department of homeland security

Department of Homeland Security: Page 3


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Toothless Obama admin immigration enforcement: 100s janitors fired, not deported (+how many SEIU members are illegal aliens?) - 11/09/09

In Minneapolis, Minnesota earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security sent no match letters or a variant to around 1200 janitors employed by the major corporation ABM informing those employees that there was a mismatch between their Social Security numbers and other information. They were required to provide documentation by October, and when all or almost all didn't, ABM fired them; presumably all or virtually all are illegal aliens (link). However, rather than trying to deport them, DHS simply concentrated on the company. Needless to say, that makes it easy for a fired illegal...

Yale Law students, Wishnie sue ICE over 2007 immigration raid (after Elm City card passed) - 10/28/09

Yale Law students - led by professor Michael Wishnie - are suing various current or former ICE (part of the Department of Homeland Security) officials and agents over a 2007 immigration raid in New Haven, Connecticut.

Napolitano of DHS: "al-Qaeda-type" terrorists inside U.S.; difficult to track visa exits; supposed border enforcement will lead to "reform" - 10/12/09

Bloomberg Television interviewed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano today, and she said among other things (link): "It is fair to say there are individuals in the United States who ascribe to al-Qaeda-type beliefs... And so it makes information-sharing, it makes effective law enforcement and it makes the shared responsibility of law enforcement ever so important." If she's telling the truth and has accurate information, very few of those she's discussing will probably be native-born Americans; most or all will have come here legally or illegally due in part to...

DHS also restricting 287g enforcement in Prince William County, northern Virginia - 10/12/09

From this: Prince William supervisors Tuesday are expected to put in place a new directive from Homeland Security that will standardize how 287(g) immigration policies are implemented around the nation... ...The new agreement states that "ICE must give approval for an immigration arrest where no state or local charges are made [and] ICE must give prior approval of planned operations where immigration enforcement is the sole function." One more revision "provides levels and types of criminal offenses that ICE directs to be a focus, rather [than] pursuing immigration enforcement based on...

Senators complain about DHS plan to reduce Border Patrol agents on southern border - 10/10/09

A group of senators - mostly of the "secure the border first, then amnesty" variety - have sent a letter to Janet Napolitano of the Department of Homeland Security complaining about her plan to reduce the number of

Obama pick to head ICE investigations himself investigated for possible embezzlement - 10/08/09

Debbie Schlussel has an exclusive here: Robert Schoch, the Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for Los Angeles, is under investigation for alleged embezzlement and/or misuse of ICE funds used in undercover operations. Mr. Schoch and the Los Angeles Deputy Special Agent in charge, Jennifer Silliman, were escorted from the ICE federal offices in Long Beach, California, and had their badges and guns taken from them (standard procedure when an agent is under investigation and put on leave). They were both put on administrative leave pending a continuing...

DHS scraps "no match" program, e-Verify still operational - 10/08/09

From this: The Obama administration has repealed a rule that would have threatened employers with prosecution unless they fired workers whose Social Security numbers did not match entries in a government database, ending a two-year battle in a San Francisco federal court. Although the Department of Homeland Security formally withdrew the "no-match" rule Wednesday, the administration is supporting another program (EVerify) enabling employers to check workers' names against electronic records that are supposed to screen out illegal immigrants. See the no match summary for the backstory; groups...

DHS revising rules on immigration detention; some actions might be OK, but motives questionable - 10/06/09

From this: Homeland Security Department officials said on Tuesday they would enact far-reaching reforms for how Immigration and Customs Enforcement detains immigrants. The new system will prioritize the removal of criminal aliens and those slated for deportation from the country and seek alternatives to incarceration for others when appropriate, said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. The reforms were announced in response to the recently-completed review of the detention system by Dora Schriro, the former director of ICE's Office of Detention Policy and Planning. Schriro left the...

DHS sued to release 287g reform documents (Judicial Watch, FOIA) - 09/28/09

From their press release (link), Judicial Watch has filed a FOIA lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, seeking that they release documents about their proposed "reforms" to the 287g program. JudicialWatch filed a FOIA request in July; the DHS responded by asking for more time but apparently never followed through. Here's what JW wants: -- The new standardized Memorandum of Agreement used to enter into 287(g) partnerships, as announced by Secretary Napolitano on July 10, 2009, as well as any documents containing information on the development of the agreement; -- All new 287(g...

Sources for DHS rightwing extremism report: ADL, SPLC, NYT, LAT, Dave Weigel... - 08/12/09

* A large number of links to the Southern Poverty Law Center, including [1]. That SPLC link is misleading for the reasons outlined here and here. That misleading claim made it into DHS's report.

DHS blamed release of illegal aliens on Sheriff Joe Arpaio and then tried to shut him up about it - 08/06/09

From this: The spat between controversial Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surfaced on July 23 and 24 when the sheriff's deputies were ordered by ICE officials to release illegal immigrants who had been caught in a broader criminal sweep. Sheriff Arpaio complained to the media; a federal spokesman claimed the release was the sheriff's fault; and the sheriff then released audiotapes proving that ICE officials, not he, had ordered the release. Caught looking foolish, ICE officials threatened to withdraw the sheriff's authority to enforce any...

DHS wants your input on immigration policy, terrorism, FEMA - 08/03/09

The Obama administration has a habit of running popular voting systems - flawed systems that allows weak questions and proposals to rise to the top - and they're back with another one. This time it's concerning immigration policy and the other issues in the DHS's purview. They want your input at homelandsecuritydialogue.org

ACLU tries to block 287g program, files FOIA request - 07/15/09

From the ACLU press release at commondreams.org/newswire/2009/07/15-4 The American Civil Liberties Union filed a Freedom of Information Act request Tuesday for new documents governing the continued delegation to state and local law enforcement agencies of federal immigration enforcement authority. The fundamentally flawed program has been associated with serious civil rights abuses and public safety concerns... [references the DHS changing their rules] "No amount of tinkering with the 287(g) program is likely to solve the fact that it threatens public safety and undermines the basic guarantee...

Janet Napolitano of DHS undermines 287g program (Joe Arpaio, Phil Gordon) - 07/13/09

On Friday, Janet Napolitano's Department of Homeland Security announced new rules for their 287g program that allows local police to help in the enforcement of immigration laws.

Obama admin sends audit letters to possible illegal alien employers; Bush-style prelude to "reform" - 07/02/09

Remember how George W Bush "got tough" on illegal immigration in an attempt to push through comprehensive immigration reform? Welcome to the Obama administration's version (link, from Jeanne Meserve of CNN): In a signal that the Obama administration is changing tactics in dealing with illegal immigration, hundreds of businesses were notified Wednesday that federal authorities will be taking a closer look at their employment records to determine if they are hiring illegal aliens. Kelly Nantel, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said businesses in every state and industry are...

DHS Southwest Border Task Force includes NCLR chairwoman, recipient of award from Mexican government, more - 06/08/09

The Reform Immigration for America group recently suggested that one part of "reform" should include the formation of an advisory council to make recommendations on dealing with border issues. The Department of Homeland Security's new "Southwest Border Task Force" (dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1244145382319.shtm) shows how that would work.

DHS to check for criminal aliens at all local jails by 2012; possible 10x increase in such deportations; prelude to amnesty? - 05/19/09

Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post offers "U.S. to Expand Immigration Checks to All Local Jails/Obama Administration's Enforcement Push Could Lead to Sharp Increase in Deportation Cases" (link). The Department of Homeland Security's ICE currently checks state and federal inmates to determine whether they're illegal aliens (or perhaps legal immigrants) who are deportable. The Obama administration intends to extend that to all local jails by 2012: Based on the pilot program, the agency estimates that if fingerprints from all 14 million bookings in local jails each year were screened, about 1.4...

100,000 in U.S. have swine flu; youth hospitalization rate "very unusual". Would border security have reduced spread? - 05/19/09

On a conference call yesterday, the Centers of Disease Control said that around 100,000 people in the U.S. are infected with the swine flu (link). While it's currently a mild disease, it's affecting more young people than usual, with Dr. Anne Schuchat saying: "That's very unusual, to have so many people under 20 to require hospitalization, and some of them in (intensive care units)... We are now experiencing levels of influenza-like illness that are higher than usual for this time of year... We are also seeing outbreaks in schools, which is extremely unusual for this time of year." We'll...

Obama admin deports two illegal aliens, but only because they tried to tour the White House - 05/14/09

According to the Associated Press (link): Two people facing deportation from the United States have been taken into custody at the White House gate. They had arrived for a tour of the executive mansion... The pair was part of an adult education program, and a routine background check showed they had an outstanding immigration order against them.

DHS budget: no additional miles for border fence; concentrating on "virtual fence" (+287g?) - 05/08/09

Peggy Sherry, Acting Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Homeland Security, recently conducted a conference call about Barack Obama's budget for the DHS and a transcript is

House Republicans demand that Janet Napolitano explains rightwing extremist report - 05/07/09

From this: (Rep. Peter King) and several members of the House Republican leadership filed a resolution of inquiry on Wednesday that would give (Janet Napolitano) 14 days to provide Congress with materials detailing how the Department of Homeland Security arrived at the conclusions contained in the [rightwing extremist report]. Whether the resolution will do anything and will produce, for instance, details on the extent to which materials from far-left groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center or the Anti Defamation League were used as sources isn't clear. The resolution follows a letter: In...

Obama immigration budget: does a McCain: border security, then amnesty; fulfills promise to Mexican government; worried about *southbound* flows - 05/06/09

Remember how when John McCain used the cheap, misleading tactic of talking about how he wanted to "secure the border first" and then use that to push for amnesty, and Obama supporters lied and said he didn't support comprehensive immigration reform anymore? Well, now Barack Obama wants to secure the border first and then use that to push for amnesty. Somehow it's different this time. From "Obama budget puts security first at the border/He'll ask Congress to help curb the flow of arms to Mexico before seeking any immigration reform" (by Anna Gorman and Peter Nicholas of the Los Angeles Times;...

DHS "Domestic Extremism Lexicon" includes wider range of groups - 05/01/09

Just before the more famous "rightwing extremism" report, the Department of Homeland Security also released a "Domestic Extremism Lexicon" that defines a wide range of left, right, and elsewhere groups. You can download a copy from here, and the DHS says it was pulled for an unnamed reason shortly after it was released. Among those groups and movements defined are "anti-immigration extremism": A movement of groups or individuals who are vehemently opposed to illegal immigration, particularly along the U.S. southwest border with Mexico, and who have been known to advocate or engage in criminal...

New DHS immigration raid guidelines: focus on employers, not employees - 04/30/09

Ginger Thompson of the New York Times offers "Immigration Agents to Turn Focus to Employers" (link): In an effort to crack down on illegal labor, the Department of Homeland Security intends to step up enforcement efforts against employers who knowingly hire such workers. Under guidelines to be issued Thursday to Immigration and Customs Enforcement field offices, agents will be instructed to take aim at employers and supervisors for prosecution “through the use of carefully planned criminal investigations.” ...[Employers won't like it, but] advocates who have long considered raids at work...

Napolitano: swine flu can be spread by infected visitors, but closing the border won't contain the virus; says actively questioning visitors - 04/29/09

The prepared remarks of Janet Napolitano of the Department of Homeland Security to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee are here. Among many other things, she says: ...As infected travelers can lead to the spread of this virus, DHS is taking a number of precautions in light of the scope and nature of the threat... The actions we are taking regarding international travelers match the precautions advised by the CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) based on the current, evolving epidemiology of the 2009 H1N1 flu virus. According to both the CDC and WHO, closing...

Napolitano, Vilsack: call it the "H1N1 virus", not "swine flu". More concerned about pork industry than public safety - 04/28/09

Janet Napolitano of the Department of Homeland Security and Tom Vilsack of the Department of Agriculture want us to call swine flu the "H1N1 virus" instead (link). They have somewhat of a point: if you really can't get it from eating pork then perhaps we should grit our teeth and not wish for the demise of the pork industry. The problem is that while they're rushing to the aid of pork producers, they're keeping the borders as open as ever. Per Vilsack: "This is not a food-borne illness, virus. It is not correct to refer to it as swine flu because really that's not what this is about." Per...

Janet Napolitano refuses to close or even tightly secure the border despite health risks (+Eric Massa) - 04/27/09

Rep. Eric Massa - Democrat of New York state - is calling for the Mexican border to be closed. Meanwhile, Janet Napolitano of the Department of Homeland Security is refusing to close the border and does not appear to fully appreciate the risks of a loose border during a pandemic. At a press conference today, she said: "We're already doing passive surveillance at the border... You would close the border if you thought you could contain the spread of disease, but the disease already is in a number of states within the United States." ...Noting that those infected with swine flu may not show...

Napolitano on DHS partnering with ADL; admits shift in enforcement focus; trying to repeal REAL ID; "reform" is a "mission" - 04/23/09

Department of Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano gave a talk to the Anti Defamation League yesterday, and her remarks are at dhs.gov/ynews/speeches/sp_1240412499724.shtm 1. The ADL has been "training" DHS personnel about "hate" groups and others, which is more than a bit worrisome because the ADL's definition of "hate" isn't trustworthy. Nevertheless, Napolitano said this: ...the ADL and DHS have had some good partnerships. In recent years, the Department has placed our employees in your advanced training school to educate us on the tactics used by extremists and terrorists; the...

Janet Napolitano thinks 9/11 terrorists came over Canadian border - 04/21/09

Via this comes this CBC interview with Janet Napolitano of the Department of Homeland Security: Napolitano: ...Nonetheless, to the extent that terrorists have come into our country or suspected or known terrorists have entered our country across a border, it's been across the Canadian border. There are real issues there. (Neil Macdonald of the CBC): Are you talking about the 9/11 perpetrators? [Napolitano]: Not just those but others as well. So again, every country is entitled to have a border. It's part of sovereignty. It's part of knowing who's in the country. The "millennium bomber"...

Janet Napolitano falsely says "crossing the border is not a crime" (+border fence, Arpaio) - 04/20/09

Department of Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" with John King and said the following (transcript here): And yes, when we find illegal workers, yes, appropriate action, some of which is criminal, most of that is civil, because crossing the border is not a crime per se. It is civil. But anyway, going after those as well. The U.S. Code says she's wrong (link, excerpt at [1]): sneaking across the border can result in up to six months in jail for the first offense and up to two years for subsequent offenses. It most definitely is a crime; see also...

DHS released rightwing extremists report despite objections by their civil rights officials (+Napolitano, Hoekstra, Harman, Boehner) - 04/17/09

From this: Civil liberties officials at the Homeland Security Department did not agree with some of the language in a controversial report on right-wing extremists, but the agency issued the report anyway. ...Homeland Security spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said the report was issued before officials resolved problems raised by the agency's civil rights division. Kudwa would not specify what language raised the concerns.

SPLC: DHS rightwing extremist report mentions them and "tracks" theirs "fairly closely" (Harry Smith; +two errors) - 04/16/09

As you haven't heard from almost anyone else, the recent Department of Homeland Security report warning about rightwing extremists mentions - without naming it - a misleading report from the Southern Poverty Law Center. I say "almost" because of this: Mark Potok, director of the [SPLC's] intelligence project, said... he was generally pleased with the report... "Basically, the report tracks fairly closely with what we have been saying for some time now. They mention us a couple of times, though not by name," he said. Anyone who wants to do something effective about the report should stress...

Bennie Thompson "dumbfounded" by DHS rightwing extremist report - 04/16/09

Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson - chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee - has written a letter to Janet Napolitano of the Department of Homeland Security complaining about their recently-released report warning about rightwing "extremists". Per this, in the letter he says that he's "dumbfounded" by the report, also saying: "This report appears to raise significant issues involving the privacy and civil liberties of many Americans -- including war veterans... As I am certain you agree, freedom of association and freedom of speech are guaranteed to all Americans -- whether a person'...

Illegal aliens from ICE raid given work permits so they can sue ICE agents? (+more) - 04/13/09

Debbie Schlussel has a scoop here. According to her sources, the reason why illegal aliens were given work authorization and then released after being caught in a raid in Bellingham, WA is so that those aliens can now... sue the ICE agents who arrested them.

Suzanne Gamboa /AP big scoop: 55 U.S. citizens deported in past eight years - 04/13/09

Suzanne Gamboa of the Associated Press - with help from Traci Carl and Peter Prengaman - offers her version of investigative journalism in "AP IMPACT: Citizens held as illegal immigrants" (

U.S., Mexico form "working group" on immigration (safe, legal, etc.) - 04/06/09

From this: Mexico and the United States have formed a high-level, joint working group to make immigration safer and more orderly, Mexican officials announced Friday. The working group will focus on making documented migration easier, protecting migrants' rights and improving procedures for repatriating migrants, the Mexican Foreign Relations Department said in a statement. It also will focus on steps to inform the public about the dangers of trying to cross the border without documents. The group was formed through the efforts of Janet Napolitano.

Immigration enforcement, Janet Napolitano style: illegal aliens given work permits, released - 03/31/09

Welcome to the tough new immigration enforcement regime of Janet Napolitano (link): Many if not all workers detained in the Feb. 24 immigration raid at Yamato Engine Specialists have been released from the federal detention center in Tacoma. The unexpected move appears to be related to an ongoing federal investigation of Yamato. "I can confirm that many of the individuals ... have indeed been released pending the further investigation of Yamato Engine," said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Lorie Dankers. Besides their freedom, the workers also have permission to look for...

DHS halting immigration raids pending policy change; may "go after employers" instead - 03/29/09

About a month ago, Janet Napolitano of the Department of Homeland Security - someone who was sold as tough on illegal immigration despite that not being true - went through the roof after an immigration raid was conducted that she hadn't been informed of. Now, there's partial confirmation that Napolitano has in fact ordered a halt to such workplace enforcement pending review. Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post offers "DHS Signals Policy Changes Ahead for Immigration Raids" (link): Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has delayed a series of proposed immigration raids and other...

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