At least 30 Haitian survivors who had been sent to the U.S. in the aftermath of the earthquake have been locked up in detention centers in Florida since their arrival. They were all evacuated too quickly for immigration processing, but have been kept in immigration custody as deportations back to Haiti have been indefinitely suspended. The New York Times reports that dealings with Haitian refugees have been varied and random, with some receiving "humanitarian parole" status, some getting tourist visas that prevent them from working, and others being kept in detention. more ›

A Councilwoman says the NYPD takes too long to process visa applications for immigrants who are the victims of crimes—leaving some applicants waiting more than a year for paperwork that can be completed in a day. Julissa Ferreras (D-Elmhurst) told the Daily News that police are obstructing a federal law intended to encourage immigrant crime victims to come forward by offering them a chance to apply for "U-Visas." While it can take cops more than a year to process applications, the city's district attorneys only need one day to turn around the visas—which when granted allow immigrants to remain in the country if they cooperate with law enforcement investigations. "It seems like it's something very simple to implement and it would take something off the commissioner's plate," said Ferreras. more ›

Fulton Mall shelves may be bare this summer since in Baltimore feds have seized 120,000 pairs of fake Nikes, along with counterfeit Coach and Gucci-brand stuff, Cartier watches and Viagra pills bound for Brooklyn. For smuggling and money laundering they've charged three U.S. citizens along with four partners from China and two from Malaysia, where the goods were manufactured. The AP says that, to avoid paying import duties, the smuggling ring had merchandise delivered to New York and New Jersey, transacting in cash and wiring money to Asia. Officials also seized fake Ugg, Adidas, Versace and Ralph Lauren items. Undercover officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who've been working on the case since 2008, infiltrated the operation and made their arrests last week. more ›

An Israeli woman whose husband was killed in the Mumbai terrorist attacks is having trouble visiting her eight kids in Brooklyn due to immigration woes. On Feb. 5, US Customs and Border Protection agents at Kennedy Airport stopped 37-year-old Frumet Teitelbaum and said she had overused her visitor's visa by regularly traveling from her home in Israel to see her kids, who are staying with her late husband's family in Borough Park. more ›

A Richmond Hill man is accused of pretending to be an immigration officer so he could pull off $1.75 million of green card and real estate scams that exploited 19 West Indian immigrants. Shane Ramsundar, 50, allegedly dressed like an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer—armed with an air gun and a fake badge—and convinced immigrants he could help them buy property or become legal residents. more ›

The NY Times follows up its article about the death of an Hiu Lui Ng while in detention. The engineer who left Hong Kong at 17 overstayed his visa (his U.S.-citizen wife was trying to get him a green card), Ng was "swept into the immigration detention system" last year. His family contends his pleas for medical help were ignored for months until he died days later discovering he had a fractured spine and cancer throughout his body. Another detainee said when Ng was examined by a nurse, "She came out laughing and saying he was faking." There are calls to reform detention centers's medical care, but Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said, "Whether it’s a state prison, federal prison, you’re going to get a certain number of deaths." City Room has details on how to help the Ng family. more ›

As more and more people are held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody as authorities decide whether to deport them, the issue of detainee treatment is becoming a bigger issue as some are dying during their waits. Today, the NY Times has the harrowing details of one man's death while in custody for over a year--it turned out he had cancer and his lawyers and family contend officials refused to believe he was sick. more ›