1. House comm. mulls C.N.M.I. residency
2. SCOTUS rules on overstay appeals
3. 57% of fed prosecutions imm. related
4. NC senate approves early deportations
5. VA county to check status of all arrests

1.
Panel treads softly as it tackles immigration bill
By Agnes E. Donato
The Saipan Tribune (C.N.M.I.), June 18, 2008

A legislative committee is moving cautiously with a controversial bill that proposes to grant improved immigration status to long-time guest workers in the Commonwealth.

The House Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Affairs has recently completed a series of public hearings on the bill, which would grant added flexibility to foreign workers in the Northern Marianas. The hearings were mostly tense, as local residents and guest workers presented their competing cases to lawmakers.

“This bill is a hot issue right now. It is definitely something we have to look into very carefully,” said Rep. Rosemond B. Santos, chairwoman of House committee reviewing the bill.

Santos said the timing of the bill is a major concern for the committee. To have any impact, the Commonwealth bill must be signed into law before June 1, 2009, when the federal immigration law goes into full effect and supersedes all Commonwealth laws on the entry and exit of foreign workers.

She also said the committee has not received adequate information on how a new immigration category would affect public infrastructure and cost the government.
. . .
http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?newsID=80991&cat=1

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2.
Court rules aliens who overstay can remain to appeal
By Tom Ramstack
The Washington Times, June 17, 2008

The Supreme Court decided Monday to make it easier for foreigners to overstay their visas while they defend their right to stay in the United States.

In a 5-4 ruling, the court said that foreigners can withdraw their voluntary agreements to leave and remain in the U.S. while they challenge the government's efforts to remove them.

Voluntary agreements give foreign visitors who overstay their visas time to challenge their deportation if their circumstances show a need to remain.

Until the court's decision, foreigners could use administrative procedures to stay in the country, but they still had to leave when their visas expired or at a time listed in their voluntary agreements.

The issue arose from the case of Samson Dada, a Nigerian who stayed in the U.S. after his tourist visa expired in 1998. He married an American the following year, then submitted documents to immigration officials asking to remain as the spouse of a U.S. citizen.

After he and his wife failed to submit documentation on time, Mr. Dada was ordered to leave the country. Later, he was given a new date to leave under a voluntary agreement but continued to seek a visa.

The court ruled that Mr. Dada could withdraw his voluntary agreement and remain in the U.S. while he seeks legal authority to stay.

David Frederick, a D.C. lawyer who filed an amicus brief in the case, said the ruling would apply to a small number of immigrants, adding that the ruling interpreted a technical provision of immigration law.
. . .
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jun/17/court-rules-aliens-who-o...

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3.
More Illegal Crossings Are Criminal Cases, Group Says
By Julia Preston
The New York Times, June 18, 2008

Criminal prosecutions of immigrants by federal authorities surged to a record high in March, as immigration cases accounted for the majority -- 57 percent -- of all new federal criminal cases brought nationwide that month, according to a report published Tuesday by a nonpartisan research group.

Immigration cases also made up more than half of new federal prosecutions in February, reflecting a major emphasis on immigration by the Bush administration and a policy shift to expand the use of criminal, rather than civil, charges in its efforts to curb illegal immigration.

In March, according to the report, narcotics cases, the next largest category, were 13 percent of new prosecutions by the Justice Department. The third-largest category, weapons cases, were 5 percent.

The report, by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a data analysis organization affiliated with Syracuse University, was based on figures from the Justice Department's Executive Office for United States Attorneys. The group obtained the figures through the Freedom of Information Act.

The record number of 9,350 new immigration prosecutions in March was part of a ''highly unusual surge'' that began in January, the report said, and represented 73 percent more new immigration cases compared with March 2007. Most cases were in districts along the border with Mexico and were part of a rapidly expanding program by the Border Patrol and the Justice Department to press criminal charges against virtually all immigrants caught crossing the border illegally in some sectors.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/us/18immig.html

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Transaction Records Clearing House report is available online at
http://trac.syr.edu/whatsnew/email.080617.html

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4.
NC Senate agrees to illegal immigrant prisoner bill
The Associated Press, June 17, 2008

Raleigh (AP) -- Illegal immigrants in North Carolina's prison system could be released early and deported under legislation approved by the Senate.

Senators agreed unanimously Tuesday to support the plan, which could free up an average of more than 250 prison beds a year.
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http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/3058945/

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5.
Loudoun To Check Residency In Arrests
By Bill Brubaker
The Washington Post, June 18, 2008

Loudoun County law enforcement officials said yesterday they will start routinely checking the immigration status of all people arrested in the county if deputies suspect they are in the United States illegally, implementing a policy similar to one that set off controversy in neighboring Prince William County.

Sheriff Stephen O. Simpson (I) told the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors that he had reached agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to participate in a program that ultimately seeks to deport illegal immigrants convicted of serious felonies.

Although federal agents are interested only in deporting certain felons, Loudoun will use a computerized ICE program to check even those charged with minor offenses if there's reason to believe they are illegal immigrants, Simpson said in an interview.

ICE will take custody only of those who have been convicted of certain felonies, including violent crimes, or who have returned to the United States illegally after being deported, he said.

The ICE program, also used in Manassas, Manassas Park and Herndon, will begin in Loudoun this summer, Simpson said.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/17/AR200806...