News Round Up In-Brief

U.S. News

• Migrants entering the U.S. are increasingly crossing through southern Texas, where many die trying to circumvent a Border Patrol checkpoint in Brooks County. Last year, the toll of recovered remains in the county skyrocketed to 129 bodies, up from 50 or 60 in previous years.
• Migration is shifting along multiple vectors, as Mexico is increasingly an immigrant destination and the number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. appears to be on the rise.
• In an investigation of excessive force cases, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General found that “many [Border Patrol] agents and officers do not understand use of force and the extent to which they may or may not use force.”

News Round Up In-Brief

U.S. News

• Across the country, opponents of immigration like Georgia’s D. A. King (who terms current immigration levels an “invasion”) joined with national groups to persuade their home congresspeople during the August recess to oppose legalization for undocumented people.
• Republican members of the House oppose what they call the “special path” to citizenship outlined in the Senate immigration bill. Taking a hard line, the Republican National Committee opposes “any form of amnesty that would propose a pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens.” Meanwhile, members of mixed-status families hope for a citizenship path to keep their loved ones safe from deportation.