Police: September 2009 Archives

The Obama administration has promised to streamline immigration enforcement by targeting actual criminal offenders, as opposed to just civil immigration law violations (think more smuggled oozies, fewer expired tourist visas). But in Iowa, according to an investigation by the Des Moines Register, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) really needs to work on its aim:

The numbers show 67 percent of those detained—84 of 125 people from February to May this year — had no previous criminal offenses....

One-third of those arrested were not considered fugitives, the new statistics show. People are categorized as fugitives if they did not heed a previous court order to leave the country.

ICE spokesperson Tim Counts acknowledged that the vast majority of "fugitives" were "non-criminals," but said, "While we focus on the worst offenders, we are charged with enforcing the nation's immigration laws."

Something strange is happening on the streets of Newark, New Jersey. Communities that have been battered by violent crime, economic hardship, and racial segregation are standing up in defiance—and in peace.

Frustrated by a rash of violence in their neighborhoods, protesters have sought to reclaim their streets through nonviolent protest.

Over the past few weeks, demonstrators have blocked traffic and disrupted a concert at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Through marches and rallies, they're calling on lawmakers to develop more comprehensive strategies to reduce violence, with full collaboration with community members.

Led by the local chapter of the New Black Panther Party and other community groups, the actions were catalyzed by the fatal shooting of a local mother, Nakisha Allen, in July.