DEPORTATION FEARS PROMPT EXODUS FROM TEXAS CITY'S SCHOOLS
By Warren Mass Published: 2007-10-05 18:21
ARTICLE SYNOPSIS: Irving, Texas, Independent School District Superintendent Jack Singley announced on October 3 that an estimated 90 children have withdrawn from the city's schools in the past week because of the deportation fears.
Follow this link to the original source: "Students withdraw as deportation fears reach Irving schools"
COMMENTARY: Irving, Texas, one of the larger suburbs of Dallas with an estimated population of around 200,000, is best known as the location of Texas Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys. It is an ethnically diverse city where about one-third of the population is of Hispanic origin. Last year about 66 percent of Irving's public school students were Hispanic and 36 percent had limited English skills — the highest percentage of any school district in North Texas.
Irving was in the news this week because of apparent fallout stemming from the Irving Police Department's policy, begun last year, of cooperating with federal immigration authorities to identify illegal immigrants who have been arrested, and turn that information over to immigration authorities so deportation proceedings can be initiated. The Mexican Consulate recently began warning Mexican citizens to stay out of Irving because the city's police department has been cooperating with federal immigration authorities to identify illegal immigrants who have been arrested so they can be deported. Irving police have turned over more than 1,600 people to immigration officials since the program began.
In an October 3 interview with the Dallas Morning News, Irving Mayor Herbert Gears defended the fairness of his city's policy, stating: "If they're not being booked into our jail, there's nothing they should be worried about."
Mayor Gears assured parents that they need not fear that immigration officials or police would pick up their children from school campuses. Nevertheless, he stated that many Irving residents support the City Council's immigration policy, because illegal immigrants overburden social services and overcrowd public schools.
In public statements made during the mayor's human relations advisory committee meeting on October 2, Superintendent Singley seemed more concerned about the plight of illegal immigrants than about the plight of Irving's taxpayers, who must pay the bill to educate the children of those who have no legal right to be in this country. (Perhaps the educational budget is determined by total school enrollment — legal or illegal.) The Morning News article reported that Mr. Singley said he does not know how many illegal immigrant children attend Irving schools, adding that school districts usually do not verify the immigration status of their students and that public schools are required to provide a "free" education to illegal immigrant children.
We wonder if Irving taxpayers, when reviewing the portion of their property tax bill allocated for the Irving ISD, regard so-called public education as "free."
There are two equally important, though separate, issues coming into play in this story that are worthy of comment.
The first is the injustice of forcing taxpaying, law-abiding U.S. citizens to bear the oppressive burden of financing the education — and other social services — provided to thousands of illegal immigrants who legally have no right to be in this country. One might as well require homeowners to feed, clothe, and educate the children of burglars breaking into their homes.
The second issue is not as often discussed, because public education has been institutionalized in our nation for so long that most people regard it as a right. Public education, as the term is usually used in this country, is a misnomer, however. In the United Kingdom, where more precise English prevails, "public schools" (e.g., Eton) are independent schools generally open to any fee-paying member of the public. In Britain, the more accurate terms "state school" and "county school" are used for schools provided at public expense.
Americans who are critical of the so-called public education system generally prefer the term "government schools" to refer to those institutions supported by the taxpayers through local property taxes, and subsidized by federal education funds.
Whatever they are called, however, public schools are the result of a concept of state-controlled education imported from socialist Prussia by 19th century "progressive" educators such as Horace Mann. They are politically, intellectually, and morally dangerous — and financially unjust.
Politically, intellectually, and morally dangerous, because, by placing control of the curriculum under authority of the state, they give the state the power to determine what children shall be taught, including what moral values should be imparted.
Financially unjust, because they force taxpayers who have no need for public education (the childless, and those whose children have grown), as well as those who choose alternate education for their children (in religious schools, or by homeschooling) to shoulder a responsibility that rightfully belongs to the parents of the children being educated.
In Irving, Texas, today, we see the convergence of two bad ideas (poor federal immigration enforcement and coercive public education), and one good solution. The city's policy of cooperating in the deportation of illegal immigrants is the correct one.
Warren Mass Warren is the Editor for the John Birch Society Bulletin. [IMG]http://www.jbs.org/modules/bio/bio_image.php?image=/files/wmass 200.JPG[/IMG]
[COMMENT BY EXPLORA: They're probably a bunch of crazy komakozie pilots who flew over the Himalayas.]]
28 ARRESTED IN CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WITH GANG TIES
By Sam Quinones Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 12:42 PM PDT, October 5, 2007
In an ongoing crackdown, 28 foreign nationals suspected of having ties to street gangs in the San Fernando Valley were arrested by federal agents this morning during sweeps throughout Los Angeles County.
The arrests concentrated on members of 15 gangs, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said.
Among them was Jorge Torres, 31, a reputed member of the Project Boys in Pacoima whose criminal record includes convictions for drug violations as well as battery on a police officer, officials said. Torres, who has been deported five times, has been indicted by the U.S. attorney's office on charges of reentry after deportation.
If convicted, he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.
Today's sweep is part of an ICE crackdown on illegal immigrants with gang affiliations in the San Fernando Valley, beginning with a sweep in September that resulted in nine arrests. Those arrested today are believed to have ties to the Canoga Park Alabama, San Fer, Vineland Boys, Blythe Street and Project Boys gangs.
Of those arrested, 21 are illegal immigrants and seven had legal residency status that is now being revoked, officials said. Most are from Mexico; others hail from Guatemala and El Salvador.
Reported by: Staci-Lyn Honda Email: StaciLynHonda@ClearChannel.com Last Update: 5:42 pm
The backlash is growing. But New York Governor Eliot Spitzer is continuing to defend his decision to allow illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses.
"I don't think they should be able to get it because they're illegally here. Therefore they shouldn't be able to get legal documents," said Beth Patterson of Big Flats.
"I don't think it's a good idea, we should discourage illegal immigrants coming to this country," said Syed Hoda of Big Flats.But neighbors aren't the only ones who are speaking out against Spitzer's plan.
Earlier this week, Republican Chemung County legislator Joe Brennan introduced a resolution that opposed the plan, saying it's illegal and could lead to election fraud.
Now at least 13 county clerks across the state say they will not obey the policy.
"A lot of people in good faith don't understand the issue. I'm upset with those who are using this to inflame the unfortunate discourse about immigration," said New York Governor Eliot Spitzer. Spitzer argues the plan would make people in the empire state safer.
He says it would create records and allow government officials to keep track of illegal immigrants.
"We don't want people to be in the shadows, we don't want people to be using false id's or to have no id," said Spitzer.
"At least that way we're checking up on them and finding out what they're doing," said Bob Bellman of Catlin.
The Chemung County clerk would not give an opinion on the plan, but says she will follow it.
Steuben and Schuyler County clerks did not return our calls for comment.
The plan is set to take effect in January.
"Once you have a driver's license you can go do a lot of other things here and there, because that comes with your license to do other things," said Hoda.
ACLU AND VICTIMS OF INADEQUATE MEDICAL CARE IN IMMIGRATION DETENTION TELL CONGRESS TO PREVENT MORE DEATHS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: media@dcaclu.org
Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union and victims of inadequate medical treatment in immigration detention facilities testified in Congress today urging more oversight of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in whose custody at least 65 people have died since 2004. According to the ACLU, inadequate medical care may be a leading cause of death in immigration detention. Activists, experts, victims of deficient medical care in ICE detention and relatives of people who died in ICE custody all testified, sharing harrowing stories and sobering facts.
"If our government insists on rounding people up and holding them, then the government must provide adequate medical care," said Tom Jawetz, immigration detention staff attorney for the ACLU National Prison Project, who testified today. "Poor medical care in immigrant detention isn’t just ruining people’s lives – it’s extinguishing them – and Immigration and Customs Enforcement must be held accountable for the lives that have been destroyed."
More than 62 people have died in ICE custody, including relatives of June Everett and Edwidge Danticat, who testified today about the inadequate medical care their relatives received. The roots of the problem are manifold. The government is not required to keep track of deaths in detention. Necessary medical care is often delayed or denied because of procedural barriers and medically unjustifiable health care policies.
Bureaucracy also plays a role in the cases of death, grave illness and mutilation that have happened in detention facilities. Francisco Castaneda, who testified today, had his genitalia surgically removed because during his 11 months in ICE detention, ICE would not permit him to have a biopsy for what was ultimately determined to be penile cancer. On-site medical personnel cannot provide necessary treatment for detainees like Castaneda unless and until they receive special permission from someone sitting in a Washington, D.C. office. The ACLU will work in the coming months to pass legislation addressing these barriers to adequate medical care for detainees.
"The problems are systemic, and they need a systemic solution," said Max Sevillia, ACLU Legislative Consultant. "The government is putting immigrant detainees’ health and lives at risk because of improper medical care while in ICE facilities and legislation is urgently needed. Congress must act now to save the lives of detainees and to redeem those whose lives cannot be saved."
To read today’s testimonies, listen to podcasts about inadequate medical care in immigration detention and learn more about the ACLU’s work to stop mistreatment in detention go to:
SC SENATE LEADER WANTS CONSTITUTION CHANGE ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
AP Posted: 2007-10-05 17:35:49
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - One of the leaders in the state Senate wants the U.S. Congress to call a convention to amend the U.S. Constitution so states could deny benefits and expel people who are in this country illegally.
"It's a chance for us to hold Congress' feet to the fire and make them act. We've got an overwhelming problem and they're not dedicating overwhelming resources," said Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell.
The Charleston Republican said states can do little to stop illegal immigration . The state is paying for services for illegal immigrants and their families and can't collect taxes from them.
"Unfortunately, the ability of the state to deal with the problem of illegal immigration is almost entirely taken away by the provisions of our Constitution," McConnell said. "However, Congress has refused or is incapable of acting, thereby leaving the states in the position of burning while Congress fiddles."
McConnell said he has no estimate of how many illegal immigrants are in South Carolina or how much they cost the state.
Nationally, there are an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants and their children - many of whom are native-born U.S. citizens, said Sheri Steisel, immigration expert for the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Every state has introduced some form of immigration legislation in the past year, she said. "When federal discussions on immigration fell through, states felt frustrated," Steisel said.
McConnell's resolution, if approved by the Legislature, would call for the General Assembly to officially petition the Congress on July 1, 2008, as allowed by Article V of the Constitution, to hold a constitutional convention. Before Congress could act, 33 other states would have to file similar petitions. Any changes that came out of the convention would have to be approved by 38 states before they were adopted, he said.
Telephone messages left for representatives of several immigrant and Hispanic organizations were not returned Friday.
FAMILIES ASK JUDGE TO STOP FEDERAL RAIDS ON LONG ISLAND HOMES
By LARRY NEUMEISTER,AP Posted: 2007-10-05 18:37:13
NEW YORK (AP) - Several Hispanic families and individuals asked a court Friday to stop immigration agents from barging into Long Island homes without proper authority in raids that have driven a wedge between the federal agents and local police.
The action was taken as part of a lawsuit seeking to force federal agents to obtain the court's permission before the raids. Latino families accused the immigration division of Homeland Security last month of performing raids without court authorization.
According to the lawsuit, immigration agents have forced their way into Latino households, waking residents and terrifying children. It said that, often, the agents were looking for people who did not even live there.
"The abusive and brutal nature of the latest ICE raids shows that ICE has no intention of abiding by constitutional mandates unless checked by the courts," said Patrick Gennardo, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs. "We had no choice, but to seek the courts' aid to protect our clients constitutional and civil rights during the course of the class action."
Earlier this week, Long Island officials accused the agents of using a cowboy mentality by running roughshod over local police officers and even pointing their weapons at the officers as they tried to round up dozens of gang members during raids.
"There were clear dangers of friendly fire," Nassau County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey said. "We did have members that were actually drawn upon."
Mulvey and County Executive Tom Suozzi have asked Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to investigate the tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
"The abusive and brutal nature of the latest ICE raids shows that ICE has no intention of abiding by constitutional mandates unless checked by the courts," said Patrick Gennardo, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs. "We had no choice, but to seek the courts' aid to protect our clients constitutional and civil rights during the course of the class action."
Mark Thorn, a spokesman for the immigration office in New York, said Friday that the agency and federal prosecutors in Manhattan are reviewing the motion. "We believe that a review of the law, the facts and the merits will bein favor of ICE and its authorities," Thorn said.
In all, 186 people were rounded up in the September raids in what was described as a crackdown on gang activity on Long Island.
Although federal authorities said many of the people arrested were gang members, Nassau County officials said only eight of the 92 arrested in their county had any ties to gangs.
DEMOCRATS SPAR WITH RILEY OVER MAKEUP OF IMMIGRATION COMMISSION
By BOB JOHNSON,AP Posted: 2007-10-05 20:16:49
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - A political brouhaha has broken out over the makeup of a commission set up by the Alabama Legislature to study legal and illegal immigration in Alabama and to make recommendations to state and federal officials concerning possible solutions.
In a press release Thursday, Democratic Party Chairman Joe Turnham said Gov. Bob Riley, a Republican , appointed campaign contributors and representatives of industries that hire illegal immigrants to the Joint Patriotic Immigration Commission. Turnham said Riley's appointments were designed to "stifle meaningful immigration reform."
Riley responded Friday with a news release by his communications director Jeff Emerson accusing Democrats of blocking immigration reform legislation in the Legislature in recent sessions.
"For the do-nothing Democrats to block Governor Riley's proposals to combat illegal immigration and then put out garbage like this reaches a whole new level of hypocrisy, even for them," Emerson said.
A number of proposals to make it more difficult for employers to hire illegal immigrants, to prohibit undocumented immigrants from receiving social services and dealing with other immigration issues were introduced by both Democrats and Republicans during this year's regular session. Most of the proposals died - some without coming up for a vote.
One Republican on the committee, the vice chairman, Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, said he also believes the committee is stacked with people who oppose changing the status quo, but he would not blame Riley for the makeup of the committee. House Speaker Seth Hammett and Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom Jr., both Democrats, also made appointments to the commission.
"I think some members of the commission are happy with the status quo. I don't know who's totally responsible, but I do think special interest figured out a way to take over the commission," Beason said.
Beason said he wants to make sure the commission is able to do its job.
"We have to do something. The sons and daughters of Alabama are losing their jobs to people that are not citizens," Beason said.
But Beason agreed with Riley that Democratic leaders in the Legislature were responsible for immigration proposals dying in recent sessions.
"If they want to do something, they are the people in charge," Beason said.
Another legislator on the commission, Rep. Randy Hinshaw, D-Meridianville, said he was concerned about Riley's appointments.
"The administration's appointments were very tilted toward industry," Hinshaw said.
In the Democratic Party release, Turnham criticized the appointment of committee chairman Jay Reed, vice chair of the Alabama Associated Builders & Contractors Inc.
Turnham said in the release that Reed's organization's political action committee had given contributions to Riley during last year's campaign for governor.
Reed said Friday his organization had also given contributions to Folsom and to Beason. Reed defended the work of the commission, which has met twice and is scheduled to meet again Wednesday in Montgomery. Reed said he hopes political infighting does not derail the work of the commission.
The commission is charged to look at legal and illegal immigration and Alabama and to make suggestions to state elected officials and Congress ," Reed said. "I do hope both parties allow process to work before placing judgment."
By Donna Leinwand, USA TODAY 02-17-05 09:19 EST AFP/Getty Images Mexican nationals deported by the United States arrive at Mexico City's international airport.
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (Feb. 17) - Ana Ortega left here for the USA 14 years ago. She never thought she'd return, much less like this: in handcuffs and ankle shackles, on a U.S. government jet with 49 others whose criminal convictions got them deported from the USA.
Ortega, 27, said that she was a legal permanent U.S. resident and that until recently she was an office manager for a chiropractor in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood. Four years ago, she was convicted of conspiracy for being a bit player in a drug-smuggling ring. Her husband, a U.S. citizen and repeat offender, received 10 years in prison; she got probation. She was ordered to appear at a deportation hearing, but she skipped it.
In another time — before the Sept. 11 attacks focused attention on lax enforcement of immigration laws — she probably would have been free to continue living in the USA with her two young children. U.S. agents rarely pursued hundreds of thousands of fugitives like Ortega. That's what happened in her case for nearly three years — before agents showed up at her door seven months ago.
On Monday, Ortega was sent back to the Dominican Republic on a flight from Boston that symbolized the U.S. government's increasingly aggressive push to expel immigrants who either are here illegally or violate the conditions of their stay by committing crimes. More than three years after John Ashcroft, then attorney general, cited the 9/11 attacks by foreign terrorists in announcing a broad crackdown on violators of immigration laws, the United States is deporting foreigners at an unprecedented pace.
'Busy all the time'
During the year that ended Sept. 30, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported a record 157,281 immigrants. Like Ortega and the others aboard the flight to Santo Domingo, more than half of those deported last year had criminal records, a reflection of ICE's emphasis on booting such people from the country. The jet that brought Ortega back here also included convicted drug dealers, *** offenders, robbers and wife beaters.
As ICE agents have pursued criminals who are in the USA illegally, they also have swept up record numbers of illegal immigrants who have committed no crimes other than violations of visa limits and other immigration laws. That helped increase the total number of deportations by more than 45% from 2001 to 2004.
Most of those deported — more than 70% in 2004 —have been returned to Mexico. Most of the rest have been sent back to Central or South America or to the Dominican Republic. ICE now has four jets that in 2003 alone made 317 flights to return more than 18,500 immigrants to their native countries.
"We're busy all the time," says Jonathan Rust, chief of the Air Transportation Unit for ICE, which is a division of the Department of Homeland Security. "We have two (Boeing) 737s and two MD-83s, and I could probably use two more."
ICE expects the number of deportations to increase again this year. In his 2006 budget, President Bush has requested an additional $170 million above the $1.4 billion that ICE's Detention and Removal program will get in 2005.
"We're going to make the community safer by removing aliens who come into the country and commit crimes," says Victor Cerda, acting director of Detention and Removal.
Those targeted for deportation represent a small fraction of the estimated 8 million illegal immigrants in the USA. Most illegal immigrants are unknown to U.S. immigration officials. Only those who are caught trying to enter the USA or who otherwise reveal themselves — such as by committing crimes, applying for asylum or seeking government benefits — become targets for deportation.
Despite the rising number of deportations, U.S. agents have struggled to reduce the number of illegal immigrants who have disobeyed orders to leave the country or who have failed to appear at deportation hearings. That number has remained at an estimated 400,000 because immigrants continue to flow into the USA — particularly along the Southwest border — and illegal immigrants continue to defy orders to appear at deportation hearings.
Detention and Removal identifies non-citizens who have been ordered by a federal judge to leave the country but who have ignored the orders or failed to appeal in court.
Agents also track non-citizens who are serving time for serious crimes and bring their cases to an immigration judge. If the judge orders them deported, they can be sent to their home country as soon as they are released from prison.
"I think some aliens were willing to take the risk of not complying with the laws," Cerda says. "The message I want to get out is, 'We're not going to forget about you.' These people are being identified, and we're ... sending them home."
Cuffed and shackled
At an airfield near Boston, the deportees boarded a government 737 in handcuffs and ankle shackles after U.S. marshals searched them for weapons.
After the jet landed here, the marshals removed the handcuffs and shackles. The deportees walked off the jet and into the custody of Dominican immigration officials. Any of the deportees with outstanding warrants in the Dominican Republic were to be kept in custody; the rest were to be freed.
Ortega says she was sad to have left the USA. Her son, 8, and her daughter, 5, are U.S. citizens and will live with Ortega's mother in the USA. "It wouldn't be fair for them to have to live in a country they've never lived in," Ortega says.
An immigration judge ruled that Ortega should be banned from the USA for life, but she plans to ask the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic whether there's a chance she could return to the USA.
"People make mistakes," she says. "Now it's not only me, but my kids who will pay."
Copyright 2007 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. All Rights Reserved.
[COMMENT BY EXPLORA: I wonder how many planes they now have and plan to buy this year.]
SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT MAKES MAJOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT BUST
Oct 5, 2007 08:12 AM EDT
COLUMBIA, Tenn. - The Maury County Sheriff's Department rounded up half a dozen suspected illegal immigrants.
Deputies said Thursday's arrests stemmed from a complaint by a construction business owner that the men had used false documents to gain employment.
It's the first major bust of suspected illegal immigrants since the department was sued in federal court earlier this year.
That suit accused deputies and federal immigration agents of entering the homes of illegal immigrants without warrants and unlawfully detaining them. _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ BUSINESS REPORTS SUSPECTED ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Oct 6, 2007 01:55 AM EDT
COLUMBIA, Tenn. - The Maury County Sheriff's Office has arrested dozens of undocumented immigrants this year.
But the latest arrest is the first of its kind.
This time, deputies received help from the public.
The sheriff's office has worked with agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to track down undocumented immigrants. The agencies have held several raids at construction sites, during traffic stops and at immigrants' homes.
This time the information came to them.
Local human rights groups said a recent raid is just the latest in a deliberate effort to target the Hispanic community.
"This is the first time a business has called us and said hey, help us out," said Capt. Nathan Johns of the Maury County Sheriff's Office.
Johns said a local construction company contacted him earlier this week.
"They had hired some workers who had given them fraudulent documents in order for them to hire them," Johns said.
The company's owner suspected the men emigrated illegally. ICE agents analyzed the documents and decided to arrest the six men with the help of the Maury County Sheriff's Office.
So far, more than 60 illegal immigrants have been arrested in Maury County this year.
"We think this is an immigrant witch hunt," said Catalina Nieto, public awareness coordinator at the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition. "They're encouraging suspicion of people who sound different. They're targeting foreign-born people."
Nieto thinks the sheriff's office is encouraging employers to turn in employees just because they look different.
"There is a trend in Maury County," Nieto said. "We've seen the raids. Now this. ...There is a factor of fear in the community."
Nieto believes the crackdown is unfair to immigrants in the country legally. She said it also hurts community because immigrants are a major part of the work force.
"I want to make sure Tennessee knows the contributions that immigrants make to the state," she said.
The sheriff's office did not release the name of the business that gave them the tip because that business is helping them on other ongoing investigations.
The six men arrested Thursday were held in Maury County Jail. They will be transferred to federal custody.
[COMMENT BY EXPLORA: This business owner called ICE for one of three reasons or all. 1) The workers asked for a well-deserved raise, 2) he freaked out over the upcoming social security rules, 3) targeting. Shame, a real shame and not having his business name disclosed because he's assisting the sheriff dept. to nab others. I hope his business doesn't prosper in the future. If he suspected they entered the country illegally why didn't he think that when he first saw them!! Helping others. Aaugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
This message has been edited. Last edited by: explora,
IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS NARROW THE LIST OF QUESTIONS FOR U.S. CITIZENSHIP TEST
By SUZANNE GAMBOA,AP Posted: 2007-09-27 19:35:06
WASHINGTON (AP) - As U.S. immigration officials narrowed the list of questions for a new citizenship test, Martin Luther King Jr. made the cut, but Patrick Henry did not.
Citizenship and Immigration Services released on Thursday the pool of 100 civics and history questions that could be asked of people wanting to become naturalized Americans.
They will begin using the new citizenship test Oct. 1, 2008. Just as with the current test, applicants will have to answer correctly six of 10 questions asked orally and pass the English proficiency portion of the exam.
About 42 civics questions were dropped or revised to reach the final 100. Among those that were dropped was, "Who said `Give me liberty or give me death?"' The answer is Patrick Henry, a colonial American revolutionary.
One question that survived the cut is "What did Martin Luther King Jr. do?" Among the possible answers are: Fought for civil rights and worked for equality for all Americans. King was awarded the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize for his civil rights campaign in the United States.
Immigration officials said some questions may have additional correct answers beyond those provided. About 15 to 16 questions had to be reworded.
"This is a naturalization test which genuinely captures applicants' knowledge of what it is he's about ready to be - a United States citizen," said Emilio Gonza***, Citizenship and Immigration Services director.
The federal government has been trying out the questions since February in immigration offices and at classes in 13 states for English as a second language.
About 92 percent of the 6,777 applicants who volunteered to take the test at immigration offices in 10 test cities passed. Their work helped narrow the list of questions.
That compares to an 84 percent passing rate for applicants taking the current test for the first time.
Pass rates were not available for those who took the test in English as a second language, or ESL, classes.
Immigrants from Central America had the lowest pass rate at 85.1 percent, while those from the region of Oceania, which includes Australia, New Zealand and many of the South Pacific islands, had a 100 percent pass rate, according to Citizenship and Immigration Services, a division of the Department of Homeland Security.
North Americans comprised 6 percent of the volunteers who took the test.
Last year, about 703,000 people became U.S. citizens. People born in Mexico led all immigrants in naturalizations in 2006.
The final questions got mixed reviews.
The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights said in a news release the test would impose a steeper knowledge load on citizenship applicants.
The group said questions like "What is the rule of law? and "Who was the president during World War I" would be difficult for most Americans.
The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, which works to improve the naturalization process, found the questions more acceptable.
William Ramos, NALEO's Washington director, said the group now wants to be sure adjudicators are properly trained to administer the test. He said groups want a chance to look at data from the pilot tests, which they were supposed to get about two weeks ago.
Officials said they will train adjudicators, develop test preparation material and hold training sessions on how to teach civics and citizenship to immigrants.
Hundreds of Hispanics marched on Reno streets Wednesday in protest of a raid last week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at 11 McDonald's restaurants.
The crowd was filled with young people who skipped school and mothers pushing strollers.
Six-year-old Julio Rodriguez, a first-grader at Smithridge Elementary School, carried a sign that said: "ICE why did you take my mom? I want her back."
Other Hispanic and community leaders met at a different spot to talk about how to tame community tensions and formulate a plan to deal with the fallout of last week's raids, which led to the arrest of 54 illegal immigrants. And Sparks High School students stood Wednesday in silent demonstration of the raids, making the point that skipping school wasn't the way to demonstrate against the raids.
At the Bruce R. Thompson Federal Building, the gathering point for the march, the crowd waved American flags and chanted slogans. About a half-dozen people who supported the raids stood across the street.
About two dozen Reno police officers divided the groups.
Butch Bustabade, 37, of Stead, carried a sign that read "The party is over. I heart ICE. Go home."
"You just don't do what you want in this country," he yelled.
What the Hispanics who have immigrated to Northern Nevada really want to do is work, said Erica Lopez of Reno.
"If it wasn't for us, they wouldn't eat," the 20-year-old said. "We make their food."
She shouted to the counter protesters, "You need us."
The march, which started at Miguel Ribera Park, made a stop at KOH 780-AM radio, where the demonstrators expressed their concerns over comments made about undocumented workers on a talk show hosted by Bill Manders.
Officials at KOH would not comment on the march, and Manders did not return phone calls.
Debbie Kessler of Reno, who stood next to Bustabade, said she supported the ICE agents.
"The law is the law," she said. "They say if you enter this country illegally, you have to go home."
Veronica Mitchell questioned the right of the Hispanics to protest.
"If they're here illegally, how do they have the right to protest?" she said in an e-mail to the Reno Gazette-Journal.
She also said the march was "very disruptive to drivers."
Jazmin Martin, 16, of Sparks High School, said the immigration issue is exposing a deep-seeded racism when people assume all Hispanics are here illegally.
"I think they hate in general all Hispanics," she said.
Many young people in the crowd said they were concerned how the raids split up families and wanted to show their support. Some wore duct tape over their mouths -- to signify people they believe do not have a voice -- and handcuffs.
"That's pretty wrong that the raid destroyed the families," said Maritza Solis, a 13-year-old eighth-grader at Cold Springs Middle School. "We're only here to work, not to destroy the United States."
Shelsea Ramirez, 14, stood in the crowd with her teenage friends. She said participating in the rally was more important that going to school Wednesday.
John Perez, youth pastor at El Cordero de Dios Church in Reno, said he understood why so many young people attended the protest but could not condone them skipping school.
"As a youth pastor, I encourage education first," he said.
Community activist Roberto Nerey said it saddened him to see so many youths not in school.
"It's heartbreaking," he said. "If we're going to create change, we have to learn and if we're not in school, we're not learning."
NEW 'ICE' TASK FORCE MAKES ITS FIRS IMMIGRATION ARREST
BY KATE WARD Northwest Arkansas Times Posted on Saturday, October 6, 2007
Washington County deputies made their first arrest under a newly formed immigration enforcement team.
Herbier to Gonza***-Rodriguez, 44, originally of Mexico, was taken into custody this week by members of the Northwest Arkansas Immigration Criminal Apprehension Task Force. Benton County Circuit Court records indicate that Gonza***-Rodriguez was previously deported from the United States in April 1996 after being convicted of sexual abuse — an aggravated federal felony.
“ When they found out that he had re-entered the country, they snatched him up right away, †said Cpl. Jak Kimball with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
The task force was formed under the government’s 287 (g ) program and comprises officers from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Rogers Police Department, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, the Springdale Police Department, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Detention and Removal Operations, and the ICE Office of Investigations.
An arrest warrant was issued for Gonza***-Rodriguez on Friday after a criminal complaint was filed, charging him with illegal re-entry into the United States after deportation to his native country. Gonza***-Rodriguez made his first appearance on the complaint Friday before U. S. Magistrate Judge James R. Marschewski. During the hearing, he was ordered into Arrest Reports Forgery
Gabriel N. Washington and Takasha M. Smith, both 19, of 1551 N. Leverett Ave., No. 46, in Fayetteville were arrested Sept. 28 each on a felony charge of seconddegree forgery. Prescription fraud
Wayne Osburn Austin, 23, of 2918 S. Wright Place in Fayetteville was arrested Oct. 1 on a felony charge of fraud (obtaining a prescription ). Domestic battery
Douglas Wayne Knight, 39, of 27 E. Sixth St. in Fayetteville, was arrested Oct. 10 on felony charges of thirddegree domestic battery (pregnancy enhancement ) and first-degree terroristic threatening. federal custody pending further action. An ICE detainer has been lodged with the U. S. Marshal’s Service, preventing Gonza***-Rodriguez’s release, except into ICE custody.
According to the U. S. Attorney’s Office, “ a criminal complaint is not evidence of guilt and if the matter proceeds to an indictment, the defendant is entitled to be presumed innocent. â€
The Washington County Sheriff ’s Office previously withheld Gonza***-Rodriguez’s identification because of his initial status as a civil detainee.
“ Information is restricted for civil or juvenile de
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