Critics seek to stem deportations after U.S. boots thousands
WASHINGTON — Since the Bush administration rolled out a program in 2008 that shares fingerprints between local police and federal immigration agents, about 30,000 illegal immigrants convicted of serious crimes have been deported.
But even more immigrants — roughly 33,000 — have been thrown out of America without ever being convicted of non-immigration crimes.
Opponents of the program, Secure Communities, say it casts too wide a net and threatens community policing. The governors of Massachusetts, New York and Illinois have joined them in recent months.
While immigration officials defend Secure Communities and their plans to expand it to the entire country, they acknowledged the growing criticism again this week by giving a task force more time to look into the program.
For years now, illegal immigration has been a hot button issue. It's prompted new laws, tough enforcement, political action and localized violence. Some charge that illegal immigrants are stealing American jobs. Other see their labor as helping the nation keep its competitive edge at a low cost and filling jobs that many citizens refuse to do.
In June, the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, John Morton, announced that the agency was creating an advisory committee to look into the program's practices relating to minor traffic offenses and report in 45 days, he said.
Immigrant rights groups remained skeptical, and on Wednesday more than 200 of them sent Morton a letter criticizing the committee's scope and composition.
"To adequately examine the program," they wrote, "the committee, at a minimum, must include affected community members who can speak to the impact of the program and be allowed to do significantly more than simply make recommendations about minor traffic offenses."
A spokeswoman for ICE, Nicole Navas, told McClatchy on Friday that the agency has given the task force more time to report its findings. The committee requested the additional time to solicit feedback from the public, law enforcement and other stakeholders, she wrote in an email.
The committee now will issue its final report in September, according to its chairman, Chuck Wexler, the executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum.
During the Obama administration — which deports more immigrants than any other in American history — and the Bush administration, Secure Communities has produced only a small portion of ICE's deportations.
History Of Immigrants - News
Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, writes that, like this book, the new National Museum of Immigration will go beyond traditional history to introduce “America's new immigrants, get a rare look inside their lives, and perhaps a glimpse of our future.
the history of Angel Island. "I expect the people who come to be very proud and for the names on the plaques to be remembered for many years to come," Wong said. "The nameless immigrants who came and made their mark in this country are important.
During the Obama administration — which deports more immigrants than any other in American history — and the Bush administration, Secure Communities has produced only a small portion of ICE's deportations. The record numbers are concerning to Sarnata
Anyone familiar with Hoboken knows that the city has a long history of welcoming immigrants. But even the most accomplished historian can still be surprised when learning about the topic. Dr. Christina Ziegler-McPherson shared the
EDMOND — In a world where we have a biracial president, drive foreign cars, wear clothes made in China and frequently dine in Mexican restaurants, we don't seem to grasp the depth of prejudice experienced by minorities and immigrants in the early 20th
Borderland Beat: Largest meth bust in Nevada history, Mexican ...
By CRISTINA SILVA, Associated Press
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Ten illegal immigrants from Mexico were arrested on drug trafficking charges after federal and Las Vegas law enforcement officials seized 212 pounds of drugs worth an estimated street value of $5.7 million in the largest methamphetamine bust in Nevada history, authorities announced Thursday.
Police also seized $280,000 in cash, six guns and nine vehicles used for drug trafficking after searching nine residential properties in Las Vegas and Henderson on Tuesday.
Law enforcement officials heralded the record bust as a significant blow to Las Vegas' illegal underground that would be felt by every player, including drug bosses, small-time dealers and users hoping to score on the street. The raid yielded four pounds of heroin and 208 pounds of methamphetamine in varying stages of processing, from its liquid form to the crystal-like pieces sold on the street in small quantities for consumption.
In all, 11 men and women were arrested in this week's raid, including Mexican nationals Jorge Loza, 26; Armando Lara, 37; Sergio Vieyra-Medrano, 37; Oscar Cavadas, 26; Felix Roman, 27; Salvador Garibo, 27; Cecilia Salgado, 55; and Alejandro Gomez, 31. Mayra Torres, 28, of California was also arrested. One juvenile was not identified because of his age and the name of another suspect was withheld. They all face drug trafficking charges.
It's unclear how long the illegal immigrants have been in the United States or how they entered the country. Police said the operation was run by Cavadas.
"Cavadas has been identified as a high level drug trafficker who distributes pound quantities of methamphetamine throughout the Las Vegas valley," an arrest report states. "Detectives know that Cavadas maintains houses which he stores methamphetamine and utilizes runners to facilitate his narcotics trafficking."
Detectives watched Cavadas deliver a five pound bag of methamphetamine to a Las Vegas customer on June 6. They later learned Cavadas was scheduled to receive a massive shipment of the drug on Tuesday from Torres, who drove in from California.
Police observed Torres leave Cavadas' home Tuesday night. Police soon stopped her and found $270,000 in her car, the money she collected for delivering the shipment, according to an arrest report. In Cavadas' home, police found 40 pounds of methamphetamine in a master bedroom converted into a makeshift drug lab.
Jewish Immigrants of the Nazi Period in the U.S.A.: Guide to the Oral History Collection of the Research Founda... 
Just watched ABC doco "Leaky Boat", history of terrible attitude to desperate immigrants, still big political topic 
News from the Land of Freedom: German Immigrants Write Home (Documents in American Social History): 
RT @: Today in Jewish History (1849) Birth of Jewish poet Emma Lazarus. Her 'New Colossus' on Statue of Liberty welcome immigrants to US
Love hearing about the "noble" history of labor unions...you know, those groups that were formed to keep immigrants out of the work force.History Of Immigrants - Bookshelf
The transplanted, a history of immigrants in urban America
" -- Journal of Interdisciplinary History A major survey of the immigrant experience between 1830 and 1930, this book has implications for all students and ...The Colors of Courage, Gettysburg's Forgotten History: Immigrants, Women, and African Americans in the Civil War's Defining Battle
The Battle of Gettysburg is told from a fresh perspective--the women, immigrants, and African Americans who participated in this epic battle, through memoirs, ...A nation of immigrants, women, workers, and communities in Canadian history, 1840s-1960s
This collection of essays examines immigrants and racial-ethnic relations in Canada from the mid-nineteenth century to the post-1945 era.Communion of Immigrants, A History of Catholics in America
Tracing more than four centuries of Catholics in America, this concise study is a fascinating look at the history of the country's largest religious ...German Immigrants in America, An Interactive History Adventure
"Describes the experiences of German immigrants upon arriving in America.Daily Article Directory
Immigrants Landing at Ellis Island — History.com Video
Immigrants arrive at Ellis Island in 1903. ... This History Channel video explores the topic that has forever stained the history of America and the world: the African Slave ...
Immigration to the United States - Wikipedia, the free ...
As of 2006, the United States accepts more legal immigrants as permanent residents than ... An immigrant who applies for citizenship as soon as permitted, has a long history of ...
History
History: The Immigrant Island, 1624-Present. The historical information on this page was compiled by the Lower ... regional turmoil, industrialization and the dawn of the global ...
History of immigration to the United States - Wikipedia, the ...
Jump to: navigation, search. Video by Edison Studios showing immigrants disembarking ... The Transplanted: A History of Immigrants in Urban America (1985) ...
History of Ellis Island - View it's timeline and read it's ...
Read about the history of Ellis Island. Learn of its beginnings, the immigrants who passed through it, and its closure