Topic: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

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5 myths about amnesty for illegal immigrants in Senate bill

Under a bipartisan Senate immigration bill, immigrants who have come to the United States illegally are given a "path to citizenship." On close inspection, each of the following five claims about the requirements for illegal immigrants to earn amnesty are not what they seem.
Four reasons why illegal immigration across the US-Mexico border has dropped
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 06/07
In Pictures: The scene at the US/Mexico border
In Pictures: Mexicali earthquake

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Elephant meat seized in Los Angeles

Elephant meat seized: US Customs has seized elephant meat, a dead macaque primate from Indonesia, and 387 handbags made from pythons, monitor lizards, dwarf crocodiles, cobras and puff adder snakes.
5 myths about amnesty for illegal immigrants in Senate bill

Under a bipartisan Senate immigration bill, immigrants who have come to the United States illegally are given a "path to citizenship." On close inspection, each of the following five claims about the requirements for illegal immigrants to earn amnesty are not what they seem.
Immigration reform promises border security. Prove it, Republicans say. (+video)

The Senate immigration reform bill aims to apprehend 90 percent of potential border-crossers in high-risk areas within five years after passage, but Republicans question the plan.
Boston bombing fallout: US moves to close security gap on student visas (+video)

Student visa snafu involving a Kazakh friend of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston bombing suspect, prompts US to beef up security checks. Will the episode undermine chances for comprehensive immigration reform?
Homeland security orders new student visa checks

A student from Kazakhstan, allowed to return to the US in January without a valid student visa, is accused of hiding evidence in the Boston Marathon bombing case. On Thursday, Customs and Border Protection ordered new checks for student visas.
Boston bombing: Arrangements difficult for burial of Tamerlan Tsarnaev

A funeral home in Worcester Mass., is handling the arrangements for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarvaev. A burial site has been difficult to find, and the funeral home director has faced protesters.
Focus Drones over America: public safety benefit or 'creepy' privacy threat?

Drones are not just for tracking terrorists abroad. Some 327 are authorized to fly in US airspace – most for military training. But as their numbers grow, so is domestic scrutiny.
Missing teen found alive: How he survived (+video)

Missing teen found alive: Nicholas Joy went missing in the Maine woods when he took a "short cut" on a ski trail. The teen was found alive Tuesday. He used survival skills, that he'd learned on TV, to stay alive.
McCain faces angry crowd, defends immigration plan

McCain faces angry crowd: Arizona is the only state with both of its senators working on immigration reform in Congress, a sign of the state's widely debated border security issues.
Modern migrants pose new challenges to Mexican border towns

The US deported record numbers of immigrants over the past four years. Although Mexico provides some basic services, the influx of migrants in border towns means good Samaritans and nonprofits are having to step up.
McAfee's odyssey continues as he returns to US, wants to 'settle down' (+video)

McAfee was in hiding in Belize for weeks after police called him a person of interest in the killing of his neighbor.
Petraeus scandal: How did FBI agent know Jill Kelley?

FBI Special Agent Frederick Humphries II and Jill Kelley met at a 2011 FBI Citizens Academy in Florida. Agent Humphries once played a key role in stopping a terrorist attack in Los Angeles.
Border Patrol faces increased scrutiny following use of lethal force

The Department of Homeland Security has launched a probe of the Border Patrol agency. Since 2010, Border Patrol agents have killed 16 people. In eight cases the incidents involved rock-throwing.
Border Patrol agent shot and killed while on duty in Arizona

A US Border Patrol agent was shot and killed and another wounded while the pair were on horseback patrol near the US-Mexico border in southern Arizona early Tuesday morning.
Fast and Furious report clears Eric Holder

A 471-page report was released following a 19-month review by the U.S. Justice Department's inspector general into 'Operation Fast and Furious,' which allowed about 2,000 potentially illegal firearms to cross the border into Mexico.
Automatic budget cuts would be 'deeply destructive'

Automatic budget cuts would hit Pentagon with 9 percent reduction, hurting military readiness, and 8 percent cuts in nondefense programs from the FBI to the Border Patrol to air controllers, a new White House report says.
Congress v. Holder: Despite 'bombshell' wiretap, feds decline to investigate top cop

The US Department of Justice declined to investigate its own chief, Eric Holder, after the House cited him for criminal contempt over the Fast and Furious scandal. But House Republicans say they’ve found a ‘bombshell’ document that suggests DOJ officials knew more than they let on.
Is Eric Holder contempt vote over Fast and Furious about race?

Eric Holder on Thursday became the first US attorney general to be held in contempt of Congress. The story of how race became entwined in the debate over the Fast and Furious gun-running scandal is a parable of the Obama presidency.
ICE Long Beach shootout: As immigration cauldron boils, ICE agents buckle

The Long Beach, Calif., shooting that left one Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent dead and another wounded comes as the Obama administration has moved to improve morale among embattled ICE agents.
Four reasons why illegal immigration across the US-Mexico border has dropped

From 1970 to 2010, more than 10 million Mexicans migrated to the US. Now, after decades of rising numbers immigrating to the US, a new demographic trend is playing out: illegal immigration is waning. The Department of Homeland Security said in a 2010 report that the number of immigrants residing unauthorized in the US, 62 percent of whom come from Mexico, has declined from a peak of 11.8 million in January of 2007 to 10.8 million in January of 2010. US Customs and Border Protection also released data showing that the number of those arrested trying to cross the border illegally is is down sharply – by 58 percent since fiscal year 2006. The Pew Hispanic Center, using Mexican government data, estimates that the number of Mexicans annually leaving Mexico for the US declined by 60 percent from 2006 to 2010. Many dispute the reason why. Here are four factors that play a role.
What deters illegal immigrant border crossings into the US? Violence in Mexico.

The number of illegal immigrants apprehended while crossing Mexico en route to the US has dropped by almost 70 percent in the past five years, according to Mexican official data.
Why Obama administration's Fast and Furious troubles may not be over

In the Fast and Furious operation, ATF agents lost track of as many as 2,500 high-powered firearms. Acting Director Kenneth Melson has stepped down, but a congressional investigation will continue.
Drug tunnel found in Arizona, but it's no fancy, million-dollar underground corridor

In the era of narco-submarines and tanks, the tried and true tunnel remains popular, especially along Arizona's Mexican border. The latest reminds Douglas locals of the legendary one from 1990.
Khapra beetle: Feared pest intercepted at airport

Khapra beetle is discovered in rice shipment from India. US interceptions of khapra beetle are up dramatically this year.
How much damage did ATF's ill-fated gun-running sting do to war on drugs?

Fast and Furious, the Mexico gun-running sting gone bad, may cost the ATF's acting chief his job. A larger concern is that it may undermine efforts to stop the flow of US guns south.