Last Week: In Our Community

Hi Folks,
Not too much news this week as Congress wasn't in session, but I think we've got enough to keep you busy for at least a half hour.

Here's an alarming new trend that may have some of us scratching our heads. As our economy continues to sputter, immigrants have begun to ask for "reverse remittances" from their families back home. Immigrants struggling to find jobs in a contracting economy are actually wiring money from their countries of origin as they scrounge for enough money just to return home.

Justice Denny Chin's quest to hold the new administration accountable for establishing legally enforceable standards for the detention system continues. As of yet, Chin has still not received a response from the Department of Homeland Security. Each week, we find more articles telling of abuse in detention centers, and the press is beginning to take notice. Here's a more personal article from the New York Times about detention center abuses.

In Utah, Derek Monson from the Sutherland Institute writes a great article about the state's new anti-immigration law, SB81. According to Monson, the law imprudently increases government influence in citizens' lives.

In Florida, several big-city police chiefs urged Congress on Wednesday to draft a new policy that improves public safety by bringing illegal immigrants out of the shadows. Also in Florida, St. Lucie County joined eight other Florida counties and about 60 nationwide in a new program to help prevent illegal immigrants convicted of serious offenses from being released back into society.

A new study finds that many immigration judges adjudicating cases of asylum seekers are suffering from significant symptoms of secondary traumatic stress and job burnout, which, according to the researchers, may shape their judicial decision-making processes.

Our last story comes from the nexus between the War on Drugs on our southern border and Mexican immigration. The Obama administration is developing plans to seek up to 1,500 National Guard volunteers to step up the military's counter-drug efforts along the Mexican border, senior administration officials said Monday.

That's all for now.