Daily features: July 13, 2007

• Daily video

The Department of Homeland Security is withholding border security money from Arizona. Aired on CNN, July 12, 2007.

• Friday blog round-up

• Michael Linton of the FirstThings blog talks about his daughter's experience with undocumented workers at a restaurant where she waitressed.
• The ImmigrationProf blog provides links to contacting your congressmembers if you are interested in having them support or rally against the DREAM Act. For those of you not in the know:
• "It would provide a 6-year path to permanent residence and eventual citizenship for individuals brought to the U.S. years ago as undocumented children if they graduate from high school and continue on to college or military service."

• Cartoon of the day

By Daryl Cagle, MSNBC.com.

In the news today: July 10, 2007

• Eric Zom, a Chicago Tribune columnist, discusses criminal illegal immigrants (and differentiates them from illegal immigrants whose only crimes are their undocumented status). He ties his discussion to a current trial in Chicago.
• Drew Westen, a HuffingtonPost columnist, writes about language and what he perceives as its connection to the failed immigration reform bill.
• The Arizona Republic reports that employers are confused about tough new hiring laws that go into effect in that state on January 1, 2008. From the article: "The employer-sanctions law will revoke the license of any company caught twice with undocumented workers "knowingly" on the payroll. A first offense can bring a suspension."
  
• We posted on the "Basic Pilot" program last week: Immigrant verification plan makes headway on the state levels

Daily features: July 10, 2007

• Daily video:
  

Kathy Kiely's master's degree project is a video of members of Congress speaking about their immigrant roots.

• Tuesday blog round-up + Soundclip:
  

• The VanishingAmerican blog takes a look at "mushy moderates" and immigration.
• Chicago Public Radio introduces us to Rose Anne, a second-generation Mexican-American as part of their ongoing Chicago Matters: Beyond Borders series.
• The BatseLine blog synthesizes the recent headlines about illegal immigration issues in Tulsa, OK.

• Cartoon of the day

By Lisa Benson, WashPostWritersGroup.

Border crossing increasingly dangerous for patrolmen & immigrants

There's a great news-analysis piece in the Los Angeles Times today. The article by Nicholas Riccardi stems from the headline-grabbing story on how Nicholas Corbett, a U.S. Border patrolman, is now charged with murder for shooting Francisco Javier Dominguez-Rivera, who was trying to cross into Arizona from Mexico.

The article gives us a pretty good run-down of how illegal border crossing from Mexico into Arizona has become increasingly dangerous for both the side trying to keep the illegal immigrants out, and those trying to come in. Here's an excerpt:

Assaults on agents are up 10% in southeastern Arizona over last year, and though the number is holding steady nationwide, the Border Patrol says attacks have become more violent. Officers say immigrants are more likely to run and throw rocks or, as happened near Yuma, Ariz., last month, Molotov cocktails.

The Border Patrol has seized nearly twice as much cocaine this year as last. The crossing is riskier for illegal immigrants too. Deaths among crossers are up 21% over last year. Bandits watch border-crossing routes, robbing immigrants and sometimes kidnapping entire groups. (...)

'Virtual' AZ border fence to stay quite virtual for now

Remember the 28-mile 'virtual fence' we said was going up on Arizona's border with Mexico? Well, it appears we missed an essential part in reading the AP's coverage: UPI reports that while the cameras, radar, and all else were supposed to go up on June 13, now no date is set.

The delay is due to technical problems, glitches, etc. which makes us wonder whether a virtual fence whose efficacy is based on technology is going to be an effective one.

Earlier: Get to know the 28-mile 'virtual fence'

Get to know the 28-mile 'virtual fence'

The AP put together a handy Q&A (note: the link is no longer accessible) on just how the 28-mile "virtual fence" Homeland Security is building along a portion of Arizona's border with Mexico. And if you're behind on your border fence news, you may want to at least read the first bullet point:

Q. What is it?

A. Currently, nine 98-foot towers have been installed along a 28-mile stretch of desert around Sasabe, Ariz., on the border with Mexico. The towers are to be equipped with cameras, radar and computer equipment, with data that can be accessed wirelessly. There will also be unattended ground sensors. The project's official name is SBInet.

And the New York Times wrote a piece on the fence today, replete with great photographs, like the one attached to this post.

Students walk from Mexico to go to school in Arizona every day

The Los Angeles Times published an interesting news-feature today on students who walk from Mexico to Arizona every day to attend public schools there. Nicholas Riccardi writes:

Children who are U.S. citizens or legal immigrants but live in Mexico cross every morning to get a better education for free in Arizona, breaking the law that requires them to live within the boundaries of the district. To many of their parents, who have ties in both countries, not living in the district is the educational equivalent of jaywalking.

"I pay taxes. I work over here," said a 31-year-old corrections officer who would not give his name as he walked his son from Mexico to elementary school in San Luis. "What's the difference?"

There are no hard statistics on the number of children who break the residency requirement, but some people opposed to U.S. immigration policy have seized on the issue as another example of how they say migrants exploit the U.S. They contend that most school districts do not enforce the law because they risk losing state funding, which is based on the number of enrolled students.

"The whole thing's outrageous. We're not the school district for northern Mexico," said state Rep. Russell K. Pearce.