Mexican immigrant death at border draws protests

The Taser-related death of a Mexican man in U.S. custody is being protested along the border and in the Mexican capital, at a time tensions over immigration were already high.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered on the American side of the U.S.-Mexico border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana on Thursday, carrying candles, posters, and signs calling for "justice" for Anastasio Hernandez. The 42-year-old migrant died Saturday after a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent shot him with a Taser during a scuffle at the crossing.

Hernandez was caught by border agents after apparently crossing back into the San Diego area, where his wife and five U.S.-born children live. As he was being deported once more to Tijuana on Friday night, Hernandez resisted, became combative, and was Tasered, authorities said. The name of the agent who fired the Taser has not been released.

Hernandez reportedly had lived in San Diego since he was a teenager. The San Diego Medical Examiner's Office ruled his death a homicide  and also found "acute methamphetamine intoxication." The finding is currently up at the coroner's site (Hernandez's first name is also being spelled as Anastacio in some reports).

The Mexican government is vigorously protesting the Hernandez death. The permanent commission of Mexico's Congress and the Foreign Ministry decried the death and asked for a full investigation. President Felipe Calderon's office also released a statement in protest. On the U.S. side, San Diego's police department and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency said they are investigating.

At Thursday's protest, the Notimex official news agency reported that thousands of motorists waiting to cross from Tijuana into San Diego honked their horns in unison with the demonstrators on the U.S. side.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laplaza/2010/06/mexican-immigrant-death-at-border-draws-protests.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LaPlaza+%28La+Plaza%29

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Ramping up praise for Arizona crackdown

They hold fewer events with lower turnout than the large protests against SB 1070, but supporters contend that the law targeting illegal immigrants is the will of the people.

By Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times

June 5, 2010

Reporting from Tempe, Ariz.

Tina McClendon was finally surrounded by her own people.

The 39-year-old postal worker stood in a minor league baseball stadium here last week with thousands of others who backed Arizona's new immigration law.

McClendon sported a T-shirt that read "Arizona: Doing the Job the Feds Won't Do!" It's one of four similarly-themed shirts she wears regularly. Her sartorial choices earn her frequent compliments from strangers — not a surprise, as polls consistently show large majorities backing the state's crackdown against illegal immigration.

But McClendon says she also gets dirty looks from Latino neighbors and believes her stance has led people to leave trash on her car. "So many legal citizens are scared to come out," she said. "They're afraid to speak up."

Earlier that day, tens of thousands of protesters denouncing the law filled the streets of Phoenix. But the rally McClendon attended couldn't even fill the 9,873-seat stadium. It's a dynamic that's persisted ever since April, when Gov. Jan Brewer signed SB 1070 into law.

The onslaught of criticism through boycotts, protests and lawsuits has frustrated many of the law's backers, who contend its broad support in polls — ranging from 51% to 70% depending on how the statute is described and who is surveyed — shows it is the people's will

The law makes it a state crime to lack immigration papers and requires police to determine the status of people they stop and also suspect are in the country illegally.

Backers of the law hope a rally planned for Saturday in Phoenix will draw foes of illegal immigration from around the country. Another Phoenix rally is scheduled for June 12.

"Mass public displays are a good way of sending a message to Washington, D.C.," said Daniel Smeriglio, a Pennsylvania activist who organized Saturday's rally. "The other side is trying to send their message out the same way we are."

Despite fewer events and lower turnout from the law's backers, it appears that their message is being heard more loudly nationwide than that of SB 1070's foes, who support reform that allows illegal immigrants who obey the law to become legal residents.

Comprehensive immigration reform stalled in 2006 despite support from both political parties. Its onetime prime advocate, Arizona's Sen. John McCain, who is being challenged in the Republican primary, has now taken a hard-line stance and disavowed his prior bill.

Democrats in the Senate last month outlined a possible immigration bill that is significantly more restrictive than what was proposed in 2006, and most observers agree it's unlikely to pass this year.

Immigrant rights advocates, such as Shuya Ohno of the Immigration Forum in Washington, D.C., can cite polls showing strong support for their critique of the law. Many of the polls that show as much as 70% support of SB 1070 also show that majorities of Americans believe it will cause racial profiling — a contention of immigrant groups. Other polls show even greater margins support allowing law-abiding illegal immigrants to become citizens.

"People are just fed up and frustrated and they want something done," Ohno said. "The idea that people who are for the bill are against immigrants is just wrong."

The law's supporters say people favor the bill because it's common sense. And common-sense measures don't tend to draw big crowds.

"Why should I protest [in support of] a law that says you can't go over the speed limit?" said former Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, who is scheduled to speak in Phoenix on Saturday. The conservative Republican often clashed with his party's leadership over illegal immigration. Business and religious groups tend to support a path to citizenship for illegal workers, while the movement opposing legalization has few large groups or donors to help it.

"The organizational entities out there were against our position," Tancredo said. "But what I used to tell our leadership is we have the American people, [even if] they aren't going to be out on the streets."

On the evening of May 29, protesters were in Diablo Stadium, if not in the streets, listening to talk radio hosts and "tea party" activists excoriate illegal immigrants and praise SB 1070 supporters. "This is wonderful, it's very inspiring," said Cyndi Moulton, 64, a retired nurse and tea party member. "It makes many, many people understand they are not alone."

Activists and entrepreneurs staffed several tents signing up tea party members, selling politically themed shirts reading " Karl Marx was not a Founding Father" or "Chairman Maobama." The crowd was mostly white, but the speakers included several Latinos and African Americans who decried allegations that backers of the law are racist.

The much larger crowd in central Phoenix was on the minds of many. "Those guys got bused in with our tax dollars," said David Youmans, a trucker from Casa Grande, Ariz. "ACORN, unions, our tax dollars. All these people here paid their own damn money to get here."

The most eagerly anticipated speaker of the night, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, appeared with actor Lou Ferrigno, best known for playing the Incredible Hulk in the 1970s television series. Arpaio told the crowd that their activism was what had stopped immigration reform in 2006.

"You're the secret weapon, believe me," Arpaio said. "When you talk, the politicians listen."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-arizona-supporters-20100605,0,5735125,print.story

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Rep. Linda Sanchez ignites debate by linking Arizona law to white supremacists

U.S. Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Lakewood) ignited a heated debate when she suggested that Arizona's crackdown on illegal immigration was fueled by white supremacists.

Sanchez criticized the crackdown in a speech before a Democratic group this week.

"The Arizona laws are not a mistake," she said. "They're not accidental or one person's crazy law. There's a concerted effort behind promoting these kinds of laws on a state-by-state basis by people who have ties to white supremacy groups."

Sanchez gave the speech to a Whittier group, and the Whittier Daily News reported it and posted audio as well.

Her comments ignited much controversy. She was criticized by conservative groups and on talk-radio shows  Thursday. A spokesman for Arizona's governor also took issue with the comments.

Late Thursday, Sanchez issued a statement attempting to "clarify" her comments.

"I never said that everyone who supports the Arizona law is a racist or white supremacist," she said in the statement.

The Arizona law requires police to determine the immigration status of anyone they stop and suspect is in the country illegally. It also makes it a state crime to lack proper immigration papers. Top U.S. Justice Department officials have drafted a legal challenge asserting that Arizona's law is unconstitutional because it impinges on the federal government's authority to police the nation's borders.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/06/linking-arizona-law-to-white-supremacists-get-la-congresswoman-in-hot-water.html#more

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From the New York Times

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Obama to Name Retired General to Top Spy Post

WASHINGTON — President Obama has picked Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper Jr. as director of national intelligence, tapping a retired officer with decades of experience to improve coordination of the nation's sprawling spy apparatus amid increasing threats at home and escalating operations abroad.

Mr. Obama plans to announce his choice in the Rose Garden on Saturday, two weeks after forcing Adm. Dennis C. Blair out of the spymaster job, according to administration officials, who insisted on anonymity to disclose the decision before the formal ceremony.

The selection amounts to pushing the reset button for the president as he tries to recalibrate an intelligence structure that has undergone continued revamping since the debacle leading up to the Iraq war, yet by most accounts still lacks the cohesion necessary in an evolving war with terrorists. Even as intelligence agencies expand their role overseas with drone strikes in Pakistan and increased focus on Yemen and Somalia, they have faced a spate of attempted attacks in the United States.

General Clapper, 69, who retired in 1995 after 32 years in the Air Force , rose from a signals intelligence officer to undersecretary of defense for intelligence, overseeing all military spy operations. In picking him, the president found an intelligence veteran who clashed with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and was pushed out of office as a result, only to return to the Pentagon as a top lieutenant to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates .

If confirmed by the Senate, General Clapper will be the fourth official since 2005 to oversee the nation's 16 intelligence agencies, a job created in the aftermath of the Iraq intelligence failures. Some intelligence officials have portrayed the job as a bureaucratic nightmare. Essentially, it involves coordinating some very powerful intelligence chiefs, including the C.I.A. director, who have bigger budgets, their own power bases and access to administration officials and members of Congress.

But Mr. Obama concluded that General Clapper's experience would enable him to fix a dysfunctional situation. “He has a mandate to work it better and that will require some changes,” said a senior administration official.

“He knows the inside of the business better than anybody I know,” said John J. Hamre , a former deputy defense secretary and now president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies . But General Clapper will have to figure out how to refashion the job created by Congress to be more effective. “You can't administratively fix birth defects in legislation,” Mr. Hamre said.

General Clapper may face a fight to get confirmed. The choice generated consternation in the Senate, where some Democrats and Republicans complained that he is too closely aligned to the military, has resisted strengthening the office he has been selected for, and has not cultivated close ties on Capitol Hill.

“He has served honorably and with distinction for a long time, but he's focused too much on Defense Department issues,” Senator Christopher Bond of Missouri, the ranking Republican on the intelligence committee, said in a telephone interview on Friday. “And I don't believe that he's been forthcoming and open with the Intelligence Committee.”

Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the Democratic chairwoman of the intelligence committee, was traveling on Friday and unavailable for comment, her office said. But Ms. Feinstein also expressed reservations when General Clapper emerged as an early front-runner to succeed Mr. Blair last month, saying it would be better to appoint a civilian to the job. However, several leading candidates — including Mr. Hamre; Leon E. Panetta , the C.I.A. director; and former Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska — all made clear they were not interested.

Other senators said that General Clapper lacked a forceful enough personality and management style to assert control over the sprawling American intelligence apparatus.

“There are problems within the intelligence community that must be addressed in a very strong and direct way,” Senator Saxby Chambliss , a Georgia Republican on the committee, said through a spokeswoman. “I have real reservations about General Clapper being that person.”

But General Clapper has an independent streak and has not been afraid to challenge bosses in the past. When Congress was debating the creation of the director of national intelligence job, General Clapper was director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency , the little-known part of the nation's spy infrastructure that analyzes maps and secret satellite imagery. He told Congress that he would support transferring his agency from the Pentagon to the control of the new intelligence director.

That position contradicted the views of Mr. Rumsfeld, who eventually forced out General Clapper in 2006. But Mr. Rumsfeld was pushed out by President George W. Bush later that year and was replaced by Mr. Gates, who rehired the retired general for the Pentagon's top intelligence job in 2007.

In 2008, General Clapper oversaw the dismantling of a controversial military intelligence office that lawmakers and civil liberties groups said was part of a Pentagon effort to expand into domestic spying. Mr. Rumsfeld created the unit, called the Counterintelligence Field Activity Office, after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to counter the operations of foreign intelligence services and terrorist groups in the United States and abroad.

But the secretive office came under sharp criticism in 2005 after it was revealed that it was managing a database that included information about antiwar protests planned at churches, schools and Quaker meeting halls. General Clapper ordered an end to the database, called Talon, and most of the office's operations were merged into the military's Defense Intelligence Agency , which General Clapper led from 1991 to 1995.

The director of national intelligence is supposed to oversee the nation's separate spy agencies and serve as the president's primary adviser on matters of intelligence. But in practice, the director's authority has been murky, particularly since the vast majority of America's annual intelligence budget of nearly $50 billion is out of his direct control because it goes to spy satellites and high-tech listening devices operated by the Pentagon.

It has also been unclear how much control the director has over the C.I.A., which has grown in power as it has taken on an expanded role in secret wars in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere.

In fact, General Clapper's predecessor was seen as being on the losing end of internal battles with Mr. Panetta. over who would appoint station chiefs around the world. Mr. Blair had little chemistry with Mr. Obama, officials said, and the president criticized the coordination of intelligence sharing after the botched effort to blow up a Northwest Airlines passenger jet last Christmas.

The president decided to make a change and sat down with General Clapper in the Oval Office on May 5, when he asked the retired general for his views of the future of intelligence operations and the director's job specifically, according to an administration official briefed on the session. General Clapper followed up with a letter about his vision that impressed the president, the official said. Mr. Blair resigned under pressure on May 20.

Those who know him say that General Clapper is expected to work smoothly with Mr. Panetta and John O. Brennan , Mr. Obama's counterterrorism chief.

“Jim is a true intelligence professional,” said Gen. Michael V. Hayden , a former C.I.A. director.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/05/us/politics/05intel.html?ref=us&pagewanted=print

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Tennessee: New Claims of Abuse

Months after a federal report cited a state-run youth detention facility in Nashville for a high rate of sexual abuse, the Tennessee Department of Children's Services continues to receive claims of abuse.

The Tennessean reported on Friday that there had been two new claims of sexual abuse and a claim of an inappropriate relationship between a staff member and a former student at Woodland Hills Youth Development Center in the last six months.

A Justice Department report released in January listed Woodland Hills as one of 13 facilities in the country with high rates of reported sexual abuse.

The state has started a task force to review of the Justice Department report.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/05/us/05brfs-NEWCLAIMSOFA_BRF.html?ref=us&pagewanted=print

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From the Department of Justice

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Thank you, Dr. [Safa] Rifka, for your kind words and for this tremendous honor.  I am grateful to you, and to ADC's Board and staff members, for this wonderful award.   And I appreciate this opportunity to speak to all of you, at the start of this milestone convention, about the Justice Department's commitment to promoting tolerance, safety, peace, and opportunity.

I especially want to thank Sara Najjar-Wilson, your extraordinary president, for her leadership of ADC – and her partnership with the Department of Justice.  Let me also thank and congratulate the other awardees here this afternoon on their achievements, advocacy efforts, pro bono work, and lifetimes of service, both to Arab-American communities and to the cause of justice.

But, above all, I want to congratulate all of you – on your 30 th anniversary, which deserves a round of applause.  For three decades, you have advanced the promise of civil rights for all Americans. You have educated and enlightened citizens of all nationalities, backgrounds and faiths.  And you have promoted the basic principles of dignity that define the best of this country – and bring out the best in our communities.

It's a special honor to be part of this anniversary and to continue one of our nation's most important conversations – the crucial, ongoing dialogue between law enforcement and members of the Arab-American community.  Advancing and strengthening this dialogue is a top priority for my Department.  And it's a top priority for the Obama administration.

I would have been happy to speak to you any day of the year, but I admit that I'm especially pleased to have been scheduled today – June 4 th .  Exactly one year ago, in Cairo, Egypt, President Obama addressed the Arab and Muslim world in a landmark speech that, in elegant and heartfelt terms, captured the importance of our discussion today.

“America,” he said, “holds within her the truth that regardless of race, religion, or station in life, all of us share common aspirations – to live in peace and security; to get an education and to work with dignity; to love our families, our communities and our God.”

But, he added, “so long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, and who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity.  This cycle of suspicion and discord must end.”

President Obama may have been addressing another region of the world, but his words are as much a guide for America's diverse communities, today, as they were for diverse communities around the globe, last year.  To the extent that relationships between Arab-Americans and non-Arab Americans are defined by differences, those who sow hatred rather than peace will, no doubt, prevail.  But as everyone here knows, we cannot – and we will not – allow that to happen.

Since becoming Attorney General last February, I have heard from Arab-Americans and Muslim Americans who say they feel uneasy about their relationship with the United States government.  I've spoken to Arab-Americans who feel that they have not been afforded the full rights – or, just as important, the full responsibilities – of their citizenship. They tell me that, too often, it feels like “us versus them.”

That is intolerable.  And it is inconsistent with what America is all about.  In this nation, our many faiths, origins and appearances must bind together, not break us apart.  In this nation, the document that sets forth the supreme law of the land – our Constitution – is meant to empower, not exclude. And in this nation, security and liberty are – at their best – partners, not enemies, in ensuring safety and opportunity for all.

The communities we serve must see that the federal government is really committed to the impartial and aggressive enforcement of our nation's laws.  And these communities must also know that we will do all we can to enforce the laws that protect our civil rights with the same vigor that we enforce the laws that protect our public safety.  These are not, as I've often said, mutually exclusive goals. This Justice Department will do both.

Under my leadership, that is the commitment of the Justice Department, and of every U.S. Attorney. It is also my personal pledge to each of you.  But what, exactly, have we done to assure the equal enforcement of our nation's laws?

First, we have restored the department's Civil Rights Division to its rightful place as the conscience of the nation and our country's preeminent civil rights law enforcement agency. Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez, who is with us today and who will be speaking to you tomorrow, has made it a priority to transform the Civil Rights Division to tackle the civil rights challenges of the 21 st century. Over the last year, the Division has made substantial and meaningful progress towards bringing the promise of equal opportunity to all Americans, and I look forward to building on this work.

But it's not enough to say that the Division will simply be more active.  The real question is: To what end will it dedicate its resources and energy?  So long as I am Attorney General, the answer is simple. We will dedicate our resources and energy to enforcing the law neutrally and fairly and to working to provide all Americans with an equal opportunity to pursue their dreams. That is what civil rights enforcement is all about.

Among the Civil Rights Division's many goals – ensuring fair housing and lending, disability rights, educational opportunity and more – there is one issue, in particular, that I know is of particular importance to many of you: combating hate crimes.

For this Administration – and for today's Department of Justice – the prosecution of hate crimes is a top priority. We are employing the new tools afforded to us by the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 to address and eliminate hate-fueled crimes around the nation. And we are working to train attorneys and law enforcement officers in its aggressive enforcement. Already, we have several investigations open under the new law. And I want you all to know that we are currently working with local law enforcement to investigate the recent pipe bomb attack on a Florida mosque. This case is a top concern for the FBI.

But prosecuting hate crimes isn't all that we're doing. The department is also committed to ensuring religious freedom, a foundational promise of our democracy. As many of you know, over the last year, we worked to encourage the state of Oregon to repeal a long-standing law, initially passed nearly a hundred years ago to bar catholic nuns from teaching at public schools. The law was reaffirmed as recently as 2009, and effectively forced some Muslim and Sikh women to choose between their careers and their faiths by preventing the wearing of religious garb in the classroom. Following a letter from our Civil Rights Division, the Oregon legislature and governor acted to repeal the law in April.

The bottom line is that the Justice Department's commitment to civil rights has never been stronger.  I'd like to mention one aspect of that commitment in particular. The Civil Rights Division now holds regular meetings at Main Justice that bring together Muslim, Arab, Sikh and South Asian community leaders with various federal agencies and DOJ leaders. And it has prompted the Department's engagement in a critical effort, through both prosecution and collaboration with local law enforcement, to end racial profiling in the United States, once and for all.

As many of you know, the Department's current Guidance Regarding the Use of Race by Federal Law Enforcement Agencies, issued in 2003, has been the subject of some criticism. I'm committed to ensuring that department policy allows us to perform our core law enforcement and national security responsibilities with legitimacy, accountability and transparency. That's why, last fall, I initiated an internal review to evaluate the 2003 Guidance and to recommend any changes that may be warranted. But, today, I want to be clear about something: Racial profiling is wrong. It can leave a lasting scar on communities and individuals. And it is, quite simply, bad policing—whatever city, whatever state.

Years ago, as a college student, I was driving from New York to Washington when an officer stopped me. He said he wanted to search my car for weapons, and he asked me to open the trunk of the car. I hadn't done anything wrong. I hadn't done anything that might have aroused suspicion.  And, though it's been years since that day, I can still remember how humiliated – and how angry – I felt as I opened the trunk of my car.  But my story is not unique. Nor does it represent a worst-case scenario. We've all seen heart-wrenching stories of misguided racial profiling, in the past few months alone.

But we must always remember that virtually all of our nation's law enforcement officers serve their communities honorably – and risk their personal safety – every day.  Their work improves all of our lives.  And the Justice Department will not stand idly by as discrimination by a few unfairly tarnishes the outstanding work being done by so many. Nor will we stand idly by as isolated law enforcement departments engage in discriminatory policing of any kind.  Our nation is better than that.

Third, and finally, in addition to prosecution, we have made an historic commitment to prevention through outreach –by building mutual trust; by keeping lines of communication open; and by meaningfully engaging the communities we serve. In addition to the Civil Rights Division's efforts, many other Justice Department components have launched promising initiatives.  The FBI often holds conference calls with local community leaders, and each district office employs a Community Outreach Specialist to engage the whole community through town hall meetings, public speaking, youth initiatives and Citizens' Academies.  Likewise, the FBI's new Specialized Community Outreach Team, or SCOT, is working to strengthen engagement between the FBI's field offices and communities of every ethnic background.

Other components of DOJ are also engaged in outreach efforts to the Arab-American community. The Department's Community Relations Service responds to tension and conflicts related to allegations of disparate and discriminatory treatment faced by Arab, Muslim and Sikh communities across the country.  The Office of Justice Programs has sponsored events that emphasize community engagement.  And U.S. Attorneys across the country are actively engaging Arab and Muslim communities to confront the challenges of the 21 st Century together.

This is only a snapshot of our efforts, and we are working constantly to improve them and to build stronger relationships with the communities we serve. Our efforts are currently being reviewed and coordinated by the Arab/Muslim Engagement Advisory Group, which I established last year. I launched the advisory group with the goal of protecting our common security while preserving the values that we all share. The same values and patriotism that guide ADC's work also inspires countless Arab-Americans. Let us not forget, it was a Muslim-American man who first alerted the New York police to a smoking car in Times Square. And his vigilance likely helped to save lives. He did his part to avert tragedy, just as millions of other Arab-Americans are doing their parts and proudly fulfilling the responsibilities of citizenship.

The contributions of Arab-Americans have helped to build this nation into what it is today. They have served as police officers, teachers, and civic leaders, strengthening their local communities and their country. We must remember this. And we must also, I believe, remember the wisdom of the engraving on a statue that sits next to the Department of Justice, in front of the National Archives. It reads, “What is past is prologue.”

Our past reminds us that we are a nation of immigrants.  Our past reminds us that when we band together across the traditional divisions of identity and background, we can advance sounder policies and promote safer communities.  And our past reminds us that if we are to aspire together, then we must start working together. We have no other choice.

The era of “us versus them” that some of you have experienced must end. At long last, it is ending.  Together, we can make sure it's replaced by a new era – an era that recognizes the truth reflected in this organization's name – that regardless of our faiths, regardless of our backgrounds, we are all Americans.

I am grateful to this Committee – and to all of you – for your three decades of work, advocacy, and, above all, partnership in helping to bring us to this point in our history. And I am looking forward to our continued collaboration in pursuit of a more perfect union and a more peaceful existence for all Americans.

Thank you.

http://www.justice.gov/ag/speeches/2010/ag-speech-100604.html

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An Arlington, Texas, couple was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge John H. McBryde for forcing a Nigerian widow to perform domestic labor for them for more than eight years. Emmanuel Nnaji, 50, a naturalized citizen of the United States was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Ngozi Ihechere Nnaji, 40, a citizen of Nigeria, was sentenced to nine years in prison. The defendants were also ordered to pay $305,957.60 in restitution.

On Feb. 2, 2010, both defendants were convicted by a Ft. Worth, Texas, jury on all charges, including conspiracy to commit forced labor, forced labor, conspiracy to harbor an alien for financial gain, harboring an alien for financial gain, document servitude and false statements to an FBI agent.

According to evidence presented at trial, the victim, a widowed mother of six children, including a chronically ill child, was recruited in Nigeria with promises that her children would be cared for in exchange for her work in the United States.

Upon arrival in the United States, the defendants confiscated the victim's passport and never returned it. For more than eight years, the victim cared for the defendants' children day and night, and cooked and cleaned with no days off. The defendants did not allow the victim out unsupervised; prohibited her from speaking with her children on the phone unsupervised; and forbid her to make friends or converse with the defendants' friends. According to evidence at trial, the victim also testified that Emmanuel Nnaji also sexually assaulted her. Although the victim was promised that her family would be cared for, her family received a total of about $300 over the eight years. When the victim asked to return to Nigeria, the defendants refused. The victim was ultimately rescued with the assistance of a Catholic priest.

"The involuntary servitude and mistreatment that this victim endured is intolerable in a nation founded on freedom and individual rights," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "The prosecution of this case demonstrates the Justice Department's commitment to punishing those who prey upon vulnerable victims and exploit them in modern day slavery."

"The FBI is committed to aggressively pursuing and brining to justice the human traffickers who prey upon others who are only seeking to better their lives," said Special Agent in Charge Robert E. Casey Jr., FBI Dallas. "The sentencing in this case sends a strong message to those who are engaged in this heinous form of modern day slavery that this practice will not be tolerated in our community."

The case was investigated by the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Susan L. French and Michael J. Frank of the Civil Rights Division and its Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, with assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Michael Worley of the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Northern District of Texas. Refugee Services of Texas provided assistance to the victim following her rescue.

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/June/10-crt-661.html

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From ICE

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15 arrested in Milwaukee during operation targeting foreign-born gang members

MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, in close partnership with the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD), arrested 15 illegal alien gang members during the last two days. This is the latest joint local action of an ongoing national ICE effort to target foreign-born members of violent street gangs.

These arrests were made June 2-3 under an initiative by ICE's National Gang Unit dubbed "Operation Community Shield." As part of the initiative, ICE partners with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies across the country to target the significant public safety threat posed by transnational street gangs. Partnerships with local law enforcement agencies are essential to the initiative's success, and they help further ensure officer safety during the operations.

All but one of those arrested are foreign-born members and associates of the following street gangs: Brown Pride, Latin Kings, Mexican Posse and C-14. Of the 15 men arrested, all are Mexican nationals except for one individual from the former Yugoslavia.

Twelve are currently in ICE custody on administrative immigration charges pending removal proceedings, including a fugitive with an outstanding deportation order. One was previously deported to Mexico and is facing federal charges for illegally re-entering the United States after deportation. Two are in MPD custody; ICE has placed detainers, or "immigration holds," on them to ensure they will be turned over to ICE for removal proceedings when they are released from local custody.

"Street gangs pose a growing public safety threat to communities in the Milwaukee area," said Gary Hartwig, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Chicago. "With each gang member we arrest and remove from the United States, we're making a positive impact in our communities and improving public safety."

"The Milwaukee Police Department's partnership with ICE on this operation will remove some of the violent gang members from the streets of the south side of Milwaukee," said Milwaukee Police Chief Edward A. Flynn. "In their absence, we hope to return the public spaces to the residents who rightfully should be able to enjoy them and to live free from crime, fear and disorder."

ICE's National Gang Unit identifies violent street gangs and develops intelligence on their membership, associates, criminal activities and international movements to deter, disrupt and dismantle gang operations by tracing and seizing cash, weapons and other assets derived from criminal activities.

Through Operation Community Shield, the federal government uses its powerful immigration and customs law enforcement authorities in a coordinated, national campaign against criminal street gangs in the United States. Transnational street gangs have significant numbers of foreign-born members and are frequently involved in human and contraband smuggling, immigration violations and other crimes with a connection to the border.

Since ICE began Operation Community Shield in February 2005, more than 17,500 gang members and associates belonging to more than 900 different gangs have been arrested nationwide.

More information on the National Gang Unit at ICE is available at: www.ice.gov .

The public is encouraged to report suspicious activity by calling the ICE toll-free hotline at: 1-866-347-2423. This hotline is staffed around the clock.

http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/1006/100603milwaukee.htm

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ICE hosts intellectual property theft symposium at National IPR Center

Intellectual property theft is "a serious problem that is global in nature and growing," said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Secretary John Morton at a symposium held on June 3, 2010, at the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) in Arlington, Va.

Representatives of industry, academic institutions, a global policy think tank, and local, federal and international law enforcement agencies attended the group session to discuss the emerging threat of IP theft and its connection to organized crime and terrorism. C-Span covered the event.

Morton said that public perception of intellectual property (IP) rights theft needs to be clear.

"IP theft robs people of their innovation, jobs and tax revenue that funds vital government services," he said. "IP theft is a crime organized criminals engage in, turning their profits toward other criminal activities, and IP theft creates safety risks for everyone due to the proliferation of substandard goods, including counterfeit pharmaceuticals, aircraft parts or daily consumables like toothpaste."

ICE Office of Investigations Director James Dinkins welcomed the group and provided opening remarks. He then introduced the first presenter, IP Program Director from Interpol John Newton, who discussed "working with member countries to deliver regional and global success."

A number of presentations and two panel discussions followed, including an industry focus on current trends and emerging threats while a second panel discussed IP Cyber Crime.  ICE Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Philadelphia and ICE SAC Miami each cited cases that linked IP theft with terrorist activity. 

In Philadelphia, a multi-agency investigation revealed supporters of Hezbollah who trafficked in stolen and counterfeit goods . The subjects were charged with numerous crimes including, conspiracy to export from Philadelphia to Syria, weapons, including guided missiles, Stinger missiles, machineguns and Colt M4 Carbines.

An investigation in Miami uncovered seven Miami businesses that exported electronics to the Galeria Page Mall in Paraguay -- a known U.S. designated terrorist entity in which U.S. individuals are prohibited by law from trading.

These two cases exemplify the trend of criminal organizations and terrorists to add counterfeit goods trafficking to their portfolio of criminal enterprises, using their ill gotten proceeds to finance other criminal ventures. In fact, in a study last year, the Rand Corporation reported that criminal organizations that engage in IP theft also commit murder, kidnapping and extortion .

In his closing remarks, Morton said the IPR Center will expand partnerships with other countries in multi-lateral operations and also urged industry to partner with ICE and "join us in this mission."

"This is a great moment to be involved in IP enforcement, even if it's a challenging moment," Morton said. "Law enforcement and government officials are becoming increasingly attuned to the seriousness of this form of theft, and we are prepared to take action."

Read more about the IPR Center .

http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/1006/100603arlington.htm

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