Criminal immigration enforcement by the federal government is steadily growing under the Obama administration and has reached the highest levels seen during the presidency of George Bush, despite fewer people living illegally in the United States.
immigration
Record number of immigration cases referred by ICE
ICE union accuses agency of discrimination in leak probe
The union that represents Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers said that a probe apparently seeking to identify the source of leaked internal documents detailing arrest quotas has unfairly targeted a suspected agent, the Washington Post reported.
Arizona-style laws in other states 'fizzled' during later years
The June issue of Governing magazine points out that two other states have already passed laws similar to the controversial anti-immigration legislation signed by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer in April.
Rebranding at ICE Meant to Soften Immigration Enforcement Agency's Image
Reports contrasting claims of border crime mount
Agents and officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection honor fallen federal law enforcers during a memorial ceremony in 2008. Image courtesy of CBP.
Immigrant advocates want ICE chief out following CIR/Washington Post report
Immigrant advocates pushing for reform of the nation's immigration laws have called on the White House to replace John Morton, the administration's top immigration official.
The call came the day after Morton, the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, convened a meeting at ICE headquarters in Washington, D.C. after a CIR/Washington Post story March 27 disclosed agency memos and other documents setting quotas to deport more illegal immigrants.
Mentally Disabled Immigrants Remain in Detention for Years After Serving Time for Crimes, Their Attorneys Allege
Two mentally disabled Mexican immigrants, facing deportation for criminal assault convictions for which they have already served their time, continue to be held in detention facilities in violation of their constitutional rights, according to separate lawsuits filed in federal court.
Jose Franco-Gonzalez, 29, of Costa Mesa and Guillermo Gomez-Sanchez, 48, of San Bernardino have languished in detention facilities for years because authorities deemed them mentally incompetent, their attorneys said.
Their deportation cases were closed in 2005 and 2006 and the men have since been forgotten, shuttled through a network of jails, psychiatric hospitals and detention centers, they said.
ICE "Industry Day" on detention reform attracts familiar faces
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last fall held an "Industry Day" on detention reform as a way to get feedback from current and potential contractors and other interested parties. The event was closed to the news media.
ICE provided to the Center for Investigative Reporting a list of the companies represented, but would not disclose who the attendees were. The event was held at the Julie Myers Conference room at ICE headquarters.
Mexican human rights activist released by U.S. immigration
Gustavo de la Rosa Hickerson, a human-rights investigator in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua, was released last Wednesday after being held for about a week.
The El Paso Times has the story here.
Second immigration official leaves new federal office
A second high-ranking official in a two-month-old federal office that oversees immigration detention policy and planning has left the government, sources say.
Cree Zischke, tasked with addressing detainee health care issues for Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of Detention Policy and Planning, departed just weeks after her boss, Dr. Dora Schriro, left ICE in late September to become commissioner of New York City's jails.
