[su_label]Bay Area[/su_label]
Board unanimously affirms sanctuary city status
In keeping with San Francisco’s sanctuary city tradition, on Oct. 20 the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in support of a resolution instructing the sheriff not to participate in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detainer-notification program, which was designed to notify ICE when a “party of interest” is being released. The program, which is part of the Dianne Feinstein-backed Priority Enforcement Program (PEP), had been criticized as unlawful for allowing law enforcement to hold detainees beyond their release dates without actually having probable cause.
[su_label]National[/su_label]
Former House speaker to plead guilty
Former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert is expected to enter a plea bargain Oct. 28, for lying to the FBI about a series of bank withdrawals, which were allegedly funneled to a person identified only as “Individual A” in exchange for keeping quiet about past sexual misconduct. Court documents allege that the former speaker had been paying a sum of $3.5 million using structured bank transactions to avoid drawing attention to himself, but he denied doing so when questioned by the FBI. Law enforcement sources say that Individual A was a student at Yorkville High School in Illinois, where Hastert worked as a wrestling coach in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
New resource guide for undocumented students released
The U.S. Department of Education released a student resource guide on Oct. 20, which it developed to aid educators in better supporting undocumented students. The guide includes among other things: key information about federal financial aid, a list of private scholarships which might be available, and guidance in accessing education records for DACA. “Our nation’s public schools should be welcoming, safe, and supportive places where all students, regardless of … where they were born, are given the opportunity to succeed,” said department official John King. The guide can be downloaded for free from the Department of Education website, www2.ed.gov.