-- 70 people were arrested in Massachusetts this week by the US Immigration and Customs service, who claim they were targeting gang members. The suspects, who hail overwhelmingly from Latin American nations (with Vietnam, Cambodia, Portugal, and Jamaica thrown in for good measure) were picked up during raids in cities and towns throughout the state. 52 of those arrested are suspected of having ties to gangs. [Globe] -- Dane Boesse, 54, of Brockton, stands accused......

Aleksandar Hemon The Lazarus Project Tonight, 7pm, Porter Square Books Aleksandar Hemon’s a genius. Or at least the MacArthur Foundation thinks so. Hemon won one of the organization’s famed “genius grants” in 2004 to fund research for his latest book, The Lazarus Project, an exploration of immigrant identity. Given that it was grant-powered itself, the book creates an odd sort of meta-reality in that it’s about a writer creating a book (about immigration and identity,......

Lowell Film Festival April 4-5 Various locations in Lowell Free; RSVP to getinthefilm@lowellfilms.org Lowell's not necessarily the epicenter of film, but it's getting into the swing of things next weekend (April 4-5) with its first film festival. Focusing on globalization and immigration, the festival reflects how Lowell is growing and changing as rapidly now as it did in the city's 19th century heyday. The festival opens Friday, April 4 with headliner film Sacco & Vanzetti,......

Update: Bostonist contacted the American University International Human Rights Law Clinic to see how people can help. They have contacted Senators Kennedy and Kerry, and you can let our senators know how you feel as well. Contact info, as well as information on what else the law clinic is doing to help Enwonwu after the jump! A Nigerian man who served as an informant for the United States' war on drugs might be deported to......

During a dustup over illegal immigration at the CNN/YouTube Republican debate, Rudy Giuliani said of former Massachusetts governor and presidential aspirant Mitt Romney: "There was even a sanctuary mansion. At his own home, illegal immigrants were being employed." Turns out he wasn't just being bitchy. He was right. Not only did Romney employ illegal immigrants in the past, but the Globe broke the news that he employed them right up to this day. The......

Former Massachusetts governor and presidential aspirant Mitt Romney attended the Republican CNN/YouTube debate last night, even though he admitted he was concerned about taking questions from a snowman complaining about global warming. CNN teased him a little bit in the beginning by showing a brief highlight reel with the snowman, but then they disappointed by saying that only "serious" questions would appear. And then CNN showed questions from a dude performing a singsongy tune on......

--Preliminaries: Wednesday, October 10, Comedy Connection, Faneuil Hall, 7:00 and 9:00 pm --Semi-Finals: Thursday, October 11, Nick's Comedy Stop (Upstairs), 8:30 pm --Semi-Finals: Friday, October 12, Nick's Comedy Stop (Upstairs), 8:30 pm --Finals: Saturday, October 13, Cutler Majestic, 8:15 pm Here's last night's winners, and find out who Bostonist thinks got robbed after the jump. Preliminary Round Five The Winners: Paul D'Angelo and David Powell In the fifth round, the brainiacs represented. D'Angelo, a former......

--Not every day is a crimefighting day, at least not in Methuen last week. A sergeant for the Methuen PD was on duty - while watching the Patriots play a preseason game on TV. One could argue that it was fine if nothing was happening, but other officers joined him, and only two officers were left on duty. They must have been rookies. The scene could have come right out of Super Troopers - the......

With unseasonable weather descending upon much of North America, schools getting ready to reconvene, and sports seasons getting exciting, it's a busy time of year for us here in the Ist-A-Verse. Luckily, even with all the things we have to do, we still managed to get together to let you know what we've all been up to. After cooling down from a hot weekend of many badass Sunset Junction Street Fair photo dispatches, LAist asked......

Chicagoist is gearing up for this weekend's annual Air & Water Show along the lakefront. In what's becoming an annual tradition around there, staff member Todd McClamroch even got to fly with one of the participants. Chicagoist's decidedly opinionated readership was also appalled that one of their staffers found a popular local brewpub to be a great place to bring a kid. They also think that an unlikely activist for immigration rights should just take......

The Armenian Memorial, a proposed park, would pay homage to the Armenian Genocide that saw the loss of an estimated 1.5 million lives in 1915. The memorial has been on and off in the news mostly for their intention to develop a parcel of the Greenway near Christopher Columbus park as the site of the memorial. Tom Menino has voiced his opinion: no way. He doesn't want the Greenway to become home to a number......

UPDATE: From the AP: "US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Thursday his agency will seek to "terminate" the deportation case against the wife of a Massachusetts soldier missing in Iraq so she can stay in the country and apply for permanent resident status." Unless we're mistaken, that sounds like Yaderlin Jimenez will be able to get her green card. Yesterday, word spread all over the Web that Yaderlin Jimenez, wife of missing......

The US government is considering deporting the wife of Alex Jimenez, the soldier from Lawrence who has been missing in Iraq since May 12. Jimenez is a citizen of the United States. His wife, Yaderlin, is not. She came here illegally from the Dominican Republic, and they married. She was in the process of getting a green card, but, according to WBZ, an immigration judge stopped the process when Alex Jimenez went missing. Her lawyer......

We're wondering if Romney asks a higher power to smite his enemies. Rudy Giuliani's campaign stoked Mormon Fear by sending out a release linking the Mormon's candidacy to a weird prophecy about a Mormon riding in on a white horse. During the Republican debate, lightning struck and cut out the sound while Giuliani was speaking. The photo above shows Romney aiming a finger at Giuliani 'cuz he probably thought the Lord was pulling through.......

Former (we say that with relief!) Massachusetts governor and presidential aspirant Mitt Romney has been making quite a few enemies this week. Let's find out who is on his sh*t list now: --The entire state of Massachusetts. Romney's latest commercial never utters the word "Massachusetts," but it isn't exactly flattering to the people who elected him. The commercial claims, "In the toughest place, Mitt Romney's done the toughest things." Oh, yeah? If his argument is......

Massachusetts senior senator Ted Kennedy went after Senator Byron Dorgan during the immigration debate. But, really, that's not the story. The story is that Ted Kennedy somehow helped bring chicken pluckers into the argument. Kennedy, who supports a guest-worker program for illegal immigrants, said: "I would like the chicken pluckers to pay $10 or $15 an hour." Dorgan took the chicken-plucker bait: "Mr. President, let me stand up and say a word on behalf of......

This week the music world turns its gaze to the party they call SXSW. A number of local bands are hitting the scene in hopes that it will propel them to some worldwide tour – or at least help them get out of that "garden level" apartment in Medford. While some eyes turn south to Texas where an immigration debate runs wild the US immigration policy has taken a toll on the local concert......

--A massive immigration bust went down yesterday in New Bedford. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rounded up illegal immigrants who were working for Michael Bianco, Inc., a leather manufacturer involved with producing leather vests and backpacks for US military. You would think that, given all the talk about illegal immigration in the United States, the government might bother to check on the companies they hire to make sure they don't hire illegal immigration. But, beyond......

Austinist gets arty with an interactive guide to SXSW, loved some local art galleries and a new art exhibit and lamented the possible loss of "Friday Night Lights" production to New Mexico. Bostonist was happy they finally found an Anna Nicole Smith connection to their fair city and that an Apple Store was opening up. They were less happy that new rules have been established limiting underage shows and that their Governor is spending......

Trains are safe. That's the declaration from Michael Chertoff, head of the US Department of Homeland Security, after he took a ride on the MBTA Green Line. Perhaps malicious individuals looking to cause harm to Boston's subway system have also been thwarted by the introduction of the CharlieTicket system. If regular riders of the T, occasional patrons, and tourists are finding the new fare system a little cumbersome there maybe a built-in safety factor preventing......

LAist tracks an award-winning TV writer who worked on Good Times to a homeless shelter and sees a Little Old Lady get a jaywalking ticket because she can't get across fast enough (in the same post!). Poets invade Metro and an LAist contributor's new book asks WWJB. Gothamist gets down with the immigration rally and their readers want to be heard. The anniversary of the Mets' 1986 World Series is celebrated via a RBI Baseball......

As promised, Bostonist attended our fair city's contribution to today's so-called "national day of action" to oppose a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would make illegal immigrants' presence in this country a felony, and to support legislative efforts to grant amnesty to undocumented workers. According to the Associated Press, there were between 5,000 (the police estimate) and 8,000 (the organizers' estimate) marchers. On the ground, with no crowd-counting skills and only the......

If, like Bostonist, you're looking for something to this afternoon between quittin' time and the 9:30 showing of "Night Nurse" at the Brattle, you're in luck. As part of the ongoing and ever-more-newsworthy series of public demonstations in opposition to an immigration bill approved by the House of Represenatives, there will be a large rally in support of immigrant rights this afternoon at 4:00 on Boston Common, which will then proceed to Copley for further......

Seattlest saw a house party get senselessly attacked with a shotgun and end in seven dead. A local senator is debated and their version of the big dig is investigated. To truly get to the bottom of it they interview the writer Jonathan Raban. Bostonist has its first birthday party and investigates how to attach more gambling dollars to the Red Sox. Benjamin Franklin is celebrated and Johnny Damon is not. Image by Ethan Bagley......

The Herald reports today on a Brazilian woman arrested in Framingham who apparently agreed to work as a prostitute in order to get to the United States. Bostonist can only give props to the Herald for taking the opportunity to talk a bit about the plight of people caught up in human trafficking operations, but we noticed something interesting about the story: Nowhere did it say, or quote anyone as saying, that the woman should......

When it isn't wrangling about healthcare, the state legislature has lately been wrangling about whether or not to let illegal immigrants who attend high school in Massachusetts pay in-state tuition at U. Mass. Other people have analyzed this matter more thoroughly and interestingly than Bostonist cares to, but Adrian Walker's column in today's Globe made Bostonist notice just how weird this country's relationship with illegal immigration is: On the one hand, plenty of people are......

St. Patrick’s day is a day for everyone to celebrate Ireland, drink beer, and wear green—even if they’re not Irish. Boston College launches a new searchable database on all the "missing friends" from the Boston Pilot. They are holding an event today at 1 p.m. to announce the official launch, with a reception to follow. The missing friends ads were a bit like missed connections ads on craigslist before telephones made their true mark on......

Mara Salvatrucha aka MS 13, one of the largest gangs in North and Central America and yesterday, 103 of its members were arrested by federal immigration officials. Triggered by fears that MS 13 may ally itself with al Qaeda in smuggling people in the US, Operation Community Shield was started. Over the past three weeks the arrests were made in Washington, Virginia, Baltimore, New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Newark, N.J. A third of the......

Fenway High teacher Obain Attouoman, scheduled to be deported March 11, can now stay in the US until at least 2007. Fenway students have been fighting on behalf of Attouoman all week, including a march at City Hall. Yesterday, six students went to Washington to meet with John Kerry, and even Mitt Romney wrote a letter to the Department of Homeland Security supporting Obain. Attouoman came to the US from the Ivory Coast in......