Ted Robbins

Bill Would Put Immigration Verification System To The Test

Ted Robbins — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:35:00 +0000

Some employers around the nation have been using E-Verify to check the immigration status of employees for years. Operated by the Department of Homeland Security, the online system is designed to make it harder to hire unauthorized workers — and harder for those workers to find jobs.

While participation in the program has been voluntary since 1996, the immigration bill now in the Senate would make E-Verify mandatory.

In Arizona, the Tucson-based social services organization PPEP employs more than 500 workers.

U.S. Aims To Track Foreigners Who Arrive, But Never Leave

Ted Robbins — Wed, 01 May 2013 21:23:00 +0000

Nearly half the people now in the U.S. illegally didn't climb walls, wade across the Rio Grande or trek through the desert to get here. They arrived legally, with tourist or student visas. And when those visas expired, they just never left.

Like the rest of the 11 million undocumented people in the United States, they are part of the underground economy and the government doesn't know where they are.

'Hat Guys' Meet In Vegas To Gamble On NCAA Tourney

Ted Robbins — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:47:00 +0000

Thousands of people were expected in Las Vegas for the first weekend of NCAA men's college basketball tournament. It's one of the most lucrative weekends in Las Vegas. Casino officials say it draws more people than the Super Bowl.

With Budget Cuts For Ports, Produce May Perish

Ted Robbins — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 08:02:00 +0000

Budget-cutting from the government sequester that began March 1 could affect U.S. exports and imports, including what we eat.

Customs and Border Protection officers regulate trade at the nation's 329 ports of entry, in harbors, airports and on land.

One by one, drivers approach booths with Customs and Border Protection officers at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, Ariz. More winter produce enters here than at any other place in the U.S.

U.S. Readies For Play In World Baseball Classic

Ted Robbins — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:18:00 +0000

With baseball gone from the Olympics, the World Baseball Classic is the only international professional baseball tournament. Former Yankees and Dodgers manager Joe Torre said he put on a uniform again to manage the U.S. team because it's a privilege.

Sequester Cuts Free Some Immigration Detainees

Ted Robbins — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:13:00 +0000

Transcript

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency has released hundreds of immigration detainees ahead of Friday's sequester deadline. The decision was made to help bring down the agency's budget, in light of the automatic spending cuts. ICE officials are getting both praise and a lot of heat for the unusual move. NPR's Ted Robbins has the story.

TED ROBBINS, BYLINE: ICE has released people from some of the nation's 250 immigration detention centers. Immigrant rights advocates have qualified praise for what the release means to families.

The 'Line' For Legal Immigration Is Already About 4 Million People Long

Ted Robbins — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 22:51:00 +0000

In the back and forth between Congress and the White House over immigration, both sides seem to agree that people now in the U.S. illegally should wait at "the back of the line" for legal residency — meaning no green card until all other immigrants get theirs.

But that presents a problem, because the wait for a green card can take decades.

Maria has been waiting in line with her husband for 16 years and counting for what the government calls a priority date for legal residency. Because she is in the U.S.

Creator Of Lakers' Dynasties, Owner Jerry Buss Dies

Ted Robbins — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:51:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Jerry Buss died yesterday at the age of 80, a very important guy to sports fans here in Southern California. He transformed the Los Angeles Lakers from a good pro basketball team into a great one. During the 34 years Jerry Buss owned them, the Lakers won more games than any other NBA team and took 10 league titles.

Longtime Lakers Owner Jerry Buss Dies At 80

Ted Robbins — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 21:39:00 +0000

The man who brought Showtime to Los Angeles has died. Under Lakers owner Jerry Buss, the team won 10 NBA championships. His players loved him, and his business smarts helped market the team in ways the league had never seen before. Buss had been hospitalized recently and was undergoing treatment for cancer. He was 80 years old.

In Arizona, Some Retirees Caught In Never-Ending Battle With Invasive Species

Ted Robbins — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 22:23:00 +0000

Rather than rest in retirement, a group of volunteers is restoring land in Arizona's Ironwood Forest National Monument to its natural habitat. Their main goal is to eliminate invasive buffelgrass, which is taking over and causing a fire hazard. It's no small task — they've removed it from the same place 40 times.