Hundreds of people have rallied in Arizona against a strict immigration law.AP.

Thursday in Phoenix is schedule to begin the first major hearing in one of seven lawsuits against the Arizona’s immigration law SB 1070.

U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton will hear arguments from the non-profit organization, “Chicanos por la Causa” and the police officer David Salgado, both trying to avoid the enforcement of the law next July 29.
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A group of allegedly illegal immigrants try to enter the U.S. by train. AFP

An unknown group in the state of Utah that calls itself “Concerned Citizens of the United States” has developed and distributed to various government agencies and to the media a “wacthlist” with 1300 names, apparently of Latino illegal immigrants living in that state.

The list contains the full names of 1,300 people, dates of birth, residence addresses, social security numbers, number of children and date of delivery of pregnant women on the list.
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At the National Governors Association meeting, from left, Phil Bredesen, Deval Patrick, Joe Manchin III and Bob McDonnell. NYT.

(NYT).- In a private meeting with White House officials this weekend, Democratic governors voiced deep anxiety about the Obama administration’s suit against Arizona’s new immigration law, worrying that it could cost a vulnerable Democratic Party in the fall elections.

While the weak economy dominated the official agenda at the summer meeting here of the National Governors Association, concern over immigration policy pervaded the closed-door session between Democratic governors and White House officials and simmered throughout the three-day event.

At the Democrats’ meeting on Saturday, some governors bemoaned the timing of the Justice Department lawsuit, according to two governors who spoke anonymously because the discussion was private. (more…)

A woman cries after a raid in Portsville, Iowa in 2008.

The Obama administration has replaced immigration raids at factories and farms with a quieter enforcement strategy: sending federal agents to scour companies’ records for illegal immigrant workers, reported The New York Times

While the sweeps of the past commonly led to the deportation of such workers, the “silent raids,” as employers call the audits, usually result in the workers being fired, but in many cases they are not deported. (more…)

A. STATUTORY NUMBERS

1.  This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during July. Consular officers are required to report to the Department of State documentarily qualified applicants for numerically limited visas; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security reports applicants for adjustment of status.  (more…)

Humane Borders volunteers provide water and assistance to immigrants crossing the Arizona-Mexico border. EL PAIS.

U.S.Attorney General Eric Holder holds a press conference in the White House. AP.

The United States Department of Justice announced Tuesday that it had filed a law suit against the state of Arizona and her Governor Jan Brewer, for approving the SB 1070 immigration law last April.

The announcement was made by the US Attorney General Eric Holder, and the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security and former Arizona Gov., Janet Napolitano.

Holder said he understood that “Arizonans are understandably frustrated with illegal immigration, but diverting federal resources away from dangerous aliens such as terrorism suspects and aliens with criminal records will impact the entire country’s safety”. (more…)

Continuing with president Obama’s Speech about a future Immigration Reform. He said there was ” an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States”.

“The overwhelming majority of these men and women are simply seeking a better life for themselves and their children. Many settle in low-wage sectors of the economy; they work hard, they save, they stay out of trouble”, Mr Obama said in reference to the Dream Act.

Crimes go unreported as victims and witnesses fear coming forward. And this makes it harder for the police to catch violent criminals and keep neighborhoods safe. And billions in tax revenue are lost each year because many undocumented workers are paid under the table he added during his speech in the American University.

The president of the United States, Mr. Barack Obama, said Thursday that there is a need for an comprehensive immigration reform in the country.

“In recent days, the issue of immigration has become once more a source of fresh contention in our country, with the passage of a controversial law in Arizona and the heated reactions we’ve seen across America”, he added.

“Some have rallied behind this new policy. Others have protested and launched boycotts of the state. And everywhere, people have expressed frustration with a system that seems fundamentally broken”, Obama said at the American University in Washington D.C.

The state of Florida in the United States implemented the “Secure Communities” program which allows authorities to verify the immigration and criminal history of aliens who are detained.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLA) and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced today that the measure went into effect statewide. (more…)