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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: border control

border control stories: 19 news summaries

 Militants Again Flow 
 From Syria to Iraq 

Border security troubled by funding cuts

May 11, 09 11:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - For years, the threat of fighters entering Iraq through Syria seemed to have faded—but recent attacks show the al-Qaeda in Iraq pipeline is pumping again, the Washington Post reports. Soon after Iraqi elections, the number of militants entering via Syria had dropped to just a few, said an official.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Iraq • Syria • border control • sanctions • militant • border • Iraq war • al-Qaeda in Iraq • President Obama

Obama Seeks $27B to Clamp Down on Border

Budget focuses on halting flow of guns, illegal immigrants

May 6, 09 10:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - In the budget he’ll hand to Congress tomorrow, President Obama is seeking $27 billion for border and transportation security as he focuses on immigration enforcement and battling the flow of US arms to Mexico. The 8% increase over this year’s budget allows for an expansion of border teams,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
immigration • immigration reform • border control • transportation • illegal immigration • border security • arms trafficking • Obama administration • President Obama

Border Patrol Destroys Foliage With Chemicals

Killing plants will cut hiding places for immigrants, smugglers

Mar 25, 09 10:10 AM CDT
(Newser) - In an effort to keep smugglers and illegal immigrants from hiding in heavy vegetation as they attempt to cross the Mexican border, the US Border Patrol is looking to Agent Orange for inspiration. One plan for cutting down on possible hiding places on riverbanks is to use an herbicide that... More »

MORE ABOUT:
illegal immigrant • border control • Mexican border • Border Patrol • smuggler • herbicide • border crossing • Agent Orange • Laredo, Texas • Rio Grande

 N. Korea 
 Clamps Down 
 on Border 

Major setback to years of economic, tourist ties between Koreas

Dec 1, 08 1:50 AM CST
(Newser) - North Korea today made good on its threat to restrict border crossings from South Korea, severely hampering trade and ending tourism with its neighbor. The move, blocking large numbers of South Koreans and reducing border-crossing hours, is a protest against South Korea's new hardline president that negates years of hard-fought... More »

MORE ABOUT:
North Korea • South Korea • border control • international relations • Kim Jong Il • President Obama

ANALYSIS

Napolitano Pick Suggests Focus on Immigration

Rumored Homeland Security nominee has hawk cred on border

Nov 21, 08 12:45 PM CST
(Newser) - If Janet Napolitano is indeed Barack Obama’s pick for Homeland Security chief, it likely signals a shift in the department away from terrorism and toward immigration issues, CQPolitics reports. The Arizona governor has been on the front lines of the immigration battle. “She would do a pretty serious... More »

MORE ABOUT:
immigration • John McCain • border control • Department of Homeland Security • Michael Chertoff • Janet Napolitano • Obama administration • President Obama • Homeland Security

 UK Bars Foreign 
 'Preachers of Hate' 

Measure also targets animal-rights groups, anti-abortionists

Oct 28, 08 3:18 PM CDT
(Newser) - Britain has new rules designed to keep “preachers of hate” off the island, the Telegraph reports. The measures shift the burden of proof from authorities to the foreign-born accused, who must retract controversial statements and sometimes make pro-democracy public statements to enter or remain in the UK. While terrorists... More »

MORE ABOUT:
immigration • border control • British Parliament • extremism • Jacqui Smith • Britain • Home Secretary

Feds Compile Database on Border-Crossing US Citizens

Agents will track crossings and store info for 15 years

Aug 20, 08 4:22 AM CDT
(Newser) - The federal government has begun tracking the border crossings of US citizens and building a huge database with the information, the Washington Post reports. The data collection, made possible by machine-readable documents, has alarmed privacy groups. The government plans to keep the information for 15 years and share it with... More »

MORE ABOUT:
border control • Department of Homeland Security • database • national database • border crossing • Customs and Border Protection

Mexican Drug Lords' Guns Traced to US

Smuggling's a cinch
as officials look to immigration, drugs

Aug 10, 08 7:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - Thousands of powerful automatic weapons used by drug cartels in Mexico have been traced back to US shops, and little is being done to curb the guns’ flow southward, the Los Angeles Times reports. More than 90% of guns taken at the border and picked up after clashes come from... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Mexico • border control • weapon • Mexican drug war • smuggler • drug cartel

GLOSSIES

 In Mexico's Drug War,
 US Guns Fire Shots 

Lax gun control and leaky border towns allow a brisk barter trade

Jun 22, 08 4:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - When Mexican authorities seize a cache of weapons from a drug-cartel hitman, their first call is long distance: to the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Because, Portfolio reports, chances are any gun used in Mexico’s noxious drug war—which has left close to 10,000 dead since... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Mexico • border control • United States • ATF • drug trafficking • Mexican drug war • Sinaloa drug cartel • gunrunning

 Feds Triple
 Cases Against Illegals 

Immigrants account for half of prosecutions; critics question White House priorities

Jun 18, 08 12:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Prosecutions of illegal immigrants have soared in recent months, now accounting for half of all federal cases, the Los Angeles Times reports. Some 9,350 illegal immigrants faced federal charges in March of this year, up from 3,746 in March 2007, as the Bush administration ratcheted up efforts to... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Bush administration • border control • Michael Chertoff • illegal immigration • federal prosecution • federal cases

'Virtual Fence' Cleared For Arizona Border

Troubled system already operational

Feb 22, 08 12:14 PM CST
(Newser) - The government has just given the green light to a 28-mile “virtual fence” along the Arizona/Mexico border, the AP reports. The system, which uses cameras, radar, and other sensor devices to detect border jumpers, is already partially constructed, and working. Last week Border Patrol caught 38 would-be illegal immigrants... More »

MORE ABOUT:
illegal immigrant • border control • Boeing • Mexican border • Department of Homeland Security • Michael Chertoff • Border Patrol • border fence • virtual fence

Travelers Rage Over Seized Laptops

Government equates computers with bags; civil-liberties groups disagree

Feb 7, 08 12:18 PM CST
(Newser) - US border agents tell travelers there’s no difference between a laptop and a suitcase; both are fair game for searches. People crossing into the US have found their electronics confiscated, and their data copied, the Washington Post reports, all without explanation. “The government is going well beyond its... More »

MORE ABOUT:
border control • privacy • homeland security • airport security • electronic surveillance laws

New ID Rules Look to Shore Up US Borders

Proof of citizenship now needed; 'Time to grow up,' says Chertoff

Jan 18, 08 8:00 AM CST
(Newser) - All travelers entering the US, including Americans, will face tough new ID requirements beginning in two weeks. "It's time to grow up and recognize that we've got to take determined steps to getting better security," homeland security chief Michael Chertoff told the AP. More »

MORE ABOUT:
border control • Department of Homeland Security • Michael Chertoff • identity card • passport

Mexico Calls for Eco-Friendly Border Fence

Environment minister warns US against proceeding with plan

Jul 31, 07 5:14 PM CDT
(Newser) - Citing environmental concerns, Mexico is calling on the US to revise its plan to expand border fences. The current layout threatens fragile ecosystems in the Sonora Desert area and could wipe out endangered species like the Mexican black bear, a new report shows. Mexico is ready to take the US... More »

MORE ABOUT:
immigration • endangered species • illegal immigrant • Mexico • border control • environmentalism • ecology • Mexican border • fence • Sonora Desert

Tainted Imports Originate All Over the World

FDA stats on food alerts show China has
plenty of company

Jul 12, 07 10:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - Contaminated Chinese seafood is the latest high-profile export turning American consumers off their feed, but they might want to save some caution for Dominican produce and Danish candy, FDA stats suggest. Inspectors stopped more food shipments from India and Mexico than from China in the past year, the Times reports,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
China • FDA • India • Mexico • border control • food contamination

US May Relax Passport Policy

Facing killer waits for passports, new anti-terror rules
may be suspended

Jun 8, 07 9:16 AM CDT
(Newser) - With waits for passports now running as long as three months, the feds are considering suspending new anti-terror requirements that caused the nasty backlog. Since January travelers have been required to show a passport when flying to Mexico or Canada; until September 30th, travelers to those destinations will be able... More »

MORE ABOUT:
travel • terrorism • security • border control • passport

Guest Worker Program Slashed

Senate immigration bill is assaulted by amendments from bipartisan critics

May 24, 07 7:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - Key provisions of the immigration bill were altered yesterday as the Senate passed a raft of amendments designed to make the bill more palatable to critics from both political parties.  Provisions to beef up security at the border  were strengthened, while the guest worker program offering two-year visas to... More »

MORE ABOUT:
immigration • immigration reform • border control • labor • reform • guest worker

Senate Brokers Immigration Bill

Bipartisan compromise tackles citizenship, border security, but faces uphill battle on Capitol Hill

May 17, 07 5:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - Illegal immigrants are offered a path to citizenship for the first time under a new Senate immigration reform package unveiled today. A precarious compromise hammered out by Bush administration officials and top senators, the bill trades hard-line border control measures for controversial provisions like a guest-worker program and a system... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Bush administration • immigration • illegal immigrant • immigration reform • border control • citizenship • reform • guest worker

Immigration Reform Back On
Bush Agenda

Even with Democrats more receptive, plan will be tough sell

Apr 9, 07 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - President Bush is making another run at immigration reform, armed with the hope that the Democratic Congress will be more receptive than his own party was last year. In Arizona today Bush will reintroduce a package that sounds suspiciously like his earlier attempt: increased border security, better enforcement of immigration... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Bush administration • Nancy Pelosi • immigration • Congress • Democrats • illegal immigrant • border control • Arizona • reform • George W. Bush

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