News Round Up In-Brief

AccessDenied has added this new feature in order to keep our readers informed of news items and reports from around the web on unauthorized im/migration and health.

If you have items you would like us to include, please email: contactaccessdenied@gmail.com.

International updates:

• In recent months, the French government has expelled more than 1,000 Roma (or Gypsy) immigrants, framing its actions as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration and crime. This week France announced that the country is now willing to alter some of its laws in response to European Commission complaints that followed the deportations.

• A report on Germany released this week indicates that negative attitudes toward foreigners living in Germany have increased so much during 2010 that a third of Germans say they want foreigners repatriated.  This follows remarks made by a leading politician last week that Turkish and Arab migrants were no longer needed.

• In the Netherlands, the new prime minister was sworn in and pledged an era of tighter regulation of immigration but distanced himself from the anti-Islam philosophy of populist politician Geert Wilders.

Updates from the United States:

• On Wednesday, education officials in Georgia voted to bar illegal immigrants from attending the state’s five most selective public colleges, a decision that immigrant rights groups threatened to challenge in court.

• A lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges that a mentally disabled U.S. citizen who spoke no Spanish was deported to Mexico after immigration agents manipulated him into signing documents allowing his removal.

• Immigration authorities reported this week that deportations have hit a record high. Many of the 392,862 deportations over the last year are a result of Secure Communities, a program that allows local law enforcement officers to check the immigration status of every person booked into a jail.

• Polls indicate that this year Latino voters are particularly disillusioned with the political process, and the National Association of Latino Elected Officials cautioned that the persistent anti-illegal immigrant fervor could drive down turnout or unfairly target those who appear to be immigrants.

• With the upcoming November US elections, many hopefuls continue to use immigration in their campaign advertising. Some of the more notable ones in the news this week include Louisiana Senator David Vitter’s campaign ads, which have been accused of fostering degrading and demeaning images of immigrants, and Nevada candidate Sharron Angle’s series of anti-illegal immigrant ads utilizing images of sullen, dark-skinned men and a map of Mexico.