Effective immigration control

Written By: Gary K. Silberman, Esq.

On the heels of yesterday’s post about the the Arizona immigration law and the controversy surrounding it, here is an example of the federal government’s efforts to focus immigration enforcement on those areas that are likely to have a greater impact on immigration control, rather than focusing on those areas that create controversy and publicity.

Secure Communities is a high tech program that is designed to identify unauthorized immigrants by scanning the fingerprints of everyone who is booked into a jail. Those fingerprints are run through both FBI criminal history and Department of Homeland Security immigration databases. This program is in place in 467 jurisdictions in 26 states and Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to have this program in every jail in the country by 2013. As opposed to the Arizona law, this program focuses on those accused of committing crimes and, perhaps even more importantly, screens everyone instead of relying on “reasonable suspicion” that a person is an unauthorized immigrant.

This is an effort to narrow the focus of immigration control so as to minimize the possibility of racial profiling and the intrusion into the lives of U.S. citizens and immigrants/tourists with proper documentation. It also minimizes the problem of disenfranchising crime victims and witnesses (the disincentive to report illegal activities for a victim or witness who is an undocumented immigrant, based on the belief that contact with law enforcement may have negative consequences for the person reporting).

Arizona’s Immigration Law

Written By: Gary K. Silberman, Esq.

Arizona’s harsh new immigration law is set to take effect in three days, unless it is stopped by a federal judge who has heard the preliminary arguments in the many lawsuits filed by opponents of the law. [Read more]

Who Gets Custody of the Family Pet?

When a couple is on the verge of divorce, who gets custody of the family pet can be a very emotional and difficult situation. [Read more]

Keys to Being a Successful Small Business

Want to know the keys to being a successul small business? Check out this article on Entrepreneur.com.

Quarterly U.S. Bankruptcy Statistics

Need the latest U.S. bankruptcy statistics?  Check out the resources available on the American Bankruptcy Institute website. Need bankruptcy forms for your state? Send us an e-mail at staff@mylegaledge.com.

Update on State Median Family Income for Bankruptcy Means Test

Thinking about filing Chapter 7 Bankruptcy? Be sure to review the most recent State Median Family Income by Family Size on the U.S. Trustee Program website. Need bankruptcy forms for your state? Contact MyLegalEdge.com at staff@mylegaledge.com.

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