NEWS
By Andrea F. Siegel, The Baltimore Sun | April 12, 2012
The state's top court has agreed to decide if Maryland's Dream Act will be on the ballot this fall. The Court of Appeals said this week it will hear CASA de Maryland's appeal of a judge's decision to allow the referendum on the 2010 law. The court scheduled arguments for June 12. The controversial measure was designed to provide college tuition discounts to certain illegal immigrants. Opponents blocked the law from taking effect last year by obtaining enough signatures to bring it to a referendum.
NEWS
April 2, 2012
Dan Rodricks ' column on what a boon to society illegal immigrants are noted the billions of dollars illegal immigrants pay into Social Security ("Welcome to Baltimore, no questions asked, March 27). But illegal immigrants aren't permitted to legally obtain Social Security numbers, so they are committing a crime when they use stolen Social Security numbers. Is Mr Rodricks endorsing identity theft or the theft of someone else's personal information? Or is this a right he reserves only for "honest, law abiding" illegals?
NEWS
March 30, 2012
In his recent op-ed, "Sanctuary Baltimore, no questions asked" (March 26) Dan Rodricks wrongfully assumes that welcoming illegal immigrants will help increase Baltimore's tax base. But there is a consensus among nonpartisan economists that illegal immigrants are a fiscal drain on American taxpayers. A majority of illegal immigrants have less than a high school education and have well below average incomes. The National Research Council found that an illegal immigrant without a high school degree will impose a net cost on taxpayers of $89,000 over his or her lifetime.
NEWS
By John Fritze, The Baltimore Sun | March 26, 2012
A leading immigrant rights group has endorsed state Sen. Rob Garagiola in Maryland's competitive 6th Congressional District race. CASA in Action, the political arm of CASA de Maryland, announced Monday it had endorsed Garagiola in the April 3 primary against Democratic opponent John Delaney. Garagiola also picked up the support of state Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez, a Montgomery County Democrat. The endorsements could be particularly important in November when a proposal to allow some illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition rates will be on the ballot.
NEWS
By Tricia Bishop, The Baltimore Sun | March 21, 2012
The third trial of two men accused of murdering three young relatives in a Baltimore apartment in 2004 was postponed for a second time Wednesday in the city's circuit court. A new trial date was not immediately set for defendants Policarpio Espinoza Perez, 30, and Adan Espinoza Canela, 25, though it will likely be sometime this summer, according to Judge Barry G. Williams. He attributed the delay to both sides in the case. The men, illegal immigrants from Mexico, have been in custody since their arrest nearly eight years ago. Their first trial ended in a hung jury, and the second resulted in convictions and life sentences that were overturned on appeal last year because of a trial judge's error.
NEWS
March 7, 2012
The federal Secure Communities Program requires state and local law enforcement to inform the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency when they make an arrest so that ICE can determine whether the prints of the person in custody match those in a federal database indicating that person is in the country illegally ("Mayor seeks to allay fears of immigrants about police," March 2). But isn't it protocol for one law enforcement agency to inform another when there is a possibility that person is wanted by another agency or jurisdiction?