SubscribeBorder fence hearing set Monday
April 28, 2008
“A congressional panel on Monday will hear about a plan to limit the federal Homeland Security Department’s ability to speed up the process of building a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border.” (Houston Chronicle)
US scraps $20 million prototype of virtual fence
April 23, 2008
“The government is scrapping a $20 million prototype of its highly touted “virtual fence” on the Arizona-Mexico border because the system is failing to adequately alert border patrol agents to illegal crossings, officials said.” (AP)
U.S. to Insist That Travel Industry Get Fingerprints
April 22, 2008
“The U.S. government today will order commercial airlines and cruise lines to prepare to collect digital fingerprints of all foreigners before they depart the country under a security initiative that the industry has condemned as costly and burdensome.” (Washington Post)
On the border with Michael Chertoff
April 19, 2008
“The Homeland Security secretary is the point man for White House efforts to stop illegal immigration. He has an ambitious agenda — and a stubborn streak to match.” (LA Times)
Fight over border fence environmental waivers could reach Supreme Court
April 15, 2008
“The U.S. Supreme Court may get a chance to join the fractious debate over building fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.
A legal challenge by two environmental groups seeking to limit enhanced Department of Homeland Security powers to suspend more than 30 laws to build the fence is gathering support in Congress.” (Dallas Morning News)
Border Patrol tries to lure retired troops
April 14, 2008
“The Border Patrol, scrambling to hire thousands of agents by the end of the year, is taking its recruiting efforts overseas to try to enlist military veterans as they leave their tours of duty.
Two teams of agency officers just returned from visiting six U.S. military bases in Germany where they persuaded nearly 100 veterans to apply to join the Homeland Security Department as border agents.” (USA Today)
Homeland Security waives laws to finish fence
April 2, 2008
“The Homeland Security Department used its legal authority Tuesday to waive environmental and land management laws, so it can complete 670 miles of fence along the U.S.-Mexican border.
The waivers will allow the department to move ahead with miles of pedestrian and vehicle fence construction as well as roads and detection systems.” (USA Today)
New federal push to fire illegal immigrants
March 28, 2008
“The Bush administration unveiled a revised rule Friday threatening businesses with prosecution unless they fire employees identified in government records as possible illegal immigrants, offering a new explanation but virtually no change in content from the regulation that a San Francisco federal judge blocked in October.” (San Francisco Chronicle)
Homeland Security and State Departments Announce WHTI Land and Sea Final Rule
March 28, 2008
“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced today the final rule for the land and sea portion of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), a core 9/11 Commission recommendation. The WHTI final rule requires travelers to present a passport or other approved secure document denoting citizenship and identity for all land and sea travel into the United States.” (DHS)
U.S. catching illegals in record numbers
March 18, 2008
The Department of Homeland Security, continuing to enforce what it calls a “strict policy of arresting, prosecuting and jailing” illegal immigrants, deported a record number of those caught on the nation’s borders last year — more than 280,000 in fiscal year 2007 compared to 186,000 a year earlier.
It was the largest number of illegals ever removed from the country in a single year.” (Washington Times)