Leaders in the Latino community are claiming victory over Sheriff Joe Arpaio after a federal judge ruled that Arpaio and his deputies racially profiled Latinos during immigration sweeps.
Leaders in the Latino community are claiming victory over Sheriff Joe Arpaio after a federal judge ruled that Arpaio and his deputies racially profiled Latinos during immigration sweeps.
A federal judge ruled Friday that the office of America's self-proclaimed toughest sheriff systematically singled out Latinos in its trademark immigration patrols.
A federal judge ruled Friday that the office of America's self-proclaimed toughest sheriff systematically singled out Latinos in its trademark immigration patrols, marking the first finding by a court that the agency racially profiles people.
The Republican leaders of the House of Representatives are pledging to act to fix the nation's immigration system but making clear that they will not simply accept legislation passed by the Senate.
House members writing a bipartisan immigration bill said Thursday they had patched over a dispute that threatened their efforts, even as they and the rest of Congress prepared to return home for a weeklong recess where many...
Federal authorities say a Douglas man is accused of holding two Guatemalan sisters hostage, beating them and attempted to extort money from their family.
Federal authorities say a Douglas man is accused of holding two Guatemalan sisters hostage, beating them and attempted to extort money from their family.
The Senate Judiciary Committee hopes to nail down an elusive compromise on high-tech visas and may punt a controversy over gay marriage to the full Senate as it makes final drafting decisions on immigration...
Far-reaching legislation that grants a chance at citizenship to millions of immigrants living illegally in the United States cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on a solid bipartisan vote Tuesday night after supporters...
The Senate Judiciary Committee is aiming this week to pass a landmark immigration bill to secure the border and offer citizenship to millions, setting up a high-stakes debate on the Senate floor.
Senate supporters of far-reaching immigration legislation accepted minor changes in public while negotiating over more sweeping alterations in private Monday as they drove toward expected Judiciary Committee approval by...
Senators working on a bipartisan immigration bill have defeated an effort to speed up a new workplace identity verification system.
A bipartisan group of House members announced a deal Thursday on sweeping immigration legislation, a breakthrough that could boost chances for one of President Barack Obama's top second-term priorities.
High-tech companies looking to bring more highly skilled workers to the U.S. are pushing for more concessions in an immigration bill pending in the Senate. But labor unions say the Silicon Valley has already gotten...
High-tech companies looking to bring more skilled workers to the U.S. pushed Monday for more concessions in an immigration bill pending in the Senate. Labor unions said the Silicon Valley had already gotten enough in the...
The confrontation underscores the feisty ground campaign being mounted on both sides - but also the increasing difficulty that Arpaio critics face in getting enough signatures to put a recall before voters.
Volunteers set up a table outside a music festival one day last month to gather signatures for a drive to oust the notoriously polarizing sheriff of metropolitan Phoenix. The venue, with its largely liberal crowd, seemed the perfect place to drum up support.
By CRISTINA SILVA Associated Press
PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona took center stage in the national immigration debate Tuesday as Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano toured the state's border with Mexico and Sen. John McCain defended his proposed immigration overhaul to an angry crowd in suburban Phoenix.
The presence of the top officials is the latest sign that Arizona will play a prominent role in the immigration debate as President Barack Obama looks to make it a signature issue of his second term.
Napolitano toured the border near Nogales with the highest-ranking official at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the incoming chairman of the Senate's homeland security committee and an Arizona congressman. Napolitano, Arizona's former governor, said afterward that comprehensive immigration reform will strengthen the nation's border against criminals and other threats.
Also Tuesday, McCain hosted two town hall meetings in Arizona, during which he defended his immigration plan to upset residents concerned about border security. A bipartisan group of senators -- including Arizona Republicans McCain and Jeff Flake -- want assurances on border security as Congress weighs what could be the biggest changes to immigration law in nearly 30 years. Arizona is the only state with both of its senators working on immigration reform in Congress, a sign of the state's widely debated border security issues.
Immigration activists and elected officials say it's only natural for Arizona to continue to take the forefront in the national conversation on immigration after years of internal debate on how to handle scores of immigrants.
"No state in this country has had more experience with enforcement-only immigration laws than Arizona," said Todd Landfried, executive director of Arizona Employers for Immigration Reform, which opposes the state's tough immigration laws.
During a heated town hall gathering in the Phoenix suburb of Sun Lakes, McCain said the border near Yuma is largely secure, but said smugglers are using the border near Tucson to pump drugs into Phoenix. He said immigration reform should be contingent on better border security that must rely largely on technology able to detect border crossings.
McCain said a tamper-proof Social Security card would help combat identity fraud, and noted any path to citizenship must require immigrants to learn English, cover back taxes and pay fines for breaking immigration laws.
"There are 11 million people living here illegally," he said. "We are not going to get enough buses to deport them."
Some audience members shouted out their disapproval.
One man yelled that only guns would discourage illegal immigration. Another man complained that illegal immigrants should never be able to become citizens or vote. A third man said illegal immigrants were illiterate invaders who wanted free government benefits.
McCain urged compassion. "We are a Judeo-Christian nation," he said. McCain's other town hall meeting took place in Green Valley, south of Tucson.
Arizona gained international recognition as an epicenter of the U.S. immigration debate when it passed its tough anti-immigrant law in 2010. A handful of other states -- including Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina and Utah -- have since adopted variations of Arizona's law.
Arizona has the nation's eighth-highest population of illegal immigrants, according to the Pew Research Hispanic Center. In 2010, illegal immigrants represented roughly 6 percent of the state's population.
Activists said Arizona's anti-immigrant laws inspired many illegal immigrants to demand more rights. Last week, some college students rallied outside Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's office for driver's licenses for illegal immigrants.
"They no longer are afraid to come and say, `I am not able to vote, but I can make my voice heard, and they have to listen to me,"' said community organizer Abril Gallardo.
A report released in January showed the U.S. Border Patrol's Tucson sector remains the busiest along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Tucson sector accounted for 38 percent of all drug seizures and 37 percent of all apprehensions along the border.
Brewer said last week the border cannot be declared safe until the people living near it feel secure from drug human trafficking.
But Democratic Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona told Latino and black community leaders at a Phoenix luncheon Tuesday that Arizonans need to spread the word on how much more secure the border has become.
"There are lots of folks who don't live in Arizona who have no idea what the border is like," Sinema said.
Napolitano toured the border Tuesday afternoon with U.S. Customs and Border Protection Deputy Commissioner David Aguilar, Democratic Rep. Ron Barber of Arizona and Democratic Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware. Carper is the incoming chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
She said in a statement after the tour that border crossings are down 50 percent since 2008 and 78 percent since their peak in 2000.
Sunday, May 26 2013 12:01 AM EDT2013-05-26 04:01:47 GMT
Suffolk County police arrested a man who was driving drunk with his daughter in the car after he caused a three-car crash on Long Island Friday afternoon.
Suffolk County police arrested a man who was driving drunk with his daughter in the car after he caused a three-car crash on Long Island Friday afternoon.
Sunday, May 26 2013 12:00 AM EDT2013-05-26 04:00:59 GMT
While some business may be have been dismal at the beaches, a lot of people who needed to venture out and keep busy Saturday found things to do – and stay dry.
While some business may be have been dismal at the beaches, a lot of people who needed to venture out and keep busy Saturday found things to do – and stay dry.
Saturday, May 25 2013 10:52 PM EDT2013-05-26 02:52:40 GMT
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel congratulated the cadets at West Point's commencement ceremony Saturday, but warned them they have a tough road ahead. He praised how far the military has come
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel congratulated the cadets at West Point's commencement ceremony Saturday, but warned them they have a tough road ahead. He praised how far the military has come
Saturday, May 25 2013 10:27 PM EDT2013-05-26 02:27:43 GMT
New Yorkers that have visited City Island in the summer know it gets really busy, especially on Memorial Day weekend. Saturday, it was pretty much a ghost town thanks to the cold, rainy weather.
New Yorkers that have visited City Island in the summer know it gets really busy, especially on Memorial Day weekend. Saturday, it was pretty much a ghost town thanks to the cold, rainy weather.
Saturday, May 25 2013 9:26 PM EDT2013-05-26 01:26:30 GMT
New Yorkers know that finding street parking is not easy. Drivers can circle for a minute or even an hour – and even then you still may not find that parking spot.
New Yorkers know that finding street parking is not easy. Drivers can circle for a minute or even an hour – and even then you still may not find that parking spot.
Saturday, May 25 2013 8:49 PM EDT2013-05-26 00:49:32 GMT
AAA Mid-Atlantic says the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in New Jersey on Friday was $3.42, up 3 cents from last week. But that's still lower than the price from a year ago
AAA Mid-Atlantic says the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in New Jersey on Friday was $3.42, up 3 cents from last week. But that's still lower than the price from a year ago
Saturday, May 25 2013 8:47 PM EDT2013-05-26 00:47:11 GMT
Internal Affairs officers on Saturday were looking into allegations made by actress Amanda Bynes that NYPD officers sexually assaulted her when she was charged with heaving a marijuana bong out the window
Internal Affairs officers on Saturday were looking into allegations made by actress Amanda Bynes that NYPD officers sexually assaulted her when she was charged with heaving a marijuana bong out the window
Saturday, May 25 2013 6:52 PM EDT2013-05-25 22:52:40 GMT
It once was an accepted tactic as old as policing itself and, according to the NYPD, a key to the city's dramatic drop in crime: patrol officers stopping young men on the street to see if they're up to no good.
It once was an accepted tactic as old as policing itself and, according to the NYPD, a key to the city's dramatic drop in crime: patrol officers stopping young men on the street to see if they're up to no good.
Saturday, May 25 2013 6:36 PM EDT2013-05-25 22:36:58 GMT
Members of the American Legion Post 1 honored their own this Memorial Day. The veterans association decorated the graves of veterans at the Cemetery of the Madonna in Leonia Saturday morning.
Members of the American Legion Post 1 honored their own this Memorial Day. The veterans association decorated the graves of veterans at the Cemetery of the Madonna in Leonia Saturday morning.
Saturday, May 25 2013 6:25 PM EDT2013-05-25 22:25:11 GMT
Authorities are investigating the death of a 4-week old baby in the Bronx Saturday morning. Police say they were contacted by officials from North Central Bronx Hospital around 9:50 a.m.
Authorities are investigating the death of a 4-week old baby in the Bronx Saturday morning. Police say they were contacted by officials from North Central Bronx Hospital around 9:50 a.m.
