 10 years. The cousin said the family did not want to discuss her legal status.

Police issued an Amber Alert with a picture and description of a 30-year-old woman. They questioned a woman matching the description in Buffalo, N.Y., but determined she wasn't involved.

Dr. William Dutton said Gurrolla had a penetrating chest wound and her lung had collapsed. He said she also had deep stab wounds to her neck, but was in stable condition. He said she still has physical signs that she gave birth recently. He described the birth as complicated but declined to elaborate.

A blue yard sign outside Gurrolla's home in the community of mostly single-family brick houses in south Nashville announces, 'IT'S A BOY!' Police spokeswoman Kristin Mumford said she doesn't know whether Gurrolla was targeted because of the sign.

Peterson said as he was making his way to Gurrolla's house, a woman with a ponytail was behind the wheel of a gray 2-door Honda that sped away from the home.

As he approached Gurrolla's yard, a young girl in a diaper walked from around the back of the house. He left her with Gurrolla and the woman he lives with and headed back to look for the baby.

He sent his pet pit bull in first to check things out, then went in through the back door.

'As I preceded into the kitchen, I saw a puddle of blood, a big puddle of blood,' he said.

He searched everywhere but found no baby. When he told Gurrolla, that's when she first started to cry. Police said the baby's father was at the home later Tuesday night, and Sharon Kimble, who lives with Peterson, said the toddler's father came later to pick her up.

Police spokesman Don Aaron said investigators were interviewing Gurrolla and her family again about the abduction.

A sketch artist is working to come up with a drawing of the kidnapper's face.

'We don't have any indication at this point that this is anything but a stranger child abduction,' Mumford said. 'We're not ruling out anything, but we have no reason to believe that the family is not being completely truthful.'

Mumford said police are retracing the mother's activities before the attack, such as a visit to a local Walmart. Hoping to find a witness, police released a photo of a car that was parked near Gurrolla's at the Walmart and later followed her down the road.

Aaron asked the public for tips on the case and said it was a top priority for police in the area.

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Child's abduction cuts deeper than wounds
The Tennessean (Nashville), October 1, 2009
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091001/NEWS03/910010359/-1/NEWS01/Nashville+stabbing+victim+wants+her+kidnapped+baby+back

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26.
Visitor's visa not to be used for work, school
By Melody McDonald
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TX), September 30, 2009
http://www.star-telegram.com/855/story/1648064.html

The visitor s visa that Hosam Smadi used to enter the United States basically authorized him to visit friends and relatives and see the sights, likely for no more than six months. It did not permit him to work, go to school-- or stay for two years.

Smadi s father told The Associated Press last week that his son was in the country on a student visa.

Immigration officials corrected that Tuesday, but have declined to discuss specifics about the case.

But federal officials did offer general information about visas, immigration and citizenship:

The visitor visa (known at the B-2 Tourist Visa) is a type of non-immigrant visa for people who want to enter the United States temporarily for tourism or personal reasons. The visa is typically valid for up to six months, but can be extended by asking for permission from the Department of Homeland Security s Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.

A student visa is issued to foreign citizens who come to the United States to study. The student can generally stay as long as he or she remains in school with valid documentation.

A work visa is for those wishing to work temporarily in the country.

Immigrant visas are for those seeking permanent residence.

Although Smadi married a Texas woman in July 2008, the union did not automatically make him a lawful, permanent resident. Officials said foreigners with a visitor s visa who marry still must apply for an adjustment of status with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which requires filling out additional paperwork, an interview and a background check. Only then would the foreigner be eligible for a green card, which identifies the holder as a lawful permanent resident.

'If you come in on a visitor s visa and your intention is to marry a U.S. citizen, you are circumventing the law,' said Maria Elena Upson, a spokeswoman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Because Smadi was here on a visitor s visa, he would not have been authorized to work at Texas Best Smokehouse in Italy, where friends said he worked the counter. It is unclear whether the business will face penalties for hiring him. The business owners issued a short statement after Smadi s arrest but has otherwise declined to comment.

Generally speaking, all U.S. employers and employees must fill out a Form I-9 to verify the authorization of all workers. The employee must attest that he or she is a permanent resident or is authorized to work in the United States and must show documentation, such as a birth certificate or Social Security card. The employer is obligated to physically review the documents.

'All I can tell you is that an I-9 form must be completed before anybody can be hired,' said Carl Rusnok, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 'The I-9 form requires documentation that proves you re eligible to work in the United States.

'If an employer knowingly hires illegal aliens, there are administrative fines that are involved. Depending on the circumstances, there may also be criminal prosecution.'

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27.
Immigrant expected to plead in smuggling case
The Associated Press, October 1, 2009
http://www.nebraska.tv/Global/story.asp?S=11237385

Wichita, KS (AP) -- A Mexican man accused of smuggling 13 illegal immigrants into Kansas is expected to plead guilty

Jorge Elizalde-Juarez was scheduled to be in federal court in Wichita Thursday morning in a case that illustrates how Midwestern states grapple with immigration issues similar to those along the U.S.-Mexican border.

Elizalde-Juarez faces charges including human smuggling, identity theft, lying to the government and other immigration related offenses.

A Chase County sheriff's deputy found the smuggled immigrants when he stopped a vehicle on July 25 for a speeding violation.

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28.
Temp agency owner sentenced for aiding illegals
The Associated Press, October 1, 2009
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-airportworkersarr,0,7175960.story

Chicago (AP) -- The owner of a temporary employment agency in suburban Chicago and an assistant have been sentenced to federal prison for helping illegal immigrants get access to secure areas at O'Hare International Airport.

Thirty-eight-year-old Mary Gurin of Carpentersville was sentenced Wednesday to three years. Her assistant, 26-year-old Norinye Benitez of Franklin Park was sentenced to one year and one day.

Both women had previously pleaded guilty to the charge of harboring illegal aliens.

In 2007, nearly two dozen illegal immigrants employed through Gurin's staffing agency were arrested and accused of using fake security badges to work in critical areas of O'Hare.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say Ideal Staffing Solutions Inc. contracted with a number of companies to provide temporary employees.

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29.
Over 70 nabbed in gang sweep
By Arthur Raymond
The Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City), October 1, 2009
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705333467/Over-70-nabbed-in-gang-sweep.html

More than 70 gang members netted in a statewide, multi-agency enforcement surge are facing a battery of federal and state charges including murder and drug possession. Forty will be looking at deportation proceedings.

The arrests were made over the last two months as part of 'Operation Community Shield.' The program, overseen by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's National Gang Unit, combined law enforcement officers from local agencies, the U.S. Attorney's Office for Utah and the state's new SECURE immigration strike force, a unit launched this summer and administered by Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff.

ICE Special Agent Jonathan Lines, who coordinated the effort, said Wednesday the project was a great success.

'ICE is committed to rooting out these gang members before they get too embedded in communities,' he said. 'These are dangerous criminals. … More than half will do state or federal time before being deported.'

Lines said a similar multi-agency raid last summer resulted in more arrests — 124 — but this year's sweep netted more serious criminals. They include Guadalupe Alfredo Melendez-Laine, a 34-year-old Honduran national with ties to the Sureno 13 street gang. Melendez-Laine, who has been deported five times, was arrested in Salt Lake City Aug. 12, and according to the ICE report, has a lengthy criminal record including an arrest in Utah two years ago for possession and trafficking of heroin.

Ken Wallantine, chief of law enforcement for the Utah Attorney General's Office, said offenders like Melendez-Laine are exactly the profile the SECURE team is tasked with apprehending.

'We're focusing our efforts on people that are trafficking stolen goods, fraudulent ID, human trafficking and transporting narcotics and weapons into the state,' he said. 'We've known for a long time that a lot of drugs being trafficked in Utah, and many of the Western states, is facilitated by gangs that have transnational connections.'

Shurtleff, who was a strong supporter of legislation last year that created the new crime team, said its involvement in the federally led sweep was exactly what he had hoped for.

'The SECURE strike force is partnering with ICE in Operation Community Shield to do just what the people of Utah need: get the worst criminal aliens off our streets,' he said. 'As attorney general, I am committed to protecting all law-abiding Utahns from these dangerous gang members.'

The surge focused on Ogden, Salt Lake, Provo and St. George with a surprisingly large number of the arrests — 21 — occurring in St. George. Lines said the southern Utah city's proximity to the Nevada border makes it a perfect transition point for gang members moving out of Nevada and California and looking for new opportunities in Utah. Wallantine said ongoing efforts like Wednesday's operation will help keep the state an inhospitable place for those looking to commit crime.

'We're seeing strong criminal pressures here,' he said. 'We're at a point where if we push back hard, we can prevent that element from gaining a foothold.'

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30.
Federal officials: Con man in style of 'Catch Me If You Can' arrested at US-Canadian border
By Lisa Rathke
The Associated Press, September 29, 2009

Montpelier (AP) -- A smooth-talking, globe-trotting serial swindler who is wanted in Nevada on a burglary charge has been arrested after crossing illegally from Canada to Vermont, federal authorities said.

Juan Carlos Guzman-Betancourt, 33, of Colombia, is wanted on a 2006 warrant on a Las Vegas burglary charge and was arrested Sept. 21 after trying to convince a border guard that he was only seeking help for a broken-down car, officials said.

He has at least 10 aliases and uses his good looks and gift of gab to get into rooms and locked safes, authorities say. He reportedly escaped from a prison outside London in 2005 after persuading authorities to let him go to a dental appointment without a guard.

He was nabbed this month at a gas station near the U.S.-Canadian border in Derby Line and is being held on charges of re-entering the U.S. after being deported, authorities said. His lawyer, Michael Desautels, didn't return a call yesterday.
. . .
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-con-man-caught,0,5118038.story

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31.
Federal officer arrested in alien smuggling case
By Ildefonso Ortiz
The Brownsville Herald (TX), September 30, 2009

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was arrested Tuesday for his role in an alien smuggling operation, officials said.
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http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/cbp-103049-alien-officer.html

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Center for Immigration Studies
1522 K St. NW, Suite 820
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 466-8185 fax: (202) 466-8076
center@cis.org www.cis.org
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