  DAY SEVENTEEN at PIRC It's been a while, folks. I'll update you bullet-style: o I turned 25 on 06.17.04 -- a quarter century. For my birthday, I was treated to a weekend in Baltimore. Saw the Orioles v. SF Giants at Camden Yards (SF won & and Bonds hit his first CY homer). That night, we took a water taxi ride across the harbor to Fell's Point point for dinner. The view of the city lights and shimmering water was stunning, and the "brown sugar" breeze was sweet (Domino's is nearby).
The meal was fabulous. Bertha's is such a fine establishment. Yours truly can eat mussels like a machine! o I decided not to compete in the VLS writing competition. I completed 7 pages of the casenote and realized that I, unlike many others, have no desire to footnote, citecheck and bluebook my way to first-year associate stardom (i.e. fat paycheck).
Also, I don't think I can be on a jounal and manage my time well enough to stay sane. The VLS/ILS Quarterly Newsletter could be a forum in which I could write, plus I must nearly devote my *life* to PIFP board activities and the auction. And I'm actually delighted about that. o Work at PIRC is wild. The last time we spoke, I mentioned 65 NTAs that I had to process. Well, that was the result of "Operation Removal," a government sting that ws executed on or about 05.25.04 throughout all 5 bouroghs of NYC.
Turns out that NYC parole officers and the DHS conspired (legally, yet disgustingly) to round-up any undocumented immigrant that is or was on parole for a crime that amounts to an "aggrivated felony" or a "crime of moral turpitute. " So, if "Jose" -- born in Santo Domingo, DR, but lives in the U.S. with a green card -- was arrested 15 years ago for selling coke, did his time, reformed, got a college degree, got married, and had two kids (citizens)--he was called in by his old Parole officer on 5/25 just "to chat" or "to catch up. " When Jose arrives in his old P.O. 's office, DHS agents pounce. Jose must go to immigration court; he is likely his way back to D.R., without the option of returning to see his children for 10 to 20 years. Yeah.
Thank your lucky stars if you are U.S. citizen. The Constitution actually applies to *you*. o Never told you about the 16 year old girl from China. She looks 12 and is cute as a button. And check this out: because a DHS dental enamel exam suggested that she was over 18, she was detained at an adult prison. Not right.
These dental exams are bogus and the American Dental Association has said so in a public statement. Anyway, shortly after she recieved her final order of removal (FOR) and was paroled out of YCP, Nevhitz, S.M. and I took her to Target, the Galleria Mall, and to dinner at Subway. She was so grateful. Before we dropped her off at the Friendship House (local shelter for former detainees) we gave her snacks, summer clothes, and a cute pink hat. At present, we're trying to get her Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.
Stay Tuned. 
