Immigrant Detention

Approximately 100 people attended a public meeting with the Union County Prosecutor's Office and the Plainfield Police Division last weekend to strengthen relationships and create understanding among immigrants regarding their rights and responsibilities as city residents, officials announced Friday.

More than 130 people packed the Public Hearing at Pima Community College’s Downtown Campus last night for the first ever hearings on prison privatization in Arizona.

Exceeding all expectations for this event, the crowd listened intently throughout the two hour hearing.

Hearings will be held soon in Tucson and Kingman to gain public awareness of issues connected to private prisons.

The Kingman hearing will be held 6-8 p.m.

Privately operated prisons are increasingly becoming the norm in Arizona, and now a series of public hearings are being held to gather information concerning this trend. Luis Carrión spoke with Caroline Isaacs of the American Friends Service Committee, the group coordinating the public hearings.

 Immigration authorities in New Jersey and nationwide have stepped up deportations of illegal immigrants who have been convicted of crimes.

Activists on opposing sides of the immigration issue criticized immigration officials' characterization of the statistics as evidence that they are tackling immigration successfully. The AFSC's Amy Gottlieb weighs in.

A countywide public school network for at-risk children is encouraging teachers to address students’ concerns about immigration raids and deportations — an effort that’s receiving mixed reviews from law enforcement agencies. Benjamin Prado of the AFSC's San Diego office weighs in.