Daily Headlines: February 25, 2010

* Latin America: Winter Olympics update - Sixteen-year-old Peruvian Manfred Oettl Reyes (image) finished 78th in the in the giant slalom while Cynthia Denzler became Colombia’s first ever Winter Games athlete.

* Mexico: Much like last year U.S. officials have issued travel advisories to prospective spring break collegians heading to Mexico.

* U.S.: A judge tossed out a lawsuit that claimed that San Francisco authorities should’ve turned in an alleged murderer originally from El Salvador to federal authorities.

* Argentina: The government’s plans to use reserved in order to pay a multibillion-dollar foreign debt were dealt a blow by a judge yesterday.

Image – Peru.com
Online Sources- Houston Chronicle, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, UPI, Bloomberg

SanFran “sanctuary city” policy revisited

Since 1989, San Francisco has deemed itself as a “sanctuary city” for undocumented immigrants. The designation carries little legal weight yet it has been a source of indignation by anti-immigrant groups, right-wing commentators, and others. Their anger will likely to be reignited when the city’s reexamines the immigration policy this week.

Mayor Gavin Newsom has come under fire over the “sanctuary city” status yet he received additional heat last year when he partially changed the policy. (He permitted illegal immigrant minors suspected of convicted of a felony to be taken to immigration authorities including possible deportation). Yet a new bill introduced to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors would make it harder for convicted undocumented youths to be handed to immigration agents.

The “sanctuary city” policy came under increased scrutiny last year over a crime committed by an undocumented immigrant accused of murder that was allegedly”shielded” from deportation. Yet according to one of the backers of the new measure- Supervisor David Campos- the bill is a needed compromise:

(…) Campos, along with a majority of supervisors, said the stricter policy is too reactionary. The new law would find a middle ground by establishing guilt before being reported, he said.

“This is about letting a court decide whether or not to report a juvenile to ICE,” said Campos, a Guatemalan immigrant. “If you’re reporting them right away, you’re essentially being judge and jury to that child.”

Image- National Geographic
Online Sources- San Francisco Examiner, The Latin Americanist, Time, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Examiner, Mercury News

SanFran murder case highlights “sanctuary” policy

San Francisco has served as a “sanctuary city” for immigrants since 1989; a view that despite carrying no legal weight has been reinforced by Mayor Gavin Newsom. Yet a triple murder case involving an immigrant has brought harsher than usual criticism against the policy.

Twenty-one-year-old Edwin Ramos- an El Salvadoran suspected of being an MS-13 gang member- pled not guilty to the triple murder of a father. Ramos' immigration status has been disputed by lawyers and officials, while local and federal authorities have blamed one another for Ramos being out on the streets:

The (San Francisco) Chronicle reported on Sunday how Ramos, a native of El Salvador, was repeatedly shielded as a juvenile from deportation by city officials who failed to notify federal authorities of separate assault and attempted robberies he committed when he was 17.

Things took an unexplained turn earlier this year when Ramos, now a 21-year-old adult, was jailed on gun and gang allegations in San Francisco. Federal and local officials struggled Monday to explain the circumstances surrounding his release - given that his status as an illegal immigrant was known to federal authorities - when local prosecutors didn't file charges.

Ramos’ case has led to a firestorm on numerous talk shows over San Francisco’s “sanctuary” policy; right-wing commentator Bill O’Reilly lent his opinion earlier this week, for example.

Regardless over the rabble-rousing on immigration or whether Ramos’ committed the murders or not, the fact of the matter is that a woman is mourning the deaths of her husband and kids. Our sympathies go out for her and in the end she deserves for justice to be served.

Image- KCBS

Sources- FOX News, SFist, SFGate.com

News briefs - Immigration

There have been many news stories centering on immigration this past week. Here are some of them:

• Mexican President Felipe Calderon has called on U.S. presidential hopefuls to refrain from using Mexicans as “symbolic hostages” for their campaigns.
• Speaking of the presidential candidates, recent anti-immigrant ads have come out from Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo, and Tommy Thompson.
• An 8-year-old girl who was kept for 4 days in a Texas detention center was reunited with her mother after both were deported separately to Honduras.
• The father of a U.S.-born son who died as a soldier in Iraq received a 1-year reprieve to stay in the U.S. while his immigration status is decided on.
• Wednesday: U.S. immigration officials announced an expansion of a “biometrics-at-sea” program. Thursday: One Cuban migrant died while trying to reach the Floridian shore.
• New York governor Eliot Spitzer dropped plans to provide driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. Meanwhile, San Francisco passed a law permitting illegal immigrants to apply for special ID cards.
• Lastly, in a non-Americas story, an English immigrant was denied entry into New Zealand since he was too fat.

Image- BBC News

Sources- MSNBC, factcheck.org, The Daily Dish, MSNBC – First Read, newsday.com, AHN, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, Guardian UK, Associated Press, Gothamist, VivirLatino, New Zealand Herald

Daily Headlines: April 27, 2007

* Will Brazil build a bullet train line? So far, feasibility studies will start to see if a line between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro is viable.

* First it was San Francisco, now it’s Oakland city officials who've declared their city as a “sanctuary” for illegal immigrants.

* Ecuador’s government expelled the World Bank’s representative to that country, according to an anonymous source from the financial institution.

* Police arrested a suspect in the murder of Venezuelan telenovela actor Yanis Chimaras during a robbery attempt.

* Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a biofuel agreement with Chile during his visit to Santiago.

Links- International Herald Tribune, Hispanic Tips, SignOnSanDiego.com, Houston Chronicle, BBC News

Image- UrbanRail.net (Sao Paulo metro train)

Daily Headlines: April 25, 2007

* According to Prensa Latina, Israel will deport Puerto Rican activist Alberto de Jesus after he climbed a tower near the West Bank’s separation barrier and planted a Palestinian flag on it (image).

* Follow-up: New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg visited Mexico City yesterday in order to observe a unique anti-poverty program he hopes to implement in New York.

* Brazilian courts ruled that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was not involved in an alleged plot to buy damaging information about opposition politicians last year.

* San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom proclaimed the city as a “sanctuary” for immigrants and said that city officials would not assist with federal immigration raids.

* “Within five years Nicaragua will be free from the International Monetary Fund” declared President Daniel Ortega.

* Peruvian president Alan Garcia met with U.S. President George W. Bush as part of Garcia’s campaign to promote a free trade deal between both countries.

* McDonald’s plans to expand in Latin America by adding 1600 franchises in the region.

* Bolivia’s government is inching closer to nationalizing the country’s telecom industry.

* Merrill Lynch improved Venezuela’s bond rating.

Links- International Herald Tribune, MSNBC, Bloomberg, Prensa Latina, Reuters AlertNet, Voice of America, El Universal, Guardian UK, NY1

Image- Scoop.co.nz