News Round-Up In Brief

News from the US:

• In Hidalgo County, Texas, primarily Mexican-origin residents live on average to be 80, two years longer than the United States or Texas averages. Read the article to find out why this may not be for long and why long life should not be mistaken for a healthy life.

• The Migration Policy Institute notes that immigration policy has increasingly shifted to states, as legislators in more than 20 states have announced plans to introduce bills modeled after Arizona’s controversial immigration law (SB 1070) or to introduce a series of coordinated state measures aimed at denying US citizenship to the children of unauthorized immigrants.

• The NY times describes a joint campaign to try to cancel automatic citizenship for the American-born children of illegal immigrants. This is despite mixed evidence about why parents cross the border.

• The Department of Homeland Security cancels plans for a ‘virtual fence,’ calling it costly and ineffective.

International updates: