The Department of State warns American citizens of the dangers of travel to Colombia.  While security in Colombia has improved significantly in recent years, violence by narco-terrorist groups continues to affect some rural areas as well as large cities.  The potential for violence by terrorists and other criminal elements exists in all parts of the country.  This updates and replaces the Travel Warning for Colombia issued November 10, 2009 to update information on recent security incidents and criminal activity.

In recent months there has been a marked increase in violent crime in Colombia.  Murder rates have risen significantly in some major cities, particularly Medellin and Cali.  Kidnapping remains a serious threat.  American citizens have been the victim of violent crime, including kidnapping and murder.  Firearms are prevalent in Colombia and altercations can often turn violent.  Small towns and rural areas of Colombia can still be extremely dangerous due to the presence of narco-terrorists.  Common crime also remains a significant problem in many urban and rural areas.  For additional details about the general criminal threat, please see the Department of State's Country Specific Information for Colombia.

The incidence of kidnapping in Colombia has diminished significantly from its peak at the beginning of this decade.  Nevertheless, terrorist groups such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the National Liberation Army (ELN), and other criminal organizations continue to kidnap and hold civilians for ransom or as political bargaining chips.  No one is immune from kidnapping on the basis of occupation, nationality, or other factors.  Kidnapping in rural areas is of particular concern.  On July 2, 2008, the Government of Colombia rescued 15 hostages, including three Americans, who had been held for more than five years.  Although the U.S. government places the highest priority on the safe recovery of kidnapped Americans, it is U.S. policy not to make concessions to or strike deals with kidnappers. Consequently, the U.S. government's ability to assist kidnapping victims is limited.  

U.S. government officials and their families in Colombia are permitted to travel to major cities in the country, but normally only by air.  They may not use inter- or intra-city bus transportation, or travel by road outside urban areas at night.  All Americans in Colombia are urged to follow these precautions.

Americans living or traveling in Colombia are encouraged to register with the U.S. Embassy through the State Department's travel registration website (https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/index.aspx) to obtain updated information on travel and security within Colombia.

The U.S. Embassy is located at Calle 24 Bis No. 48-50 Bogota, D.C. Colombia.  Mailing address:  Carrera 45 No. 24B-27 Bogota, D.C. Colombia.  In case of a serious emergency that jeopardizes the health or safety of an American citizen in Colombia, please call the Embassy at (571) 315-0811; Embassy fax: (571) 315-2197; Consular Section phone: (571) 315-1566. The Embassy's American Citizens Services office provides routine information at http://bogota.usembassy.gov.  For questions not answered there, inquiries may be sent by email to ACSBogota@state.gov.

The U.S. Consular Agency in Barranquilla, which accepts passport applications and performs notarial services, is located at Calle 77B, No. 57-141, Piso 5, Centro Empresarial Las Americas, Barranquilla, Atlantico, Colombia; telephone (575) 353-2001; fax (011-57-5) 353-5216.  The Consular Agency is not staffed to respond to after-hours emergencies; in case of an emergency in the Barranquilla/north coast area, please contact the Embassy in Bogota at (571) 315-0811.

As the Department develops information on potential security threats to U.S. citizens overseas, it shares credible threats through its Consular Information Program documents, available on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov. U.S. citizens should consult warden messages for Colombia at http://bogota.usembassy.gov/acs_wardenmessage.html, as well as the Department of State's Country Specific Information for Colombia and the Worldwide Caution at http://travel.state.gov.

U.S. travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada or, for overseas callers, on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.

Source:     US Dept. Of State

JACKSON, MISS.  — A Mexican immigrant walked out of the Mississippi Supreme Court 2 weeks ago holding the daughter who had been taken from her by state officials in 2008, when advocates say she was accused of being an unfit mother because she doesn't speak English. Cirila Balthazar Cruz and her 1-year-old child, Ruby, were surrounded by Southern Poverty Law Center officials as they left the court. None of them would discuss details of the case, citing the confidentiality of Youth Court proceedings.

 Because the records in the case are sealed, it is unclear what rationale the state used to take custody of the child. However, immigrant advocates have said the child was taken because Cruz was an illegal immigrant and did not speak English.

"This is a very happy day for us," SPLC legal director Mary Bauer told The Associated Press. "That is her baby."

Friday's proceeding before Special Judge Billy Bridges may not be the end of the case, which has led to a memorandum of understanding between Mississippi and the Mexican government and drawn the attention of immigration advocates nationwide.

"This is a fight that we are willing to take on beyond today, but we are absolutely not permitted to talk to you and no one thinks that's a shame more than we do," said Bauer. "This is certainly not the end of that."

The main issue appears to be whether Mississippi acted appropriately when it took custody of Ruby.

When Cruz showed up at Singing River Hospital in Jackson County to give birth in November 2008, she didn't speak English or Spanish. The only language she knew was Chatino, a dialect indigenous to Oaxaca in rural Mexico.

Cruz was interviewed by an interpreter at the hospital who spoke Spanish, but not Chatino. The Mississippi Department of Human Services was contacted and the agency took custody of Cruz' newborn after determining she lacked the means to take care of the child.

Pascagoula Police Capt. Shannon Broom had said Cruz was walking to the hospital and appeared to be in distress when officers saw her. Broom said Cruz was living in an apartment on Orchard Road in Pascagoula.

"Shortly after getting her to the hospital, she gives birth to a little baby girl. That was the end of our involvement with the lady," Broom said.

Cruz had been living in the United States illegally. It was unclear Friday whether she would remain here or return to Mexico.

After the state took custody, the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance charged that no effort had been made by the state or the hospital to locate a Chatino-speaking interpreter for Cruz. MIRA located an interpreter for Cruz in early 2009.

DHS spokeswoman Julia Bryan did not immediately respond Friday to questions about the case.

The memorandum of understanding signed in August required Mississippi to inform the Mexican Consulate in New Orleans of any similar cases. A news release from Mexico's Secretary of Foreign Affairs said Cruz' situation was "a clear case of discrimination and violation of the most basic human rights of a Mexican citizen."

Immigration advocates had been watching the case.

The Binational Center for the Development of Oaxacan Indigenous Communities, which has offices in California, had sent a letter last year to Jackson County Youth Court Judge Sharon Sigalas urging her to consider the case's "cultural and social factors."

Source:     sfexaminer.com

For nearly a year, Fairfax County's Adult Detention Center has quietly helped pilot a far-reaching program designed to identify criminal illegal immigrants and assist the federal government in removing them from the United States. Although controversy over civil liberties issues has surrounded similar efforts, the Fairfax program, Secure Communities, has had a lower profile. It automatically checks the digital fingerprints of anyone processed at the jail against immigration databases maintained by the Department of Homeland Security. If someone is found to be an illegal immigrant whom officials want to deport, an officer of DHS's Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, or ICE, calls the jail's booking desk within an hour to place a "detainer" on the person.

Fairfax, which will mark the one-year anniversary of its enrollment next month, was among the first of only 116 jurisdictions nationwide to participate. Prince William County, the District and Prince George's County, which enrolled more recently, are the only other Washington area jurisdictions to sign up. The Obama administration plans to expand the program, which costs about $200 million a year, to all 3,100 local jails nationwide by 2013.

In Fairfax, 619 inmates were targeted for removal in 2009 because of the program. About 474 illegal immigrant inmates were identified by other means, for a total of 1,093 -- a 40 percent increase from 2008, even though the jail's population shrank slightly.

About a third have been deported. The rest are in immigration proceedings or serving their sentences.

ICE officials said it's difficult to attribute all of the increase to Secure Communities. If the program hadn't been in place, they said, they might have mounted other equally effective efforts in the jail.

But Fairfax Sheriff Stan G. Barry, who runs the detention center, gave the program high marks. "It's been absolutely fantastic," he said. "We've been able to identify a lot more individuals who are threats to our community and have them removed."

Officials point to the Fairfax police arrest March 27 of a Belgian man accused of solicitation of prostitution. The Secure Communities check revealed that he was in the country illegally, had encountered local police more than a dozen times under various aliases and had been convicted of crimes that ranged from assault to attempted armed robbery.

It's possible that the man might have been caught even if Fairfax didn't use Secure Communities. Since July 2008, the Virginia legislature has required jail officials to notify immigration authorities of any foreign nationals in their custody.

However, inmates can lie about their citizenship. And in the past, during periods when many inmates were brought through the jail at once, sheriff's deputies often lacked the time and training to take a closer look, Barry said.

"It involved a lot of guesswork," he said. When deputies did call ICE, there was no way to ensure that ICE agents followed up.

The immigration databases that the Secure Communities program taps are not infallible. They list only foreigners who entered the United States on a visa or who were caught trying to sneak in but later released. Those who have never crossed paths with immigration authorities are not singled out -- the same as U.S.-born citizens. But ICE officials can investigate further.

Secure Communities gives federal officials full control over which illegal immigrants are deported. The Obama administration has announced that its priority is to remove those guilty of violent or serious crimes. (Being in the country illegally is a civil violation, not a criminal offense.)

By contrast, under a similar but more controversial program known as 287g, after the legal provision that created it, local jail officials are trained and deputized to determine which inmates are illegal immigrants and to decide whether to pursue deportation. Immigrant advocates worry that this offers local officials who might be prejudiced against immigrants a way to target them.

In Frederick County, one of a handful of Washington area jurisdictions that participate in 287g, Sheriff Charles A. Jenkins said his policy is to target every inmate identified as an illegal immigrant for deportation.

That has amounted to 605 inmates since the jail enrolled in 287g in April 2008, Jenkins said, about 9 percent of the total jail population. Jenkins said that deporting even low-level offenders is beneficial.

"One of the first persons we processed [for deportation] was driving under the influence of alcohol through a school zone during school hours at 30 miles over the speed limit," Jenkins said. "Is he any less of a threat to the community than a [top-level] offender? I would argue no."

Barry said he supports leaving discretion with federal authorities. "In an ideal world of unlimited resources, should we deport everyone who committed an offense? Sure. But we can't deport everyone," he said.

To Barry, who was considering enrolling in 287g when federal officials approached him about Secure Communities, perhaps the strongest argument is financial.

A smaller facility such as Frederick County's detention center can conduct immigration investigations during its regular duties. But Barry estimated that using 287g would have required him to dedicate eight to 15 people at an annual cost of as much as $3 million. Secure Communities is funded entirely by the federal government.

Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington think tank that favors limits on immigration, said the automated nature of Secure Communities also can help insulate local officials from allegations that they are singling out immigrants through racial profiling -- a concern that has dogged the 287g program.

"There's no judgment call, no decision to make, like: 'Is that a foreign name? Do I run it?' " Vaughan said.

Advocates for immigrants aren't so sure. "We fear that police will be doing preemptive arrests to get people who they suspect of being immigrants into the jail system so that they will be checked through the Secure Communities program," said Michele Waslin, senior policy analyst at the Immigration Policy Center.

Statistics from ICE suggest that agents pursue deportation of more than half of all eligible people who have committed serious crimes, compared with as few as a fifth of lower-level offenders. The trend is comparable in Fairfax.

However, the figures are imprecise. And the bulk of the 40,000 people who have been targeted for deportation under Secure Communities since the program's inception in October 2008 are lower-level offenders. This is mainly because so many low-level offenders go through the system, said ICE spokesman Richard Rocha.

During a recent afternoon at the Fairfax jail, officials appeared to show restraint. A 29-year-old man with bleary eyes and dirty clothing who was brought in for public drunkenness at a gas station spoke only Spanish. His offense was a misdemeanor for which fingerprints are not taken at the jail, so no automated check of his nationality or immigration status was conducted.

A few minutes later, police officers escorted in a Moroccan-born man on a more serious charge: stealing merchandise off the loading dock at a nearby Macy's. Deputy Sheriff Donald Fuller took his fingerprints on an electronic scanner connected to a computer, then clicked the button that would check them against the databases.

In this instance, the man turned out to be a legal permanent resident. ICE officials said they would monitor the case in the event he is convicted of a charge that cancels his legal status.

Source:    washingtonpost.com

LOS ANGELES - A 30-year-old Guatemalan national being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) pending immigration removal proceedings died Friday morning at Kindred Rehabilitation Hospital (KRH) in Los Angeles following complications from a brain tumor. Ernesto Gomez-Vasquez, an ICE detainee at the Mira Loma Detention Center in Lancaster, Calif., was taken to Antelope Valley Hospital Jan. 4, 2010, after complaining of a headache and dizziness. When extensive tests revealed Gomez had a large brain tumor, he was hospitalized and underwent emergency surgery to remove portions of the tumor and relieve the pressure on his brain. On Jan. 6, a second emergency surgery was performed to insert an intracranial pressure monitor. On Feb, 26, Gomez was transferred to KRH.

Gomez came into ICE custody July 13, 2009. Following his arrest by ICE, Gomez was screened by medical professionals from ICE's Division of Immigration Health Services. At that time, he did not report any health problems and the medical screening did not reveal any preexisting conditions.

Prior to his death, ICE notified Gomez's family in the United States and they had opportunities to visit him. Guatemalan Consular officials were also advised by ICE of Gomez's medical condition and alerted his father in Guatemala. The family was notified of Gomez's death by the medical staff at KRH. Consistent with ICE protocol, the appropriate state health and local law enforcement agencies have also been informed.

Gomez is the third detainee to pass away in ICE custody in fiscal year 2010.

Source:     ice.gov

ASYLUM seekers are now arriving at a faster rate under Kevin Rudd than under the Howard government at the height of its refugee crisis. Two unauthorised boats arrived in less than 24 hours over the weekend, carrying a combined 113 passengers. The new arrivals will push Christmas Island detention centre to near capacity, leaving only 70 spare beds. December to April is usually the off-season for people smugglers with monsoon conditions in the Timor Sea making the journey more perilous. But 20 boats have arrived this year, carrying 1050 asylum seekers. That's an average of nine boats and 484 asylum seekers a month.

Under John Howard, the average rate of arrivals hit about seven a month. Average asylum seeker arrivals reached 459 a month in 2001.

"In the first nine weeks of 2010 we have had more boats arrive illegally than in the last six years of the Coalition Government," Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said.

Amid serious overcrowding on Christmas Island, immigration authorities are routinely transferring small numbers of "vulnerable" to the mainland without refugee visas.

A group of 13, including eight unaccompanied minors, was brought to Melbourne and Brisbane for final processing last week.

Mr Rudd will discuss people smuggling with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Canberra tomorrow, amid growing political fallout over the issue.

The talks follow an attempted "Indonesian strategy" in which the Government hoped to turn back asylum seekers and process them in Indonesian camps.

About 250 Sri Lankans are still refusing to get off a vessel in the Indonesian port of Merak.

"Regional responses to the challenge of people smuggling are the only ones that work over time," Mr Rudd said.

The Government has a contingency plan to process asylum seekers in Darwin if Christmas Island exceeds capacity.

Immigration Minister Chris Evans said: "The Liberal Party is in denial about the conflicts in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka which have seen tens of thousands of people flee for safety, in the same vein that tens of thousands of people fled Iraq and Afghanistan in the Howard era."

Source:    heraldsun.com