During his first trip to the United States in April 2008, Pope Benedict XVI emphasized the importance of treating immigrants in the U.S. in dignified and humane manner, including calling on U.S. bishops to "continue to welcome the immigrants who join your ranks today, to share their joys and hopes, to support them in their sorrows and trials and to help them flourish in their new home." Without missing a beat, anti-immigrant voices, including CNN anchor Lou Dobbs and U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo (R-Littleton), took the occasion to push their rhetoric to a new level, lambasting the Pope for his comments. (April 2008)

This week, the House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing on electronic employment verification systems (EEVS) -- Washington's latest magic potion for dealing with the nation's broken immigration system. As more hearings are expected in the coming weeks in other committees, including Homeland Security and Judiciary, what questions should the American public want to hear be thoroughly asked and answered? (May 2008)

The Washington Post has written a series of articles on the medical care that immigrants are receiving while they are in detention. In addition to reports revealing a lack of basic medical care and funding for health services, the Washington Post’s webpage on the feature also has a glossary of terms, map of where detainee deaths have occurred, and video interviews with former detainees. (May 2008)