NDLON in the News

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Breaking Down The Border

With policies like 287g coming to Knox County the focus has been on illegal immigration. But what is it really like to live hidden in broad daylight among the 12 million undocumented people living in America? “I’m a Christian, I’m a Catholic, so I always pray and say ‘well I hope today is good just let me come back.'” We first heard about Jose at an immigrant rights rally in downtown Knoxville. While that’s not his real name, this is his real story and it’s not uncommon. “Crossing the border is not easy.” Jose told us at our station. “Soon as you’re here still you’re risking to be deported, to be a criminal, but that’s the way I came. That’s the way a lot of people come, crossing the border, risking their life.” Jose left his town in Mexico and walked into San Diego in 1992. It took a bus, a race across the desert and a bike.

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In California, Lawmakers Mount New Challenge to Se Communities

Last year, lawmakers in California were poised to pass a bill—known as the TRUST Act—to let local jurisdictions opt out of Se Communities, the federal program that routes fingerprints taken at local jails to federal immigration authorities. Before final passage, however, federal officials rendered the bill moot by declaring that participation in the program was mandatory. Now, lawmakers are considering a revised version of the bill that would minimize the impact of Se Communities by limiting the ability of local governments to detain immigrants on the federal government’s behalf. Introduced earlier this month, the new version of the TRUST Act would narrow the circumstances in which local jurisdictions could honor immigration “detainers” from the federal government. As their name suggests, detainers are requests from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) asking that particular inmates be detained beyond their date of release so that federal immigration authorities can…

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County adopts resolution ending ICE detainers for non-criminal immigrants | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Immigrants in Milwaukee who are detained for non-violent offenses will no longer be subject to additional Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) investigations, help following the passage of Resolution 12-224 by the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. In a victory for the immigrant rights group Voces De La Frontera and its supporters, the county board passed the resolution, championed by 12th District County Supervisor Peggy West, by a vote of 14-4. The resolution directs Milwaukee sheriffs to decline ICE detention requests unless they involve persons who have specific kinds of criminal records (such as felony or non-traffic misdemeanor convictions, for example), are criminal defendants or have outstanding criminal warrants, or are suspected of gang or terrorist activities. Currently, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) honors all ICE detainer requests. Sheriffs are asked to place a hold of up to 48 hours on an inmate to allow ICE to investigate…

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