This Week's Immigration News

Answers About Immigrants & Housing (New York Times City Room blog)
Emily Rosenbaum, professor of sociology at Fordham University and co-author of The Housing Divide: How Generations of Immigrants Fare in New York’s Housing Market, responds to readers’ questions about how race influences immigrants’ housing options, and what this may mean for the future prospects of some immigrant groups.

Hurdles Shown in Detention Reform (New York Times)
The case of Felix Franklin Rodriguez-Torres, an unauthorized immigrant from Ecuador who died in a immigration detention center in early 2007, illustrates some of the challenges of detention reform. Mr. Rodriguez was detained in a private immigration jail, a part of the Corrections Corporation of America, where he failed to receive adequate treatment for testicular cancer. Though the Obama administration wants to increase oversight of these prisons, some have said that legal consequences - not just oversight - are necessary to improve prison conditions. Mr. Rodriguez was among several detainees whose deaths spurred inquiries about detainee welfare.

Immigration Judge Clears Egyptian Student Previously Acquitted in Terrorism Case (New York Times)
Youssef Megahed, a former engineering student from Egypt and a legal resident of the United States, was acquitted on terrorism-related charges by a federal immigration judge last Friday. The government intends to appeal the decision. Mr. Megahed was scrutinized for his relationship with Ahmed Mohamed, who pleaded guilty to providing support for terrorists by posting a YouTube video showing how to convert a remote-controlled toy into a bomb. The two were arrested on explosives charges on a road trip in 2007 after the police found model rocket propellants in the car’s trunk. However, Mr. Megahed's lawyer argued that the case was an effort to prove guilt by association.

Stranded vagabond from U.S. can't prove citizenship (Seattle Times)
Michael Koch is not what most people think of as a typical undocumented immigrant. Born in the United States, he lived illegally in Canada for 20 years, before being deported in fall 2008 for an old DUI conviction. Now, Koch finds himself unable to prove that he is an American because he has no identification. Koch, who is described as an eccentric hippie, says, "I'm what you might call an undocumented American...Or maybe you can call me a CanAmerican. Whatever."

-Posted by Penny King