U.S. sues Arizona sheriff in civil rights probe

By Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times Reporting from Denver The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday sued a controversial and popular Arizona sheriff, alleging that his department was refusing to cooperate with an investigation into whether it discriminated against Latinos while trying to catch illegal immigrants. The Justice Department said that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio was the first local law enforcement official in 30 years to refuse to provide documents in a feder...

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer flounders at start and end of debate

By Rachel Weiner At last night's gubernatorial debate, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) appeared to be at a lost for words during her opening statement, leading to some long, awkward pauses: Brewer also stumbled at the end of the debate, when her Democratic opponent confronted her on a past statement. "What is hurting us right now economically are statements, false statements made by Jan Brewer, about how Arizona has become so violent, that we are a place of fear, and we have beheadin...

Governor candidates in 20 states endorse anti-immigration laws

by Carrie Budoff Brown It's not just Arizona. In states far from the Mexico border — from liberal Massachusetts to moderate Iowa — Democrats and Republicans in gubernatorial races are running on strict anti-illegal-immigration platforms, pledging to sign an array of tough enforcement measures into law come January. Of the 37 gubernatorial races this year, candidates in more than 20 states have endorsed adopting a strict Arizona-style immigration law or passing legislation that make...

Seven Myths That Cloud Immigration Debate

The United States is shockingly irrational in the way it handles immigration. Unlike other nations that strategically use immigration to pursue national goals, we lurch from concerns about border security to illegal immigrants to drugs and crime without considering our long-term political and economic priorities. One of the chief sources of irrationality is the myths that have arisen about immigrants and immigration policy. Befitting a subject that is politically charged, here's wher...

Fewer illegal immigrants, but more anti-immigrant fury

By Cythia Tucker Many opponents of a comprehensive immigration reform bill — a plan that would give illegal immigrants a path to citizenship — base their opposition on the alleged failure of border security. When the federal government does a better job of patrolling the borders, they say, they will consider immigration reform. Well, it’s time to consider immigration reform. Between the drop in jobs — the lure for illegal immigrants — and tightened border patrols, illegal immigra...

Pew: Illegal immigration down by two-thirds

Adam Serwer of the American Prospect is guest blogging for The Plum Line this week. A recent report from the Pew Hispanic center shows illegal immigration declining by nearly 67 percent, reports Tara Bahrampour: Between 2000 and 2005, an average of 850,000 people a year entered the United States without authorization, according to the report released Wednesday. As the economy plunged into recession between 2007 and 2009, that number fell to 300,000. According to the report, the Ameri...