U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Every day, about 32,000 illegal immigrant detainees -- including women and children -- are kept in conditions criticized by the American Civil Liberties Union as overcrowded, inhumane and unsafe.

Now, the Department of Homeland Security is reforming its illegal immigrant detention policies for nonviolent detainees awaiting their day in court -- such as those who just arrived, seeking asylum from their home countries' conflicts and persecution. 

In addition to centralizing its scattered, fractured oversight, the U.S.

Washington farmers are taking part in training sessions to help prepare themselves for potential immigration investigations. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement began serving inspection notices across the country in July, including 26 in the Pacific Northwest, with plans to audit farmers' I-9 forms, which verify an employee’s eligibility to work in the country. While assisting farmers in correctly filing and retaining the forms, the training will also prepare them in the event that they are selected for investigation, writes Manuel Valdes of The Columbian. Two training sessions by the Washington State Farm Bureau have already been conducted in Western Washington and the next, scheduled in Wenatchee, is already sold out.