Illegal Immigrants Orange County

The U.S. Senate has approved $10 million for initial construction of a new Border Patrol checkpoint along Interstate 5 south of San Clemente, bringing the controversial expansion plan one step closer to reality. The Senate included the appropriation--which is supported by the Bush Administration--as part of the budget package that was approved Thursday.

The U.S. Senate has approved $10 million for initial construction of a new Border Patrol checkpoint along Interstate 5 south of San Clemente, bringing the controversial expansion plan one step closer to reality. The Senate included the appropriation--which is supported by the Bush Administration--as part of the budget package that was approved Thursday.

A 42-year-old Westminster woman was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for importing illegal immigrants to Orange County and forcing the women to work as prostitutes from a local apartment, authorities said Tuesday. Kalaya Dolatre, who pleaded guilty Sept. 9 to one count of conspiracy to import illegal immigrants for the purpose of prostitution, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Linda H. McLaughlin, according to Assistant U.S. Atty. David S. Lavine.

POLICE SHOULD NOT act like immigration agents, nor should landlords. But if there's one place it's wholly appropriate for local officials to crack down on illegal immigrants, it's in county jail. Two years ago, Los Angeles County kicked off a controversial program to screen the immigration status of jail inmates more carefully. Eight custody assistants with the Sheriff's Department were trained to investigate inmates' backgrounds, and in October, U.S.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent has been arrested on suspicion of being part of a Tijuana-based trafficking organization that smuggled illegal immigrants into Orange County, U.S. law enforcement sources said. Because the indictment was not scheduled to be unsealed until this morning, few details were available. Robert Harvey, a Border Patrol spokesman, confirmed that an agent was arrested last week. According to sources, the agent is Jose Olivas, a 10-year veteran.

Despite recent safeguards that have slowed the process, U.S. citizenship policies remain among the world's most liberal. Only Canada, Australia and New Zealand have friendlier naturalization procedures, said David S. North, an immigration scholar in Virginia. Under U.S. law, naturalization applicants generally must have lived here as legal residents for five years (three years for spouses of citizens), show good "moral character," demonstrate proficiency in English and pass a test in U.S.

Emergency medical care for thousands of illegal immigrants in Orange County may be on the line in negotiations between the county Health Care Agency and 34 hospitals, including the largest provider of medical services to undocumented residents, UCI Medical Center. At issue in the negotiations, which are to continue next week, is the fate of $8.

June Foley and Gloria Garcia may both live in Orange County, but they have vastly different visions of where the place is headed. Where one sees murky and difficult times, the other envisions a future full of promise. Garcia, who moved to Orange County 10 years ago from Mexico City, is so pleased with her Garden Grove neighborhood that she and her husband are saving to buy their first house there. Foley, who moved south from Los Angeles 43 years ago and now lives in Orange, feels less secure.

As they search for votes for the proposed North American Free Trade Agreement, Administration officials have accelerated efforts to strike a deal with Mexico that would permit the deportation of thousands of illegal Mexican immigrants serving U.S. prison terms. "We believe we're well on our way toward an agreement," said a senior White House official. The Justice Department has been actively negotiating with the Mexican government over the issue in the last week.

The Orange County Grand Jury apologized Wednesday for an error in a report that dramatically overstated the number of illegal immigrants in the county jail, and said the report seeks federal reimbursement for the cost of incarcerating all felons who are not citizens--whether they are in the country legally or not.

Members of the incoming Orange County Grand Jury, who will be sworn in today, have received a letter from a Latino activist group accusing the past two panels of being unfair to minorities and demanding sensitivity. Los Amigos of Orange County, a group of about 60 Latino educators, business leaders, community activists and professionals who meet weekly, said it wrote the letter to call attention to the past panels' "flaws" and encourage the new jurors to be "impartial, diligent and courageous."