US to Deport Mexican Immigrants to Home States Instead of Border

The U.S. government says it will begin flying detained Mexican migrants directly to their home states instead of dropping them off at the border, where many have been victimized by drug traffickers.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters in Mexico City on Monday that the U.S. will pay to deport migrants by plane to airports in Mexico and the Mexican government will arrange the last leg of the journey home. The program is to start in April.

Many immigrants from Mexico and Central America are robbed or forcibly recruited by members of organized crime groups on their northbound trip through Mexico, or on the way home.

The U.S. says a record 400,000 people were deported, mostly to Mexico, during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. Most of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the country are from Mexico.

MyFoxMemphis.com reported that a reason for the repatriation by air is to aleviate the workload of the Border Patrol and other authorities working on the border.

"She said the change would ease pressure in areas along the countries' long border where many undocumented people from Mexico and other countries try to enter the US illegally by land, at the same time that US authorities are carrying out deportations by land," the website said.

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ACLU of Nebraska to appeal immigration ruling

Opponents of a Fremont city immigration ordinance promised Tuesday to appeal a federal judge's ruling that kept in place a requirement that potential renters prove their citizenship or legal status.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska said it would challenge the decision, which struck down another part of the ordinance that would have allowed the city to revoke the rental licenses of illegal immigrants.

The Fremont City Council is expected to meet in closed session Tuesday night to discuss how to proceed with the ruling, which would still allow the city to charge a $5 free for a renter's license, if it takes effect. The city has voluntarily suspended the ordinance at ACLU Nebraska's request while the lawsuit works its way through the courts.

ACLU Nebraska filed the lawsuit on behalf of five renters in Fremont, a city of 26,000 about 35 miles northwest of Omaha, as well as two landlords and two local employers. The case will go to the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Amy Miller, ACLU Nebraska's legal director, told the council in a letter Tuesday that the appeal could last at least another year. Miller said the lawsuit plaintiffs still believe "that the entire ordinance is an illegal use of city power."

The ordinance stirred a whirlwind of controversy in June 2010 when roughly 57 percent of Fremont voters who turned up at the polls supported it. The measure catapulted the city into the national spotlight and spurred comparisons with Arizona and some cities embroiled in the debate over immigration regulations.

Fremont has seen its Hispanic population surge in the past two decades, largely due to the jobs available at the Fremont Beef and Hormel plants, which are just outside the city. Census data show the number of Hispanics soared from 165 in 1990 to 1,085 in 2000 and 3,149 in 2010.

It's unknown how many illegal immigrants live in the city. According to census figures, 1,259 noncitizens live there, a figure that includes illegal immigrants as well as lawful permanent residents, foreign students and refugees in the U.S. legally.

The measure won't have any effect beyond the city limits of Fremont. That means two major meatpacking plants and some neighborhoods, including some with large immigrant populations, won't be covered by the requirements for businesses to use the federal E-Verify database to ensure employees are legal or by housing permit rules for renters.

The ordinance adds some red tape for businesses and residents in the city. The judge said Fremont can require companies to use the free federal E-Verify system to verify the citizenship status of people they hire. It can also require potential renters to swear they are legal residents and pay $5 to obtain a renting permit. But the city won't be able to revoke the rental permits if applicants are found to be illegal immigrants.

The vote — and the attention it brought — took an immediate political toll. The City Council president, mayor, city attorney and city administrator all resigned within a year, citing various reasons.

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