Limited Extension for Prince William 287(g)
“Federal immigration officials have notified Prince William County and other localities that they will extend a controversial program that seeks to identify undocumented immigrants once they are booked into local jails, officials said,” the Washington Post writes.
“The program, which allows local police officers to investigate and detain illegal immigrants serving jail time and hand them over to federal authorities, was set to expire in Prince William at the end of Monday. However, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials notified Prince William late last week that its program, called 287 (g), would be extended in Prince William’s regional jail through at least June 30, said Prince William Board Chairman Corey A. Stewart (R-At Large).”
Farmers Back Amnesty, Guest Worker Plans
“With most of the U.S. farm workforce made up of illegal immigrants, farmers like Carter want the next Congress to fix the nation’s immigration laws to ensure a reliable, legal labor force. Immigration reform is expected to be back on the agenda in the next U.S. Congress, after an election in which voters with Hispanic roots decisively supported President Obama’s bid for a second term. However, critics say farmers should be raising wages and improving conditions for legal, domestic workers rather than turning to immigrants to do the difficult and dangerous work of agriculture,” VOA News says.
“I agree with the grower who is claiming he can’t find a worker who is willing to take below-living wage to endure brutal conditions which sometimes may be unsanitary and unsafe,” says Eric Ruark at the Federation for American Immigration Reform. “People aren’t going to line up to take those jobs and we shouldn’t expect that they would.”
“Ruark says raising farm workers’ wages by a third or more would not put farmers out of business or cause major pain at the grocery store.”