Diversity in Brief - June 13 Edition
California Senate fights back against Secure Communities program; Virginia teen granted reprieve from deportation, and more.
California Senate Fights Back Against Secure Communities Program
The California Senate approved a measure that would limit enforcement of the federal immigration-enforcement program, called Secure Communities, to only serious offenders. States where the program has been enacted are mandated to cooperate, but the California legislation now limits the program's scope to felons, The Huffington Post reports.
Secure Communities uses fingerprints that have been obtained by local police to detect and detain suspected illegal immigrants. Supporters of the program say it bolsters the Obama administration's goal of finding "priority individuals," but critics maintain that it opens opportunities for racial profiling and would unfairly target minor offenders or even victims.
Read more here.
Virginia Teen Granted Reprieve From Deportation
A Virginia high school honors student who was scheduled to be deported to Guatemala this week, just several days after her graduation, was granted a one-year reprieve by the Homeland Security Department. Heydi Meija, who is now 18, crossed the U.S. border illegally with her mother when she was 4.
Meija's case is just one of several that have surfaced in the past few months illustrating the tough road ahead for both Democrats and Republicans hoping to find a compromise for high-achieving students who were brought to the U.S. illegally when they were children.
Read more here.
Will November Polls Show More Support for Same-Sex Marriage?
Voters in several states will decide the legality of same-sex marriage this November, results that will show whether American sentiment regarding the hot-button issue has actually become more liberal as some polls suggested, The Seattle Times reports.
Read more here.
Four Afghan Women Missing From Virginia Study Program
Four Afghan women visiting on a three-week educational program in Virginia have been reported missing. The women were studying the rule of law at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics; the program was scheduled to end on June 6. Relief International, which cohosted the program reported two of the women missing on Wednesday; two others went missing overnight, according to MSNBC.
Read more here.
California Senate Fights Back Against Secure Communities Program
The California Senate approved a measure that would limit enforcement of the federal immigration-enforcement program, called Secure Communities, to only serious offenders. States where the program has been enacted are mandated to cooperate, but the California legislation now limits the program's scope to felons, The Huffington Post reports.
Secure Communities uses fingerprints that have been obtained by local police to detect and detain suspected illegal immigrants. Supporters of the program say it bolsters the Obama administration's goal of finding "priority individuals," but critics maintain that it opens opportunities for racial profiling and would unfairly target minor offenders or even victims.
Read more here.
Virginia Teen Granted Reprieve From Deportation
A Virginia high school honors student who was scheduled to be deported to Guatemala this week, just several days after her graduation, was granted a one-year reprieve by the Homeland Security Department. Heydi Meija, who is now 18, crossed the U.S. border illegally with her mother when she was 4.
Meija's case is just one of several that have surfaced in the past few months illustrating the tough road ahead for both Democrats and Republicans hoping to find a compromise for high-achieving students who were brought to the U.S. illegally when they were children.
Read more here.
Will November Polls Show More Support for Same-Sex Marriage?
Voters in several states will decide the legality of same-sex marriage this November, results that will show whether American sentiment regarding the hot-button issue has actually become more liberal as some polls suggested, The Seattle Times reports.
Read more here.
Four Afghan Women Missing From Virginia Study Program
Four Afghan women visiting on a three-week educational program in Virginia have been reported missing. The women were studying the rule of law at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics; the program was scheduled to end on June 6. Relief International, which cohosted the program reported two of the women missing on Wednesday; two others went missing overnight, according to MSNBC.
Read more here.