AltWeeklies Wire
A Border Project Faces Accusations of Lobbying Pressure and Wasted Moneynew
According to some critics, the push for consolidating services at the Nogales port comes from the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, a powerful trade group representing 125 produce dealers, brokers and distributors who import Mexican fruits and vegetables. Big money is at stake: In Nogales, produce has grown into a $2 billion industry.
Tucson Weekly |
Tim Vanderpool |
10-07-2009 |
Immigration
One Border Coyote and His Accomplice Have Been Captured and Released 35 Timesnew
The story the Popes tell opens a window on the world of alien- and drug-smuggling, and the criminals who operate within it. It also shines a light on a system that fails citizens in multiple ways, the most maddening being the number of times these crooks are set free to strike again.
Tucson Weekly |
Leo W. Banks |
09-16-2009 |
Immigration
Border Agent Who Shot Immigrant Sues Gov't Over Invasion of Privacynew
Border Patrol agent Arturo Lorenzo and his wife are suing the U.S. government, saying that releasing the video of him shooting 20-year-old Ramiro Gamez Acosta invaded Lorenzo's privacy and destroyed his reputation, exposing him and his family to death threats.
San Diego CityBeat |
Justin McLachlan |
09-16-2009 |
Immigration
The Burmese Come to Houstonnew

Get in, get out. Refugees have a shrinking window of support until it's time to fend for themselves.
Houston Press |
Mike Giglio |
09-08-2009 |
Immigration
One Arizona Sheriff Deals With the Challenges and Realities of Today's Bordernew
When Tony Estrada was a child in Santa Cruz County, there was no wall. Estrada misses those days. But when one is sheriff of a border county, there's not much chance for wistful melancholy.
Tucson Weekly |
Tim Vanderpool |
08-28-2009 |
Immigration
Federal Secure Communities Program Changes the Reality for Philly's Undocumentednew

ICE says that Secure Communities targets those illegal immigrants guilty of committing serious crimes. But immigrant advocates say the program will thrust lower-level offenders and innocent people behind bars, and hinder police in their work with immigrant communities.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Daniel Schwartz |
08-25-2009 |
Immigration
Janet Napolitano Pulls a Switcheroo on the Pro-Immigrant Crowdnew

You'd have to mine Davy Jones' locker to discover the true depth of Napolitano's duplicity over the federal government's 287(g) program, the new rules for which were announced with great fanfare by the Department of Homeland Security two weeks ago.
Phoenix New Times |
Stephen Lemons |
07-28-2009 |
Immigration
Joe Arpaio's Immigration Raids at Water Parks Are All Wetnew
Despite the hullabaloo and expectations after the controversial Legal Arizona Workers Act went into effect, Maricopa County still has not filed any sanctions in cases against employers, nor has any of Arizona's 14 other county attorneys.
Phoenix New Times |
Paul Rubin |
07-14-2009 |
Immigration
Tensions Between Humanitarians and Federal Officials Rise Along the Bordernew

The humanitarians provide assistance, food and water to migrants. The feds mostly leave them alone to do so -- until recently, that is. Over the past couple of years, federal agencies have been putting more activists under the gun.
Tucson Weekly |
Tim Vanderpool |
07-08-2009 |
Immigration
Raleigh's Cuban Community: Their Views on Obama's New Diplomacynew

Local exiles reacts as President Barack Obama rolls back some of George W. Bush's most ineffective stances toward Cuba, primarily related to the migration of Cubans.
INDY Week |
Matt Saldana |
06-04-2009 |
Immigration
The U.S. Border Patrol Is Getting Lost in the Weedsnew
Border Patrol officials contend that an invasive plant called carrizo cane is blocking their view of the river and of Mexico. The patrol is proposing to spray herbicide along the river from a helicopter to wipe out the cane, angering residents and dividing Laredo's City Council.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
04-08-2009 |
Immigration
Has the Sanchez Family Been Wrongly Targeted by Sheriff Joe Arpaio?new

Here's the rub: In spite of their last name, none of the Sanchezes is Mexican. They are all Yaqui Indians; they are all American citizens; they are as legal as the sheriff's family. They are, however, brown.
Phoenix New Times |
Michael Lacey |
03-17-2009 |
Immigration
Can Janet Napolitano Stop the Border-Fence Boondoggle?new

We talk to border residents and lay bare the private contracts that have soaked up alarming amounts of government money, much of it wasted.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
02-18-2009 |
Immigration
Does the Border Patrol Deserve More Respect From the New Administration?new
As the Border Patrol settles into the 21st century, it does so with plenty of baggage, from a reputation for ethical haphazardness to being viewed as a lesser partner in federal law-enforcement huddles. Add to that a persisting stove-pipe management structure that straitjackets reform, and you'll find an agency that often seems more anchored in the past than the present.
Tucson Weekly |
Tim Vanderpool |
02-05-2009 |
Immigration
Tags: Immigration, U.S. Border Patrol
Exporting The Dead in San Francisconew

With 36 percent of the city's residents born outside the United States, a significant portion of the city sees funeral homes as a mere way station before shipping the deceased to graves in their homelands.
SF Weekly |
Lauren Smiley |
01-21-2009 |
Immigration