Wednesday 10th March, 2010

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.

Wednesday 10th March, 2010

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.

Tuesday 9th March, 2010

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.

Tuesday 9th March, 2010

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.