Homeland Security says more funds needed for immigrant deportation News
Homeland Security says more funds needed for immigrant deportation

[JURIST] Department of Homeland Security [official website] Inspector General Richard Skinner [official profile] has said that an estimated 35,000 detention beds are required to turn the Department's maligned "catch and release" program for dangerous illegal immigrants into a "catch and return" policy. In a report Friday, Skinner said that while the number of illegal immigrants apprehended rose 19 percent from 231,000 to 276,000 between 2002 and 2004, the number of available beds decreased by 6 percent. Under "catch and release," officials ticket immigrants for unlawful presence in the US without initiating deportation procedures. The report estimates that 36 percent of illegal immigrants apprehended in the US are released due to the prohibitive costs associated with detention while immigration status is determined and a deportation is obtained.

In February, the White House requested $410 million [press release] to fund 6,700 detention bed spaces, which Skinner says are not enough for a full-fledged "catch and return" program. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Montgomery started racially-integrated bus service after boycott

On December 21, 1956, buses in Montgomery, Alabama, started racially integrated service following federal court rulings ending on-board segregation. Bus boycott leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Rev. Ralph Abernathy were among the first riders under the new scheme. Learn about the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Stalin born

On December 21, 1879, Joseph Stalin was born in Gori, Georgia. In 1922, he became leader of the USSR until his death in 1953. During his time as Soviet dictator, Stalin industrialized his country, which he then led to become one of the world's two superpowers after WWII. Through his infamous purges, show trials and nationwide famines, Stalin also became responsible for millions of deaths.