Texas Immigration Lawyer Blog

This American Life: Undocumented activists walk into ICE office and infiltrate Broward immigration detention center

This American Life, Episode 498: Prologue 

Ira plays audio from a YouTube video made by Jonathan Perez. In it, 24 year old Jonathan, an undocumented immigrant, walks straight into a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, tells an officer he doesn’t have papers, and gets himself arrested. Why would anyone do that?

This American Life, Episode 498: Act 1

Reporter Michael May tells the story of activists from the National Immigrant Youth Alliance who intentionally got arrested for being undocumented. They believed if they could get inside the Broward Transitional Center in Florida, they could prevent lots of the immigrants there from being deported. Obama Administration policy, laid out in a series of documents called the Morton memos, states that non-violent immigrants who are not criminals are low priority for detention. Michael May also wrote a print version of this story, for The American Prospect. 

Ortiz removal cases administratively closed

Good news! This morning Immigration Judge Bertha Zuniga signed orders administratively closing the removal cases of both Luis and Raul Ortiz.

In November 2010, Luis and his father, Raul, were placed in removal proceedings when Raul picked Luis up at the I.C.E. office after Luis was arrested for racing on the highway.

Luis received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals earlier this year. 

Thank you to United We Dream and the Waco Dream Act Alliance for their efforts on behalf of Luis and Raul, and for all who have supported the Ortiz family.

 

San Antonio Reps split over Immigration

Excellent article from the San Antonio Express News by Gary Martin contrasting the backgrounds and views on immigration of the two U.S. Representatives from San Antonio, Lamar Smith and Joaquin Castro.