Illegal Immigrants

A small boat packed with at least 148 illegal immigrants from Africa landed on a beach in the Canary Islands, the Interior Ministry said. The flimsy fiberglass vessel landed as windsurfers were preparing to take to the sea, authorities said. The windsurfers and tourists alerted police. The Africans tried to run inland but were caught, an official said. One man, who was dehydrated and suffered hypothermia, collapsed on the beach and was taken to a hospital. The rest were treated on the scene by Red Cross mobile units.

For more than five years, U.S. immigration authorities have touted the success of a national program aimed at arresting and deporting dangerous criminals and fugitives. In frequent early morning raids at homes in Los Angeles and around the country, federal fugitive teams have sought out immigrants with criminal records or outstanding deportation orders. And year after year, the Department of Homeland Security has received congressional support and funds to expand the program.

Fifteen years after Congress promised that Washington would help states pick up the tab for imprisoning illegal immigrants convicted of crimes, California is receiving but a fraction -- less than 12 cents on the dollar -- of its nearly $1-billion annual cost. The unfulfilled promise is perhaps the most glaring example of the federal government shortchanging California.

Pushing around a cart filled with steamed corn, sliced cucumbers and other street food, Omar Castillo is the embodiment of what has become a third rail in the healthcare debate. The 19-year-old, who received a kidney transplant last year, is in the U.S. illegally and has no ready access to long-term medical care. So peddling snacks is how he pays for the expensive drugs he needs to stay healthy. To cover the needs of an estimated 6.8 million uninsured illegal immigrants, some advocates have proposed broadening the healthcare overhaul proposals now before Congress.

The federal government is looking for contractors to build a possible detention center in the Los Angeles area that would hold up to 2,200 illegal immigrants and others suspected of violating immigration laws. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Virginia Kice said last week that the agency was "exploring the feasibility of such a project," though she said no definitive decisions had been made.

The College Board is supporting legislation that would offer some undocumented youths a path to citizenship through college or the military. The association best known for the SAT and AP tests it administers is stepping into the contentious issue for the first time, just as President Obama is signaling that he may encourage lawmakers to overhaul immigration laws this year. The board's trustees have voted unanimously to support the legislation, known as the Dream Act.

Most companies might shy away from trumpeting their troubles with the law, but not American Apparel Inc. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles manufacturer and retailer known for its racy advertising, colorful clothes and outspoken support for immigration put out a news release to announce that the government had found that about 1,600 of its workers did not appear to be authorized to work in the U.S. About 200 more had been found to have discrepancies in their employment records, the company said.

Walt Staton wanted to help people, and his tool was a water jug. On the morning of Dec. 4, he and three others drove southwest from Tucson, to the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, which tens of thousands of illegal immigrants traverse each year. But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the plastic jugs he left for the immigrants endanger wildlife, and this week Staton was sentenced in federal court in Tucson on a charge of littering. He was given one year of unsupervised probation and ordered to spend 300 hours picking up trash.

The swine flu scare may be hype. Maybe not. Either way, it's reassuring to know that hospital emergency rooms and community clinics are treating anyone who's sick, including illegal immigrants. "Swine flu knows no borders," notes Carmela Castellano-Garcia, chief executive of the California Primary Care Assn., an organization of roughly 700 clinics. "It pays no regard to income or immigration status."

Calling access to healthcare a moral and spiritual imperative, Los Angeles religious leaders and their flocks are urging congressional leaders to include illegal immigrants in any healthcare reform plan. More than 100 parishioners attended a Mass of " hope and reconciliation" last week at Our Lady Queen of Angels church and launched a phone bank to convey to elected officials their support for an all-inclusive healthcare plan. "If we were politicians, this would be definitely political suicide to come out for healthcare reform for those who are undocumented," said Father Roland Lozano, pastor of the church near Olvera Street, known as La Placita.