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• Although Border Patrol apprehensions have lessened in recent years, the deaths of migrants in the Arizona desert due to dehydration and heat exhaustion have remained high. Last fiscal year there were 463 deaths, a number rivaled only by the 2005 fiscal year, in which there were three times as many apprehensions. Advocates and experts agree that as “border security” is tightened, migrants take increasingly remote and dangerous routes into the country. The New York Times obtained a map of the deaths from Tucson-based humanitarian organization Humane Borders and photographs of migrants’ belongings, currently being held along with 744 sets of unidentified remains at the Pima County medical examiner’s office.
• The Senate immigration bill leaves intact considerable delays and obstacles for immigrants’ access to health care, particularly to Medicaid. Undocumented immigrants on the proposed path to citizenship will have to wait an additional five years to become eligible for Medicaid (if they qualify), following the end of the 10-year “Registered Provisional Immigrant” status.

News Round Up In-Brief

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• The Associated Press published the results of its review of “medical repatriation” cases, concluding that a lack of regulations on hospitals regarding the care of non-citizens has led to 600 deportations in the last five years of patients, including those unconscious or in comas, whom the hospitals deemed “stabilized” enough to receive the rest of their care in their home countries.
• While the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times have banned the use of the phrase “illegal immigrant” to describe persons, the New York Times only suggested that its writers use alternatives when possible.

News Round Up In-Brief

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• Immigration advocates successfully pressured the AP into outlawing the word “illegal” when used to describe persons, prompting the New York Times to more seriously reconsider the term.

• The growing political clout of the United Farmworkers Union was in evidence April 11 when the Union struck a deal with crop growers on visas and pay scales for foreign farmworkers.

News Round Up In-Brief

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• According to a Pew Research Center Survey, the majority of people in the United States believe that there should be a way for undocumented immigrants to remain the United States. The findings also point to divided opinions about whether to grant undocumented immigrants citizenship or legal permanent residency.
• Responding to a recent story about immigrants being held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano asked federal immigration officials to provide her more information about immigrants being held in solitary confinement at federal facilities.

News Round Up In-Brief

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• In a New York Times letter to the editor, Wayne Cornelius argued that no further border enforcement will play a role in deterring potential migrants to the U.S., aiming to nullify claims that “border security” is required prior to immigration reform. A NYT op-ed by Michael Dear addressed the harms to both people and the environment already being caused by the border wall.

News Round Up In-Brief

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• As conversation about immigration reform continues in Washington, Republicans and Democrats, including President Obama, generally agree that undocumented immigrants granted provisional legal status should not be granted access to Medicaid or insurance subsidies.  This viewpoint, however, may contrast with the majority of lawmakers’ constituents.
• Neither the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program nor the Affordable Care Act offer any possibility for undocumented immigrants or DACA approved youth to access subsidized health services.

News Round Up In-Brief

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• Contrary to Obama administration policy, newly released records show that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last year instructed its regional chiefs to arrest more, not fewer, minor criminals as opposed to felons, in order to meet its desired number of deportations. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) recently obtained emails proving that ICE officials set deportation quotas.

News Round Up In-Brief

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• On Tuesday, January 29^th, President Obama addressed a Las Vegas audience and declared a need for immigration reform. The full transcript of his address can be found at the New York Times website.

• Although the President’s proposed immigration plan may grant “provisional legal status” to many undocumented immigrants living in the United States, his plan bars undocumented immigrants who gain “provisional legal status” from Medicare, Medicaid, and from purchasing health insurance on the exchanges created through the affordable care act.

• Some hospitals have expressed opposition to prohibiting certain forms of health insurance to undocumented immigrants who later gain legal status.

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• Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced on December 21 that in fiscal year 2012, it deported 409,849 individuals, an all-time record high. In the same period, ICE audited a record number of companies for undocumented immigrants on their payrolls.

• Also in its year-end press release, ICE announced new “immigration hold” guidelines that aim to focus mainly on targeting serious criminals for detention. However, the memo states that mere “illegal entry” to the U.S. can justify a detainer.

• Colorlines.com reported that between July 1, 2010 and September 30, 2012, ICE deported nearly 205,000 parents of U.S. citizen children, comprising 23 percent of all deportations.

News Round Up In-Brief

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• When the Affordable Care Act of 2010 goes into full effect, undocumented immigrants will comprise roughly 25 percent of the nation’s uninsured, and may face even fewer options for care if reforms spur cutbacks in community health clinics.

• In defiance of the Secure Communities program, the New York City Council proposed two bills that would expand the city’s powers to block federal immigration detainers.

• A Washington Post Letter to the Editor extends concerns that temporary residency through a U.S. “guest worker” program would not extend adequate rights to visiting workers.