NATIONAL GUARD TO LEAVE TEXAS BORDER CROSSINGS

"A Defense Department plan to pull 450 National Guard troops away from inspection duties along the border is sparking an outcry among critics who fear it will lower the nation's defenses against terrorism. Some of the Guard troops have been on the job for more than 10 years and were trained to identify suspicious vehicles with hidden compartments that could conceal weapons," the AP reports. "[A Defense Department official] said the change would expand Guard roles in land and air reconnaissance, intelligence analysis, construction of border fences and barricades, and radar surveillance of unofficial border crossings."

CONGRESSWOMAN PRESSES INSURERS ON H1B HIRING

"U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson, hearing that local companies are allegedly abusing a visa program, is asking the chief executives of five Connecticut insurance companies to reveal how many Indian citizens they employ in information technology," the Hartford Courant reports. "Johnson, who met last month with constituents complaining about the loss of jobs for Americans, says 'serious questions' have been raised and 'there has been growing concern in Washington with the offshoring of IT and software jobs.'"

N.J. TOWNS SEEK ACTION ON DAY LABOR

"The death of a second day laborer in less than a year is stepping up pressure on Bergen County officials to take control of the growing population of immigrant workers who gather in large numbers in Palisades Park and other towns, waiting for contractors to hire them," the Bergen Record reports. "Store owners say business has suffered because customers are reluctant to navigate around knots of workers. Homeowners express frustration over the large groups, who sometimes toss coffee cups or food wrappers on their lawns. And real estate brokers, particularly in Palisades Park, where both deaths occurred, say potential home buyers often change their minds after they see throngs of laborers standing on sidewalks."

LAW SUIT SAYS BORDER ENFORCEMENT POLICIES RESPONSIBLE FOR DEATH OF MIGRANTS

The families of 14 Mexican citizens who died trying to cross into the United States illegally, are suing to U.S. government for $42 million. The suit alleges that government policies forced the migrants to attempt the dangerous journey across the hostile desert, and that if water stations had been permitted, the deaths could have been prevented. The 14 victims each paid a smuggler $1,400 to help them enter the U.S. illegally. A spokeswoman for the group that had sought to set up water stations for the migrants, described the government policy of tighter enforcement of more accessible areas of the border as “a deliberate, conscious decision to force migration into the desert.”

MORE ALIENS ABSCOND BEFORE DEPORTATION

The number of aliens with pending deportation orders who have absconded has grown from 314,000 in December 2001, to 389,000 in April 2003, in spite government promises to crackdown on the problem. A policy change by the new bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has done little to curb the abuse. Although any ICE office will now accept custody of an absconded alien captured by bonding companies, the company only gets its money returned if the fugitive is returned to the office with original jurisdiction over the alien. This presents an enormous and ongoing problem, as the largest such bonding company reports that “the vast majority of all immigrant defendants who are not detained, disappear when their final deportation orders are issued.”

RUMOR MILLS SETS OFF MIGRATION WAVE FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Rumors that the withdrawal of the U.S. Navy from a controversial base in Puerto Rico also meant that the Coast Guard was leaving, have touched off a surge in Dominicans trying to reach the U.S.-associated commonwealth by sea. More than 270 Dominicans have been apprehended within the last week, and 1,158 since the start of the fiscal year in October. The journey is considered extremely dangerous, and authorities cannot say for certain how many people have slipped through, or how many have died attempting the voyage.

NEW CUBAN LANDINGS RILE HAITIAN ACTIVISTS

"Fifteen Cuban immigrants have splashed ashore in Florida over the past two days, prompting new criticism of U.S. policies that automatically give asylum to illegal immigrants from the communist nation," the AP reports. "Usually, Cuban migrants are released from U.S. custody within a few days. Immigration advocates contend that non-Cubans are denied due process and not given a fair chance to prove their asylum requests."

BUSH, MEXICAN ENVOY PUT ON HAPPY FACE

"The United States and Mexico seem eager to get along in spite of disputes over Iraq and immigration," the AP reports. "Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez, here for talks with U.S. officials, was no less accommodating, showing deep understanding for America's post-Sept. 11 security concerns even though they ended Mexico's dream of a comprehensive immigration agreement with the United States."

Related: Mexico tries to mend relations with U.S.

GOVERNMENT GOES AFTER TERRORIST SUPPORTERS IN U.S.

"Wielding new powers granted by a six-month-old federal court decision, the FBI has greatly intensified decade-old investigations of alleged U.S. supporters of the Islamic Resistance Movement and Hezbollah terrorist groups, according to government officials," the Washington Post reports. "Prosecutors' goal is to shut down Hamas and Hezbollah support networks through a variety of tactics, from filing criminal charges or lawsuits to deporting individuals. One likely tactic is the filing of racketeering charges, which would allow agents to investigate activities that go back decades. By contrast, a criminal charge of providing material support to terrorists could encompass only activities since 1995, when U.S. officials deemed Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist groups."

NEW MEXICO GOVERNMENT CAUGHT ILLEGALLY SPONSORING PROGRAMMERS

"A KOAT Target 7 investigation has uncovered a deal that had the state of New Mexico illegally paying for foreign nationals to get green cards. And now, 15 skilled computer programmers will lose their jobs and likely be deported," KOAT TV reports. "I was very upset. This is not how the Richardson administration or I want to have state government work," Taxation and Revenue Secretary Jan Goodwin. said. "This practice has been halted. I've given a directive that we are not to engage in this type of behavior."