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1. Sec. Com. identifies 100k
2. H-1Bs skip certification
3. ICE targets MS-13
4. CA city not to enforce
5. IA executive found guilty

1.
U.S. Identifies 111,000 Immigrants With Criminal Records
By Julia Preston
The New York Times, November 12, 2009

Federal authorities have identified more than 111,000 immigrants with criminal records being held in local jails, during the first year of a program that seeks to deport immigrants who have committed serious crimes.

Among the immigrants identified through the program, known as Secure Communities, more than 11,000 had been charged with or convicted of the most serious crimes, including murder and rape, domestic security officials said Thursday. About 1,900 of those have been deported.

At a news conference in Washington, John Morton, the top official at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, called the program “the future of immigration enforcement,” because, he said, it “focuses our resources on identifying and removing the most serious criminal offenders first and foremost.”

About 100,000 of the detained immigrants identified through the system had been convicted of less serious crimes, ranging from burglary to traffic offenses, the officials said. Of those, more than 14,000 have been deported.

Obama administration officials have worked to distinguish their immigration enforcement strategy from the Bush administration’s, which centered on high-profile factory raids and searches in communities for immigration fugitives.

The Bush operations drew an outcry from immigrant advocates, who said they led to racial profiling, especially of Latinos, and ensnared many immigrants who lacked legal status but had not committed crimes.

Obama administration officials said Secure Communities, which was started under President George W. Bush but rapidly expanded under President Obama, is a relatively low-cost way for the authorities to concentrate resources on deporting the most dangerous immigrants.

Immigration lawyers remain skeptical, saying the program lumps together relatively minor offenses with serious felonies. They said the program encouraged the local police to arrest anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant.

“All you have to do is get them in jail and their immigration status can be checked,” said Joan Friedland, immigration policy director at the National Immigration Law Center, an immigrant advocacy group. Under the program, which started in October 2008 in Houston, the fingerprints of every person booked into jail by the local authorities — including legal and illegal immigrants and United States citizens — are checked against federal immigration databases as well as criminal databases.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/us/13ice.html

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2.
H-1B with uncertified LCAs to be accepted
The Indian Express, November 12, 2009

US immigration authorities have announced that they would accept petitions for H-1B visas, popular among Indian professionals, without the certified Labour Condition Applications (LCAs) for a 120-day period till March 4 next year in view of processing delay at Department of Labour.

The decision in this regard from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) came after it received a number of requests from the affected people that the agency should accept H-1B petition filings that include LCAs that have been filed with the Department of Labour (DOL) but have not yet certified by DOL.

Processing delays arising from DOL's recently implemented 'iCERT' system have resulted in increased processing time, beyond seven days, for certain LCA certifications.

Employers and beneficiaries are being negatively impacted by DOL's increased processing time which currently delays their ability to file with USCIS petitions for H-1B visas, 12,000 slots of which are still to be filled up.
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http://www.indianexpress.com/news/H-1B-with-uncertified-LCAs-to-be-accep...

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3.
Feds target El Salvadoran crime syndicate after thugs plot to kill agent
BY John Marzulli
The Daily News (NY), November 13, 2009

The MS-13 gang's plot to murder a federal agent in New York has triggered a fierce crackdown - a blitz of predawn raids that have netted nine arrests.

"If they believe it's business as usual to threaten one of our agents, or any other agent, they're going to find out they're very wrong," said James Hayes Jr., special agent in charge of investigations for the New York office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"Our response is going to be swift, decisive and overwhelming."

It's not just tough talk.

The Daily News witnessed some of the raids earlier this week, watching as hundreds of agents fanned out across Queens and Long Island in search of dangerous gang members.

An agent toting an M-4 rifle - because MS-13 allegedly tried to buy weaponry that could penetrate body armor - had one question as he left: "Which way is the hospital?"

As first reported by the Daily News, the feds learned MS-13 leaders in El Salvador had ordered the assassination of an ICE agent from MS-13 turncoats.

Reputed gang member Walter (Duke) Torres confessed he had traveled to New York from Virginia to help carry out the killing, according to court papers.

Hayes said the threat was credible and noted that MS-13 has a history of attacks on law enforcement in Central America, where the gang has deep roots.

"We recognize MS-13 as one of the most violent street gangs," he said. "They're ruthless."

Early Tuesday, efforts to round up gang members in the country illegally and shake loose more information about the plot got under way.
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http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/11/13/2009-11-13_authoriti...

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4.
DUI checkpoints will continue in Fontana, but police will not 'enforce immigration laws on the streets,' chief insists
By Alejandro Cano
The Fontana Herald News (CA), November 12, 2009

Fontana residents should not be concerned about Fontana Police Department officers acting as immigration officers, nor should they be concerned about police checkpoints near school sites during school hours, said Fontana Police Chief Rod Jones.

“We don’t enforce immigration laws on the streets; it is the Sheriff’s Department that enforces them in jails only, and after careful investigation,” said Jones. “We don’t go out stopping immigrants based on the color of their skin. People should not be concerned about this. We have an excellent relationship with the community and we want to keep it that way.”

Jones’ reaction came after two local organizations and some members of the general public claimed that people were been harassed during checkpoints held near school sites on school hours — thus “terrorizing” the immigrant community of Fontana by “racial profiling.”

These arguments were voiced on Oct. 28 during a Fontana City Council meeting by members of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) and the San Bernardino Community Service Center.

“We have held one checkpoint near a school site, but it was not during school hours, it was in fact after 6 p.m.,” said Jones. “Regarding racial profiling, it is against the law, and if somebody complains about it, we immediately open an investigation.”

Jones said that complaints about racial profiling seldom happen. However, Bobby Jo Chavarria, a Fontana resident and member of ACORN, said that not having complaints does not mean it is not happening.

“They want to believe it is not happening, but we all know it does occur and is more common than one may think,” said Chavarria.

Despite being illegal in some states, the Fontana P.D. will continue to hold DUI checkpoints with the goal of stopping drunk drivers before “they commit accidents,” officials said. In some states checkpoints are prohibited because they supposedly violate the Fourth Amendment; however, in California they are implemented regularly thanks to state grants.
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http://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/articles/2009/11/12/news/doc4afc51b23a8...

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5.
Verdict brings closure to many in Postville
By Tom Barton
The Des Moines Regester (IA), November 13, 2009

Eighteen months have passed since immigration agents raided Agriprocessors Inc. meat plant, arrested nearly 400 workers, and sent the plant spiraling into bankruptcy.

On Thursday, the plant's former vice president - Sholom Rubashkin - was found guilty of 86 of 91 counts of financial crimes.

Postville residents can now move on, said the Rev. Paul Ouderkirk, a Catholic priest and one of several local religious leaders who cared for workers after the raid.

"I think it's going to bring a little bit of closure to the people of Postville; that finally some justice is being served," Ouderkirk said Thursday evening. "People were waiting, and now they know."

When Paul Rael, a lay pastor at St. Bridget's Hispanic Ministry, began working in Postville in 2003, he said he frequently heard about problems at the eastern Iowa meat plant.

"I thought, 'Well, who was directing this plant, who was running this plant?' (Rubashkin) knew everything that was going on in there," Rael said. "I couldn't see how he could possibly get away with some of things he was being charged with."

Rael said he's hopeful that "the community will gather together and decide that there needs to be a better, if not closer relationship, between the city and a large employer like that. Especially if you hear rumors of certain issues that have circulated for many years."

Aaron Goldsmith, a former city councilman, an Orthodox Jew and an acquaintance of Rubashkin's, said he's disappointed in the verdict.

"I'm not justifying his behavior, but I'm concerned for him and his family and the damage that has been done in town," said Goldsmith, who co-authored the book "Postville USA: Surviving Diversity in Small-Town America."
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http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20091113/NEWS/911130377/1001/NE...