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1. MD to give tutition break
2. GA Sen. passes bill
3. AZ Sen. gives up on bills
4. Arrest made in 2009 killing
5. BP agent released

1.
In Maryland legislature, liquor tax passes, immigrant tuition deal reached
By John Wagner, Aaron C. Davis, and Ann E. Marimow
The Washington Post, April 11, 2011

The Democratic-led Maryland General Assembly strong-armed through a tax increase on alcohol in the final hours of its 90-day session Monday while voting to grant undocumented immigrants a break on college tuition.

The action on the two-high profile issues came on a chaotic day during which lawmakers scrambled to complete work on dozens of bills before the legislature’s midnight adjournment.
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At a time when many states are curtailing immigrants’ rights, both the House and Senate signed off on a compromise plan that will allow undocumented students who have graduated from Maryland high schools to pay in-state tuition at the state’s colleges.
. . .
On Monday night, Senate and House negotiators successfully resurrected the in-state tuition bill that earlier in the day had been declared dead.

Negotiators from the House and Senate agreed to strip the bill of language that opponents said would make it too easy for students or their parents to avoid providing proof of income tax filing as the measure requires.

Under the legislation, students would pay in-state rates at community colleges first and then could transfer to a four-year institution after getting an associate’s degree and get the in-state rate. The measure passed the Senate 27 to 19. The House approved 74 to 65.

Immigrant-rights advocates and dozens of students who would benefit from the bill watched from the House gallery, and erupted in cheers and applause after the final vote. Wearing T-shirts with the message, “I am the Maryland Dream Act,” the students lined the hallway outside the chambers to thank legislators.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/politics/liquor_tax_immigrant_tuitio...

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2.
Senate alters, OKs immigration crackdown
By Jeremy Redmon
The Atlanta Journal Constitution, April 12, 2011

Georgia’s Senate on Monday approved an Arizona-style crackdown on illegal immigration amid threats of economic boycotts and petitions from thousands of critics who oppose the legislation.

By a vote of 39 to 17, the Senate approved House Bill 87 after nearly three hours of debate and a lengthy and sometimes confusing discussion about several amendments.

Among other things, the Senate eliminated a provision in the bill that would have required many private businesses to use a federal work authorization program called E-Verify. That program helps businesses confirm their newly hired employees are eligible to work in the United States.

The bill now moves one step closer to Gov. Nathan Deal’s desk for his signature, but the process is far from over. Because the Senate substantially amended the bill, it must now go back to the House, which has been pushing for a tougher crackdown to include the E-Verify requirement for private businesses.

Some lawmakers predicted Monday the House would not agree to the Senate changes and would instead offer its own amendments or seek to appoint a committee to hash out differences between the two chambers.

"We will try to work things out and get things perfected in the conference committee," Republican Sen. Jack Murphy of Cumming, the sponsor of a similar immigration enforcement bill, said through a spokesman after the Senate vote Monday.

Time is running out. Thursday is the deadline for bills to pass this year’s legislative session. And while Deal campaigned last year on curbing illegal immigration in Georgia, he has not yet taken a position on HB 87.

That bill is partly patterned after a tough new law Arizona enacted last year. The Obama administration successfully sued to block key provisions of Arizona’s legislation, arguing those parts are pre-empted by federal law. On Monday, a federal appeals court upheld a lower court’s decision to keep much of that law on hold pending the outcome of the federal lawsuit.

In Georgia, critics warned Monday the Senate should put the brakes on its immigration legislation, given the federal appeals court’s decision.

“There is no reason for us to be forging ahead on this to be simply the second state to go forward and spend millions of dollars litigating this issue,” Sen. Curt Thompson, D-Tucker, said during an impromptu news conference before the Senate vote. “It doesn’t produce jobs unless it is jobs for lawyers. ... The bottom line here is we need to let this process work its way through the courts.”
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http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/senate-alters-oks-imm...

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3.
Push for more migrant laws dropped
Capitol Media Services, April 12, 2011

Saying time has run out to put together a deal, the chief proponent of broad new laws aimed at illegal immigrants is giving up, at least for this year.

Senate President Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, said Monday he promised colleagues not to push anti-immigrant measures until a budget was approved.

But that did not happen until April 1. And Pearce said there is now a push to wrap up the session in the next two weeks with dozens of items still awaiting action.

"I'm trying to exercise a little leadership in getting important bills out," he said. Pearce said trying to line up the votes, even for a stripped-down version of the package, would be too disruptive.

He said the decision had nothing to do with Monday's ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that SB 1070, last year's comprehensive measure that he also crafted, is likely pre-empted by federal law.

Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, said it was even simpler than that - there was no way to get sufficient Republican votes for any major immigration-law changes before lawmakers are scheduled to go home.

Pearce said he believes he can secure support for at least parts of the package next session when budget cutting will be less of an issue.

He also said there are some small changes in the law he still intends to pursue this year that were not part of a larger package that was rejected previously.

That includes SB 1222, which already has cleared the Senate, requiring anyone seeking public housing to prove legal presence in the country and families to be evicted if even one member of the household is an illegal immigrant. The bill awaits House debate.
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http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/article_1f21bcef-401f-5a6a-a325-4...

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4.
Suspect in Border Patrol agent's 2009 slaying arrested in Tijuana
Los Angeles Times, April 11, 2011

Mexican authorities in Tijuana said Monday they have arrested a man wanted on suspicion of killing a U.S. Border Patrol agent in July 2009.

Marcos Manuel Rodriguez Perez, nicknamed “El Virus,” was arrested Monday evening by Tijuana municipal police officers in the eastern part of the city, an agency spokesman said.

Rodriguez, 26, is one of three men suspected of trying to rob Border Patrol Agent Robert W. Rosas while he was on patrol in a remote area east of San Diego. The 30-year-old father of two was shot multiple times after putting up a struggle.

Another suspect, Christian Daniel Castro Alvarez, turned himself in and was sentenced to 40 years in prison last year.

Castro, a teenager at the time of the incident, said the group crossed the border intending to steal the night vision gear and other equipment from Rosas’ vehicle. The men allegedly lured Rosas out of his car by making noises as he drove just north of the border fence near Campo, about 60 miles east of San Diego.
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http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/04/suspect-in-border-patrol-a...

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5.
Judge orders release of Border Patrol agent in drug case
By James Gilbert
The Yuma Sun (AZ), April 12, 2011

A federal judge has agreed to release on his own recognizance the Yuma Sector Border Patrol agent who was arrested earlier this month after marijuana was found in his patrol vehicle.

After a lengthy hearing Monday morning, U.S. Magistrate Jay Irwin released Michael Atondo from custody until his trial, provided he abide by the standard conditions of release, such as refraining from possessing a firearm, not leaving the state, surrendering his travel documents, not consuming alcohol or unauthorized narcotics and not violating any federal state or local laws.

“I don't think the defendant is going to run. If he does it, will be the most foolish thing he could do, other than the crime he has been accused of,” Irwin said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis Uhl had argued that Atondo should remain in custody, calling him a flight risk and a danger to the community, especially given his training as a Border Patrol agent, noting he is facing five to 40 years in prison if convicted.

“He is accused of a crime that tarnishes the image of a federal law enforcement agency,” Uhl argued. “How much more dangerous is it when the drug smuggler is a Border Patrol agent, in a town like Yuma, where the Border Patrol is a respected federal law enforcement agency?”

The family has hired Yuma attorney John Minore to represent Atondo. He is also being represented by an attorney from the Border Patrol Union.

“Did he stray to the dark side? We don't know,” Minore said. “He has only been accused of a crime, he has not been convicted.”

Uhl told the court that new details have emerged in the case since the pretrial release report was originally written, including information that Atondo had traveled to Mexico four times in the past year with someone who was associated with someone else who has known drug ties.

He also told the court that Atondo had bought a $26,000 boat, which he paid for in cash, and that his wife had recently emptied all the money from their bank account. Uhl said Atondo, who worked as a corrections officer for seven years prior to joining the Border Patrol, is said to have 30 weapons at his home, which he had acquired over the years.
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http://www.yumasun.com/news/atondo-69119-border-patrol.html