Huge Week for Immigration News
In case you missed it, I posted a lengthy round-up of last week’s immigration news on Deportation Nation:
This week the Obama Administration announced new guidelines to unclog the immigration courts by allowing low-priority immigrant offenders to remain in the country and apply for a work permit. The White House promoted that DHS had for the first time “prioritized the removal of people who have been convicted of crimes in the United States.”
The decision coincided with advocates calling for the termination of the unpopular Secure Communities program. Protests held in Los Angeles and Chicago resulted in walk-outs and arrests as a result of public hearings with members of the Secure Communities Task Force.
Meanwhile, the FOIA war between ICE and an immigrant coalition, made up of the Center for Constitutional Rights, National Day Laborer Organizing Network and Cardozo Immigration Justice Clinic, continued to rage on. A New York judge ordered the reproduction of hundreds of documents, this time unredacted.
Secure Communities Reforms Disappoints Advocates
We have a new post up on the Deportation Nation site that Renee and I worked up following ICE Head’s John Morton announcement on reforms to the controversial Secure Communities program.
It includes a list of reforms – which includes a new policy regards domestic violence victims, the creation of an advisory committee, and providing S-Comm 101 training to local and state police.
Many advocates were disappointed by the reforms and had hoped the program would be suspended following a review by the Office of Inspector General. We included what advocates are saying about the new reforms and Twitter reactions like these:
Predictions: ‘my bad, f- you.’
Holy smokes! “DHS Secure Communities Civil Rights Training”? That’s like 4 oxymorons combined into one.
More doublespeak from ICE on “Secure Communities.” Click to read more.
New Secure Communities Timeline Launched on Deportation Nation
We finally launched our comprehensive Secure Communities timeline which tracks the implementation of ICE’s fast track enforcement program and the rising resistance to it. All the weeks of work on it paid off.
Click link above to see a large timeline version of the interactive tool.
Secure Communities 101
I’m most proud of this infographic that I did with Renee on DeportationNation.org. It was also cross-posted on Colorlines.com. I love to know your thoughts on it. Email me at Stokelyb@gmail.com.
Contractor Says ICE Misled States on Optional Enforcement Program, Fuels Federal Investigation
I’ve got a new post up on Deportation Nation that I wrote up last night regarding a letter from a former ICE contractor and his role in the Secure Communities expansion:
A letter from a former ICE regional coordinator, who was let go for his role in the opt-out confusion, provides more details on the strategy behind the implementation of the Secure Communities program.
It was included in a series of letters sent by California Rep. Zoe Lofgren to Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General as evidence for an immediate investigation into the misconduct of immigration officials.
ICE contractor Dan Cadman sent a letter to California Rep. Zoe Lofgren hoping to set the record straight following his termination with the agency after a New York Times article revealed that immigration officials launched an aggressive campaign to obtain participation from counties refusing to join, and questioned Rahm Emmanuel’s involvement with that campaign.
“Mr. Morton would have you believe that the government never indicated that the program was voluntary, and this impression only gained currency because of me,” wrote Cadman to Lofgren. “That is ironic and untrue.”
Not following the recent Secure Communities debate?
Check out our coverage over at DeportationNation.org.
Recent articles I worked on looks at Secure Communities in California and Illinois.
May 13, 2011: Enforcement Desk Round-up: States Push Back Against Secure Communities, More Bills Challenge Sanctuary Cities
May 5, 2011: Update: Illinois Governor Terminates Secure Communities Agreement, DHS Overrides Decision
April 29, 2011: Congressmember Asks Feds To Investigate Misconduct of Immigration Officials
April 22, 201: Update: Internal Docs Reveal California’s Frustration With Secure Communities Expansion, Congresswoman Demands Investigation
Deportation Nation | Internal Docs Reveal California’s Frustration With Secure Communities Expansion
There’s a new post up on Deportation Nation I wrote regarding documents that were released last week:
Documents released by advocates last week confirm local frustration with the federal government’s fast-track expansion of the Secure Communities program – this time in California.
Many of the 500 documents released via litigation include email correspondence between officials with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) that document its public relations campaign to implement the program in resistant counties such as San Francisco.
