Free Republic

With the state strapped for cash, a crew of about 20 private foundations has pumped $9 million into outreach efforts designed to help the Bay Area and all of California get counted properly in the 2010 U.S. Census. The charities say they have awarded grants to more than 125 community organizations that have intimate connections to people the U.S. Census Bureau had difficulty counting in the past. The list of hard-to-reach residents includes immigrants who do not speak English, college students, people who live in crowded or inaccessible housing, people who move frequently and those who might be wary of...

The Obama administration quietly announced last week that it would overturn one of the harsh immigration enforcement measures enacted by the Bush administration following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Beginning next month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said, those who arrive in the United States fleeing torture or persecution abroad will no longer automatically be welcomed with handcuffs and months in a jail cell. Instead, many of those seeking protection will again be permitted to live freely in the country while their applications for permanent asylum are considered by an immigration judge. The measure is the latest in a string...