Big news for Port Chester today. The village now has an official solution to fix its voting rights violation —  and replace an election system  that discriminated against Hispanics.

U.S. District Judge Stephen C. Robinson this morning allowed Port Chester to go ahead with its chosen remedy, a system called cumulative voting. Speaking from the bench [...]

Anti-Latino hate crimes are prompting action around the New York area, including an  awareness campaign starting up in Rockland County. On Saturday, a vigil will mark the one-year anniversary of the stabbing death of Marcelo Lucero on Long Island. Today, one of seven teen-agers accused in the attack pleaded guilty.

Lucero’s family is collecting [...]

The two candidates for Putnam County sheriff spoke to the Journal News editorial board today, and spent time debating which of them would work more closely with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Neither one believes that the much publicized 287(g) training — provided by ICE to local officers — is the answer. But both made [...]

I just spotted a Twitter from journalist Pilar Marrero on a commercially sold “illegal alien” costume, available at Target and other outlets. This one includes an orange jumpsuit and a space-alien mask, and a green card. I guess the joke is open to interpretation, but given the serious problems in the immigrant detention system, I [...]

CNN is following up on Hispanic Heritage Month with a “Latino in America” series Oct. 21-22, and some advocacy groups are responding with a pointed message: You can’t have it both ways — You can’t expect us to tune in and still allow Lou Dobbs to spread falsehoods about Latino immigrants on prime time.

America’s Voice [...]

Rep. Luis Gutierrez is scheduled to outline his forthcoming immigration-reform bill tomorrow as part of a rally and vigil tomorrow in D.C.  The Illinois Democrat will be joined by New York Dems including Reps. Nydia Velazquez, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair, and Yvette Clarke, according to the National Immigration Forum.

Locally, pro-reform advocates are holding a vigil [...]

The 21-year-old man convicted of a 2007 cross-burning in Cortlandt is in jail again on probation violations. Rebecca Baker and Brian Howard have a story in today’s Journal News. Westchester prosecutors say the FBI and Secret Service considered him a security threat during President Obama’s stay in Manhattan after linking him to online hate speech.

Click [...]

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced changes to the detention system today. The department is still talking about alternatives to the growing use of detention centers, now in a bit more detail. DHS  is promising that Immigration and Customs Enforcement will pay closer attention to detainees’ health, circumstances and treatment. Among the steps:

• Having ICE [...]

There’s a long, long history of debate over what to do about day laborers congregating along Brewster’s Main Street. The current mayor says he’d be in favor of designating a specific hiring site somewhere in the village (as Mount Kisco, Ossining, Port Chester and other communities have done), but he opposes the use of taxpayer [...]

Journal News reporters Shawn Cohen and Jonathan Bandler have been chasing the story about the Libyan leader’s search for accommodations in the NYC area — specifically, on Donald Trump’s estate in Bedford. The latest: Bedford is issuing a stop-work order on construction of a Bedouin-style tent at the estate. Officials said they should have had [...]