By Miriam Raftery

May 9, 2013 (San Diego's East County) -- For the first time, the United States government will offer legal counsel to immigrant detainees with mental disabilities facing deportation hearings. This is the first expansion of the right to counsel in 30 years – the result of an ACLU lawsuit. Before to last week's federal court ruling, these individuals were not guaranteed legal representation  even though they clearly demonstrated tremendous difficulty in representing themselves in the complicated legal proceedings against them.

José Gonzalezis a 33-year-old man who doesn't know his own age and, in many aspects of his life, has the cognitive ability of a two-year-old. Both his parents are lawful permanent residents of the United States, and José had a pending petition for residency. Until last week's historic ruling, the government expected José to represent himself in a deportation hearing – after holding him for five years in a detention facility.

December 26, 2012 -- (San Diego’s East County) – ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• Business groups grow frustrated over impasse in ‘fiscal cliff’ talks (The Hill)
• Immigrants Welcomed: A City Sees Economic Promise (NPR)
• Nearing fiscal cliff, wind industry waits (North County NPR)
• American wind industry proposes to phase out tax credits (Hydrogen News)
• End the Wind Production Tax Credit (U.S. News and World Reports)
• NRA defends call for armed guards at schools (Reuters)
• Audits looking for undocumented immigrants on the rise (Christian Science Monitor)
• Few tests done at toxic sites after superstorm (U-T San Diego)

WORLD

• North Korea could have U.S. within missile range, says South (Reuters)
• Mayan temple damaged in tourists’ ‘apocalypse’ frenzy (Raw Story)
• India rape protests; reporter shot dead (Sky News)
• AP Exclusive: Palestinians aim to isolate Israel  (U-T San Diego)
• UN confirms Hezbollah fighting for Assad in Syria (Jerusalem Post)
• Thousands of Islamists clash with opponents in Egypt (Christian Science Monitor)
• Risk For Pakistan's Polio Workers Escalates (NPR)

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.

• Supreme Court weighs all or nothing on healthcare law (Reuters)
• Jobs bill clears Congress despite warnings (Los Angeles Times)
• Trayvon Martin: confronting the problem of enduring racism (Forbes)
• A job at what cost? When employers log in to dig in (NPR)
• Gingrich scales back his presidential bid (USA Today)
• Cooking school spreads immigrant skills and ethnic recipes (NPR)

• Very high radiation, little water in remaining Japanese reactor (UT San Diego)
• Japan left with one nuclear reactor after shutdown (BBC)
• Syrian authorizes are targeting children, says UN rights chief (BBC)

By Dilkhwaz Ahmed
 

February 16, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) -- It was about 10:00 p.m. when my telephone rang. I wondered who could it be? I picked up the phone and found myself speaking to a police officer in East County. He asked me for help in translating for a Middle Eastern woman who was a victim of domestic violence. He told me that I was the only one who could be trusted to assist in a situation such as this since I was the director of an agency providing domestic violence education and services to refugees and immigrants in San Diego County. I quickly responded to his request for assistance.
 

Since it was the end of the day, I was very tired and overwhelmed having dealt with several domestic violence situations. When I arrived at the victim’s house, I felt very comfortable to be there, but horrified at what I saw.

February 1, 2011 (El Cajon) -- The El Cajon Police Department is hosting a community forum for the City of El Cajon’s Middle Eastern population. The event was organized for people who recently immigrated to the U.S. to help familiarize these new members of the community with local laws and services available to them in the city.

The forum will be held this evening, February 1st, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Ronald Reagan Community Center in El Cajon at 195 E. Douglas in El Cajon.

IRAQI IMMIGRANTS WAITING HOURS FOR SERVICES FORCED TO GO HOME EMPTY-HANDED

February 12, 2010 (El Cajon) –Iraqi immigrants began lining up at 5 a.m. today to recertify documentation and quality for social service benefits at the Chaldean-Middle Eastern Services Office at 343 Main Street in El Cajon. But shortly after 9 a.m., Heartland Fire & Rescue crews responded to a medical aid call. They found a crowd estimated at 500 to 1,000 people congregating in and around the second floor office.

February 2, 2010 (San Diego) – A statewide report on immigrants released this week reveals that 23% of residents in San Diego County are immigrants—and nearly half (45%) of those immigrants are citizens. Of all children in the region, 43% have at least one immigrant parent. These and other intriguing findings are based on data collected in the 2005-2007 American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau.