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1. Experts expect cut in enforcement
2. SC Dept. presses use of E-verify
3. MD hawk to run for state legislature
4. Seattle hotline helps victims
5. Illegal jailed for DUI charges

1.
Amnesty on deck for Obama administration
By Chad Groening
One News Now, January 8, 2009
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=376918

Illegal aliens waiting for workAn immigration think tank believes it is quite likely Barack Obama will take subtle steps to cut back on the increased immigration enforcement that the Bush administration has initiated within the last year.

According to a recent published report in The Hill, groups supportive of illegal immigrants are likely to pressure Obama to review or drop several administrative policies aimed at curbing illegal immigration, which President Bush enacted after he failed to persuade lawmakers to pass amnesty legislation in 2007.

Among those initiatives was an uptick in workplace enforcement, which resulted in several large raids by Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents. Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, says Obama knows it is unlikely that amnesty legislation can be passed right now.

"[But] what he can offer is, basically, a cutback in enforcement. Now obviously they're not going to say it's a cutback. They'll say that we're re-evaluating; we're looking for new, more effective means, and so forth and thus," he contends. "But the fact is what they're likely going to do is just simply do less enforcement."

Steve CamarotaWith the current state of the economy, Camarota believes now is an ideal time to enhance enforcement. "There are likely six million, maybe six-and-a-half million illegal aliens holding jobs in the United States, and they're precisely in the sectors with the highest unemployment," he adds. "So right now, with the economic downturn, [it] could be an ideal moment to step up enforcement and try to free up some of these jobs for native-born Americans and legal immigrants."

But Camarota concludes it is unlikely the Obama administration will heed his recommendation.

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2.
Immigration Laws: Employers advised to use federal database
System helps firms check workers’ legal status
By Noelle Phillips
The State (Columbia), January 8, 2009

South Carolina businesses that want to stay out of trouble under the state’s immigration laws should register to use a federal database to check employees’ legal work status.

That was the advice given to about 60 business people who attended a Wednesday meeting to learn how to comply with the new law. The meeting was part of a series of S.C. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation seminars on the topic.

“The statute is designed to force South Carolina employers to enroll in E-Verify,” said Chris Lauderdale, a labor lawyer with Jackson Lewis in Greenville.

E-verify is a database maintained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration. Companies that use the system enter a newly hired worker’s name and Social Security number into the Web site.

Within seconds, the system verifies whether the name and number match, said Phyllis Bell, a Homeland Security employee who demonstrated the program.

Last year, 6 million queries were entered into the system, and 96 percent were authorized within 24 hours, Bell said.

The E-Verify system provides legal protection to companies that use it, Lauderdale said. That’s because employers who use it are presumed to be in compliance with state and federal law.

“That’s very significant,” he said.

The South Carolina law allows companies a second option to verify legal status: Require an S.C. driver’s license or a license issued by one of 20 states approved by the S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles.
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http://www.thestate.com/business/story/643296.html

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3.
Jenkins hopes run for delegate will help promote immigration reform
Commissioner consulted with sheriff about running for Weldon's seat in 2010
By Sherry Greenfield
The Gazette (Frederick, MD), January 8, 2009

Frederick County Commissioner Charles A. Jenkins announced Tuesday that he is running for state delegate in 2010. The announcement was no surprise to at least one local official.

Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins (R) said he had been in talks with the Republican commissioner for some time about the idea.

"We've worked very well together and very effectively," the sheriff said. "He has been a voice of reason and I wish him the best of luck."

During the last few years, both the commissioner and sheriff have shared more than a last name and party affiliation. Both have also publically supported each other's attempts to combat illegal immigration in the county.

The sheriff has brought the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement program known as 287g to Frederick County, which enables deputies to check the immigration status of the people they arrest.

Jenkins was the only commissioner to attend the sheriff's press conference announcing the program.

The commissioner garnered media attention in 2007 when he attempted — but failed — to require all agencies, nonprofits and schools that receive county funding to verify that the people they help are in the country legally.

Commissioner Jenkins continued his fight last year, when he proposed that English be the official language in Frederick County. His commissioner colleagues instead passed a resolution proclaiming English as the official and primary language.

Both commissioner and sheriff, along with Commissioner John "Lennie" Thompson Jr. (R), recently joined forces to send a letter to the eight members of the Frederick delegation asking them to introduce a proposal requiring public schools to count students who are in the country illegally. None has so far responded.

If elected to represent District 3B, a seat Del. Richard B. Weldon Jr. (R) says he will vacate, Commissioner Jenkins said he plans to continue his immigration reform measures on the state level.
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http://www.gazette.net/stories/01082009/frednew174202_32471.shtml

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4.
New Seattle phone line helps immigrant victims of domestic violence
Seattle has launched a new phone line that helps refugee and immigrant domestic-violence victims get help in their own language.
By Emily Heffter
The Seattle Times, January 8, 2009

Seattle is the first city in the nation to set up a toll-free number to connect immigrant and refugee domestic-violence victims to a social worker of their language and culture.

The help line, announced Wednesday, is called the "Peace in the Home" line. The city chose a toll-free number so Seattle residents could call even if they are out of town.

Domestic violence can be a big problem among immigrants, said Someireh Amirfaiz, the director of Refugee Women's Alliance.

Victims sometimes come from cultures where such violence is tolerated, she said, so they're unsure of what domestic violence is and that help is available.

And if victims do want help, they sometimes struggle to find someone to talk to in their language.

The number — 888-847-7205 — takes callers to a recording offering 14 languages.

They choose one and are routed to a local social worker who specializes in domestic violence.

"They know that when they call, someone in their own language is going to pick up the phone and say, 'I'm here for you and I'll walk with you side by side,' " said Amirfaiz.

Amirfaiz said many women who come to Seattle as refugees or immigrants don't know what legal assistance and other aid is available.

"The notion of domestic violence and that this is something that should not happen, in many refugee and immigrant populations, is a notion that is very unfamiliar," Amirfaiz said.
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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008602186_domesticviole...

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5.
5-year sentence in DUI crash that hurt pedestrian in Norridge
The Chicago Tribune, January 8, 2009

A Chicago man whose car hit and injured a pedestrian in Norridge was sentenced Wednesday to 5 years in prison after pleading guilty to drunken driving charges.

Mateo Ortiz, 38, tried to drive away after the Aug. 2 accident, but was stopped by a motorist who witnessed the crash, prosecutors said at a hearing in the Rolling Meadows branch of Cook County Circuit Court.

The motorist blocked Ortiz's car, then reached through a window and took the keys from the ignition, prosecutors said.

Ortiz, of the 3600 block of West Montrose Avenue, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated driving under the influence. He was arrested after his car hit a 63-year-old man who was walking in the 7200 block of Forest Preserve Boulevard. The victim suffered a broken leg.

At the time, Ortiz was wanted on four other arrest warrants alleging DUI, said Assistant State's Atty. Mike Andre. The warrants were pending because Ortiz, an undocumented immigrant, was using aliases, prosecutors said.
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-norridge-dui-08jan08,0,5830...