Graham Kates

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Changes to federal policies pave way for sudden visa denials, deportation

A pair of policy memos circulated recently by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services may pave the way for sudden visa denials and referrals for deportation, immigration attorneys say. The most recent memo, released last week, changes previous federal policy by allowing immigration officials to reject visa applications immediately if there is missing or inaccurate information. Prior guidance issued in 2013 required officials to serve "Requests for Evidence" to fix any gaps in paperwork unless

Shelter for unaccompanied children posts job for person with background in military policing

A job ad recently posted for a security monitor at a Houston shelter for unaccompanied migrant children stands out for the background the nonprofit is seeking: "Preferably a Marine or Army with Military Police experience," the listing reads. The position is among seven new openings for jobs ranging from teacher to seasonal youth care worker at a Houston shelter operated by Southwest Key. The shelter is licensed to hold up to 54 children between the ages of 10 and 17. "THIS IS NOT A POLICE JOB,
CBS News •

Officials said "tent city" was temporary months after getting approval to keep it open through year’s end

Throughout the summer, federal officials repeatedly indicated there were no long-term plans to continue operation of a temporary "tent city" for unaccompanied migrant children. The facility opened on June 14, and officials said they expected it to close on July 13. Two month-long extensions followed, and now the plan is for it to be open through December. But CBS News has learned that the department was making longer-term plans for the shelter before it even opened. In a letter written on June

CBS Corp. subpoenas PR firm's contacts with journalists in ongoing legal dispute

Lawyers for CBS Corporation have issued a subpoena to a public relations firm, demanding its communications with journalists related to an ongoing legal battle between CBS and its largest shareholder, National Amusements Inc. National Amusements, a company run by 95-year-old billionaire media magnate Sumner Redstone, and his daughter Shari, is the controlling shareholder of both CBS and Viacom. The Redstones have sought to merge CBS and Viacom. CBS is fighting the proposed merger. The CBS subp

Migrants describe frigid, hungry days in "ice boxes" and "dog pounds"

In exhibits filed in federal court this month, more than 200 migrants detained at the Mexican border this year describe "hieleras" and "perreras" -- Spanish for "ice boxes" and "dog pounds" -- nicknames for the facilities where they were initially taken after being apprehended by federal authorities. Their testimonies speak of food "not fit for consumption," overcrowding and abuse. The statements, which were given to attorneys who interviewed detained migrants and inspected detention sites in

Some detention centers for migrant children not subject to state inspections

A loophole in federal policy allows the "Tent City" at the Tornillo Port of Entry in Texas and a massive shelter in Homestead, Florida to escape the rigorous, often unannounced child welfare inspections that nearly all other similar shelters are subjected to. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) operates more than 100 shelters for unaccompanied migrant children across 17 states. All but two  — Tornillo and Homestead, housing more than 1,350 children combined — must comply with
CBS News •

5 years after Sandy Hook, crucial review of police response remains unreleased

In the five years since 20 students and six educators were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the Connecticut State Police have been unable to complete a report that law enforcement across the country look for when preparing for future incidents of extreme violence. These inward-looking investigations, known as after-action reports, examine the police response to individual mass shootings, acts of terror, or other major incidents of violence.
CBS News •

"Unusual" accounting: Inside a Trump business audit

NEW YORK -- In a three-sentence letter on April 22, 1987, Donald Trump signed off on a series of accounting changes that allowed his first hotel to shortchange New York City nearly $3 million in rent, city auditors later concluded. A decade before, Trump struck a unique deal freeing the hotel of $160 million in property taxes over the course of 40 years, while guaranteeing the city a small financial stake in its success: New York City received annual rent payments tied to the Grand Hyatt’s prof
CBS News •

Donation to Cy Vance Jr. during sex assault case raises "yet another alarm bell"

NEW YORK CITY — A small donation of $250 to the campaign of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. highlights nagging questions about how his office vets contributions for potential conflicts of interest. The donation came from a defense attorney on the day a consequential motion was filed in a disturbing sexual assault case, which ended with a plea deal. Revelations that Vance's office declined to charge Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein after an NYPD sex assault investigation have ramped
CBS News •

Defense Dept. decision gives China chance for foothold between U.S. and Europe

Praia da Vitória, Terceira, the Azores — João Meneses stares out the front passenger-side window as we speed past countless rows of nearly identical beige houses with orange, clay tile roofs, a picturesque suburban-style development overlooking the eastern coast of this small island. "They had everything here, and now it's completely abandoned. You see all the tall grass?" Meneses says. "Everything's empty, there's not a single person living here."
CBS News •

"Collusion network" Facebook flaw leads to millions of fake "likes"

Researchers say a security loophole has allowed at least a million Facebook accounts, both real and fake, to generate at least 100 million "likes" and comments as part of "a thriving ecosystem of large-scale reputation manipulation." The researchers, from the University of Iowa and Lahore University of Management Science in Pakistan, found dozens of sites that operate so-called collusion networks, which rapidly generate users' likes for free.
CBS News •

Trump campaign changes web privacy policy after questions from CBS News

For roughly half a day Tuesday, anyone who visited President Donald Trump's newly-redesigned campaign website was tacitly agreeing to allow the campaign, its site and associated apps to collect their location information based on their proximity to "beacons," according to a privacy policy that was quickly altered after CBS News made inquiries. On Tuesday morning, the Trump campaign sent out a press release, proclaiming "Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., launches dynamic new website to provid
CBS News •

Facebook will research you at the request of marketers

Companies looking to get an edge in their use of advertising on Facebook can ask the social network to conduct research and compile reports about its users' online activities, Facebook acknowledged Monday in an email to CBS News. But Facebook noted that it considers some key questions in deciding whether to agree to such requests. "Before moving forward with research, some of the questions our teams use to evaluate are: Will the analysis improve the community or people's experience on Facebook
CBS News •

Kremlin critic: Assassinated ex-lawmaker knew "misdeeds of Russian elites"

Hours after exiled Russian lawmaker Denis Voronenkov was shot dead Thursday outside an upscale hotel in Kiev, the man he was en route to meet said Voronenkov knew about illegal smuggling and money laundering operations run by members of Russia’s ruling class. Voronenkov, 45, was gunned down on a busy street in a daylight shoutout that police say left his killer dead and his bodyguard wounded. Voronenkov, a former member of Russia’s State Duma who renounced his Russian citizenship after fleeing
CBS News •

Cayman Islands vote could pull back veil of secrecy for businesses

The Cayman Islands, one of the world’s best-known tax havens, may soon give international authorities better access to information about companies that have long been shrouded in secrecy. Lawmakers in the Cayman Islands are expected to vote in the next week on a trio of bills that would pave the way for law enforcement, especially in the United Kingdom, to rapidly learn more about some of the nearly 100,000 companies registered in the tiny island territory.
CBS News •

Prison officials visited CIA "dungeon," but kept no record of the trip

NEW YORK — The Bureau of Prisons has acknowledged for the first time that two of its officials traveled 14 years ago to a secret CIA detention site in Afghanistan, where they provided training to staff at a facility once described by an intelligence official as “the closest thing he has seen to a dungeon.” The admission came Thursday in response to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU, which sued in April after the Bureau of Prisons denied having any record of involvement with the detention site. The B
CBS News •

Reporter's notebook: Trump and Giuliani, a New York story

NEW YORK — Long before former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani joined Donald Trump’s team, spending his days as a surrogate for the real estate developer’s presidential campaign, he was a U.S. attorney who successfully prosecuted one of the biggest corruption cases in New York City history. Among those convicted in the case was a partner in a law firm long associated with Trump. It’s an episode from New York’s past that highlights an unusual aspect of this campaign season: the deep connecti
CBS News •

Lawsuit: Juvenile detention staffer watched as Ky. girl took "last gasps"

NEW YORK — As Gynnya McMillen coughed and gasped for air, shaking in a seizure while taking her final breaths, a Kentucky juvenile detention youth worker stood outside her isolation cell watching, according to a federal lawsuit filed by the 16-year-old’s estate. Reginald Windham allegedly told internal state investigators that he walked over to McMillen’s door at 11:39 p.m. on Jan. 11, after he heard coughing. Investigators wrote that he wanted “to check on her to make sure she had not thrown u
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