Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano indicated today that the U.S. doesn't need to boost the annual number of illegal immigrant deportations, now 400,000 annually, because she's grabbing most of the criminals and sending them home.

"If we come to the point where we are unable to remove everybody we know has a threat to security or has a criminal record, violated criminal laws, or that we've caught right at the border, or is a fugitive, or has multiple reentries and we don't have the resources to remove those, then the Congress should look at the resources they give us," she told Washington Whispers during a roundtable interview sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor.

Napolitano, who recently changed the priorities on who gets the boot, said that the focus will now be more on criminals. Currently, the annual 400,000 deportations are split evenly between those with criminal records and those with no record.

The Homeland Security Department said Thursday it will halt deportation proceedings on a case-by-case basis against illegal immigrants who meet certain criteria such as attending school, having family in the military or are primarily responsible for other family members’ care.

The move, announced in letters to Congress, won immediate praise from Hispanic activists and Democrats who had chided President Obama for months for the pace of deportations and had argued he had authority to exempt broad swaths of illegal immigrants from deportation.

“Today’s announcement shows that this president is willing to put muscle behind his words and to use his power to intervene when the lives of good people are being ruined by bad laws,” said Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, Illinois Democrat.

In the letters to Congress, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said her department and the Justice Department will review all ongoing cases and see who meets the new criteria on a case-by-case basis.

The El Paso City Council voted unanimously to spend more than $1.7 million to upgrade the technology used to collect tolls at two international bridges, opening the door for possibly the first unmanned lanes on the southern border.

The move will make it possible for four electronic kiosks to be installed as early as December, making them usable by January, said Said Larbi-Cherif, director of international bridges in El Paso.

Three of the machines would be installed at the Zaragoza Bridge and the fourth would be at the Stanton Bridge.

A decision on which kiosks will be installed will be made at a later date. However, city Rep. Susie Byrd said she wants to make sure the machines will accept Mexican currency as well as U.S. currency.

Fans cheer prior to the Gold Cup Final at the Rose Bowl. The U.S. team was roundly booed as a vast majority of attendees supported Mexico, which won 4-2. "We're not booing the country, we're booing the team," one fan said.

"It was uniquely American", says the LA Times.

U.S. Sen. John McCain is blaming illegal immigrants for starting some of the wildfires that have scorched hundreds of thousands of acres in Arizona.

"There is substantial evidence that some of these fires have been caused by people who have crossed our border illegally," McCain, R-Arizona, said Saturday at a press conference. "The answer to that part of the problem is to get a secure border."

The Arizona senator, however, did not say what the evidence is, prompting a swift rebuke from Latino civil rights advocates.

"It's easier to fan the flames of intolerance, especially in Arizona," said Randy Parraz, a civil rights advocate who ran unsuccessfully against McCain as a Democratic candidate in 2010.

The US Hispanic population grew of 43 per cent in 10 years, which is four times faster than the total US population, according to 2010 census data released on Thursday.

The Hispanic population increased by more than 15.2m people, which is more than half of the total US population increase of 27.3m. In terms of total population, people that reported being of Hispanic origin was 50.5m people, or 16.3 per cent of the total population of 308m.

The census counts all US residents, whether they are citizens, and if not, whether they are documented or not.

“A lot of this population growth is US citizens that were born in the US or are documented,” Patricia Foxen, associate director of research at the National Council of La Raza, said. “There is a misunderstanding that the majority of Latinos are undocumented immigrants.”

If 20 million illegal aliens returned ‘home’, the U.S. Economy would return to the rule of law. Employers would hire legal American citizens at a living wage. Everyone would pay their fair share of taxes because they wouldn’t be working off the book

The Oregon Transportation Commission adopted new rules Thursday regulating the issuance of driver licenses. Under rules that take effect Feb. 4, applicants must show proof of residence to get an Oregon license. When a customer comes to an Oregon Departmen

What would happen if all 20 million or more vacated America? The answers may surprise you! In California, if 3.5 million illegal aliens moved back to Mexico, it would leave an extra $10.2 billion to spend on overloaded school systems, bankrupt hospitals a

Welfare and food stamp benefits soar $3 million higher than September payout. New statistics from the Department of Public Social Services reveal that illegal aliens and their families in Los Angeles County collected over $37 million in welfare and food s

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption and malfeasance, announced that it filed a lawsuit on behalf of a New York taxpayer in the Supreme Court of the State of New York against New York Governor El

The Maricopa County Sheriff's office raided a Phoenix home and detained 20 people, five of which are believed to be smugglers. The suspected smugglers are accused of violently mistreating the other immigrants.

Arkansas police departments, banks and businesses are accepting the membership card of a nonprofit organization that works with Hispanic immigrants as a form of valid identification. Founders of the organization say the card is helping 3, 000 Arkansas imm

What if you had to choose whether to release a child molester into your neighborhood, or else release a murderer. Which would you choose to unleash on your neighbors? What if the choice were a kidnapper versus a rapist? One of them must be given permissio

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpiao said authorities nabbed two illegal immigrants after they dropped their cell phone at a Fry's Supermarket in Anthem. "When they dropped their cell phone, our detectives went undercover and were able to meet the suspects

The list included Hawaii, Maine, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington - and Michigan.

Immigrants, homeless persons and other residents of San Francisco who often encounter difficulty receiving common services were given respite today in the form of citywide identification cards, according to Supervisor Tom Ammiano's office. By a 10-1 vote,

The City of San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted last week to issue municipal identification cards to city residents, regardless if they are in the country legally. But an immigration reform activist who lives in the Bay Area says the city has more im

The Board of Supervisors voted today to make San Francisco the largest U.S. city to issue municipal identification cards to its residents, regardless of whether or not they are in the country legally. Supervisor Tom Ammiano, the legislation's author, said

Lawmakers who met with Eliot Spitzer about his new driver’s license policy have asked the governor to sign a “don’t ask, don’t tell” executive order guaranteeing that undocumented residents can access state services without fear of having their

As Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton continues to work round the clock with advisers to determine exactly how she feels about granting automobile driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, the Senator today announced she may support New York

A man whom federal prosecutors said worked as a "coyote" admitted in federal court Thursday that he was responsible for a fatal van rollover in 2005 that killed two of 14 illegal aliens being smuggled into the country. Raul Ramirez-Becerra, who earlier to

According to a new report from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), How Many Illegal Aliens?, the illegal immigrant population of the United States now exceeds 13 million. In 2000, the now defunct Immigration and Naturalization Service e

The city’s Human Rights Commission may set up a rapid response network to spread information to immigrant communities during times of crisis. At a community meeting in East Somerville Oct. 10 Human Rights Commissioner Mary Lu Mendonca said the move was

Michelle Dallacroce was hopping mad when she received a letter from Mothers Against Drunk Driving demanding she change the name of her organization, Mothers Against Illegal Aliens. "I couldn't believe it," Mrs. Dallacroce said. "I don't know who would be

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) representatives today presented a proposed statewide partnership plan to the sheriffs in attendance at the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association's (NCSA) fall meeting. This is the first in many conversations bet

Illegal aliens – illegal immigrants call them whatever you want – illegal illegals; they are not afforded Constitutional Rights.

Accused of hypocrisy in hiring two illegal immigrants, a Bergen County mayor -- and staunch foe of illegal immigration -- is turning the tables once again, accusing his own police department of racial profiling. Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, whose English-o

An Oklahoma Health Care Authority proposal that would allow undocumented pregnant women to receive free prenatal care sets a "dangerous precedent" and subsidizes illegal activity, an Oklahoma lawmaker said Wednesday. The Health Care Authority on Thursday

mong travelers, it's jokingly known as Aeromigrante - Migrant Air. New discount airlines in Mexico are doing a brisk business shuttling migrants to the U.S. border, turning what was once a days-long trek into an easy hop for legions of workers, both legal

The biggest change is the Governor's plan to deputize all Missouri Highway Patrol officers to enforce federal immigration laws. Right now, only federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement workers have the authority to transport illegal immigrants into cus

Boxer’s amendment, SA 3246, is attached to the current spending bill up on the Senate floor. So, why is Boxer so interested in blocking aggressive immigration enforcement leading up to the 2010 Census?

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors today condemned nationally syndicated radio talk-show host Michael Savage, whose program originates in city by the bay, for "hate speech." It was the board's second attempt at a resolution to condemn Savage for his c

Washington – A Bush Administration official said Tuesday he would make no effort to exclude illegal aliens from receiving benefits under a $1.5 billion subsidy program designed to keep analog TV sets running after the transition to all-digital televisio

When Rabit Yamil Quiroz-Uvando was booked into the Washington County jail in May, a fingerprint check showed he’d been arrested before under other names. Another check of U. S. Department of Homeland Security databases showed more: Quiroz-Uvando is an i

A Mexican couple is facing federal charges in Chattanooga after their vehicle filled with seven Chinese aliens was stopped. Venancio Perez-Martinez and Clara Rodriguez-Anaya were arrested after their red Dodge Durango was stopped on Sept. 20 on northbound

It is my belief that it would not be necessary to remove all of the illegal aliens but that once our nation showed real resolve in enforcing the immigration laws, many illegal aliens would simply leave the United State of their own accord and at their own

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Republican Assembly leader James Tedisco says Osama bin Laden is likely popping champagne over Governort Spitzer's new plan to allow illegal immigrants to get New York driver's licenses. Tedisco, joined by other Republican Assemblymen, say

Immigration custom enforcement and the ocean city police department conducted a raid. The three places they went to were the Miyako Sushi and Seafood Restaurant and panda china buffet, and a private residence. Authorities targeted three places looking for

Many people, especially those of a liberal persuasion, say that illegal alien immigration is not a real crime because it is “victimless” and that the illegal aliens are “only doing the work that Americans won’t.” In actual fact however, illegal

A member of the Louisiana Democratic Party's central committee has been arrested by federal agents who accused him of harboring aliens, his defense attorney said Wednesday. Lenny Dartez, the husband of state Rep. Carla Dartez, a Democrat representing the

Judge Robert Junell had adjourned the seven-man, five-woman jury at 11 a.m. Monday after giving up on the 38-year-old Mexican citizen from El Paso and issuing a bench warrant for the arrest of the accused coyote, a term for people who smuggle illegal immi

It seems like a no-brainer. If Americans can't agree on how to treat illegal immigrants who are otherwise law-abiding, then focus on the ones who aren't. The experience of Boulder County, Colo., Sheriff Joe Pelle shows it's not easy. When Pelle last year

Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando, Fla., advocated on behalf of undocumented students hoping to attend college and people seeking refugee status or asylum in separate appearances Sept. 19 in Washington. In a statement at the National Press Club, Bishop W

American citizens are overwhelmingly opposed to the granting of driver's licenses to illegal aliens, but open-borders organizations and even some state elected officials have been relentless in defying the will of the people. The 9/11 Commission found tha

Two days ago, I received a phone call from an MSNBC producer who asked if I could appear on his program to discuss the outrageous decision by several boards of education to teach the Mexican curriculum to students in their schools. Needless to say, I was

Time is running out for employers of illegal aliens in Arizona. A new state law takes effect next year that will harshly punish companies that hire illegal workers...one of Arizona's toughest sheriffs will help enforce this measure. Outrage tonight over a

MANCHESTER, Conn. -- The managing editor of the Journal Inquirer newspaper is asking the state Freedom of Information Commission to order New Haven officials to disclose the names of applicants for controversial municipal identification cards. The ID card

The driver involved in an overnight chase is accused of smuggling illegal immigrants. DPS troopers say they tried to pull over a grey Ford F-150 just north of San Manuel. They tell us the driver, Gonzalo Villarreal, refused to stop and led police on a hig

A man accused of murder in Mexico was turned over to the Mexican government Monday at the Stanton Street bridge in El Paso, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said. Carlos Mendoza Garcia, also known as Joel Portillo Roacho, 35, was the second m

State Republicans introduced legislation Tuesday restricting local governments from offering sanctuary to illegal immigrants throughout Wisconsin.

(a) Improper time or place; avoidance of examination or inspection; misrepresentation and concealment of facts Any alien who (1) enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or (2) el

Days after unveiling a major crackdown on businesses that hire illegal immigrants, the Bush administration is now quietly admitting that its most heavily touted weapon in pursuing employers will be virtually useless.

Border Patrol agents dont have the responsibility of apprehending illegal immigrants, Carlos X. Carrillo, chief patrol agent for the Laredo sector, said at a town hall meeting Wednesday."The Border Patrol is not equipped to stop illegal immigrants," Carri

GOP lawmakers moved to send the 2008 agriculture spending bill back to the House Appropriations Committee for members to add an explicit prohibition on illegal immigrants receiving food stamps. With so much on their plate, Democratic leaders were in no mo

Elderly ladies search border area for barrier promised by Congress