Today, we'll take a look at the busiest immigration court in Los Angeles that has been handling the thousands of cases of unaccompanied minors from Central America. Plus, will the cost of the damage in wine country be transferred to the consumer? Then, thousands of children in the foster care system are given psychiatric drugs without oversight, drought in Central America and more.
Immigration news: Inside LA's courts, overwhelmed by child migrant cases
On a recent afternoon at the L.A. immigration courts, 10 children sat on wooden benches facing Judge Ashley Tabaddor. It was their first hearing and, though some came with a parent or guardian, none had an attorney. The youngest, a five-year-old girl, swung her head from the interpreter back to the judge, listening for instructions.
“Sí, sí,” the girl answered softly when asked if her name was read correctly. “Yes.”
The children were just the newest of more than 46,000 cases the L.A. courts are currently dealing with. L.A. has the largest share of pending immigration cases, making it the busiest jurisdiction in the country.
Related: Understaffed immigration judges face rise of migrant cases
“L.A. courts in particular face an enormous number of cases, disproportionately so,” said Emily Ryo, professor of law at the University of Southern California.
Justice overwhelmed
Other federal judges hear about 500-600 cases a year, said Ryo. Immigration judges in L.A. hear three times as many, or up to 1,600 on average.
“That’s a huge disparity and you can imagine the sheer amount of work that goes into handling the number,” said Ryo.
That has led to an historic backlog of cases in the immigration court system nationwide. There are about 375,000 pending cases as of June this year, the highest it’s ever been, according to government enforcement data obtained by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University.
It’s also put a tremendous strain on judges.
“The stakes are enormous,” said Bruce Einhorn, a former federal immigration judge who served on the L.A. courts until 2007.
Einhorn said some of his toughest decisions were in asylum cases, which is what many of the unaccompanied children from Central America are expected to file.
“If we make a mistake, we may never see the person again and that person may be destroyed, killed," said Einhorn. "If we make a mistake and grant asylum to the wrong person, that person may be a liar and worse. So making these decisions is no small matter. It should be gut-wrenching. We should take each case seriously."
But it’s getting harder to do that. As the backlog grows, the time to bring a case to resolution is also getting longer. A typical case in L.A. takes about 820 days to finish, or almost 2.5 years, according to TRAC data. Nationally, the average is about 590 days.
"There has to be some finality to these cases," said Patricia Corrales, a former government prosecutor with the Department of Homeland Security. "Good or bad, right or wrong, however you feel about these cases, there has to be finality."
All parties — the person facing deportation, the immigration attorney and the government — are frustrated by the delay, she said.
Without parents and without representation
Legal advocates have also criticized the lack of representation for children in the courts. Of the 7,729 juvenile cases currently in the L.A. courts, just under half, or 3,516, face proceedings without a lawyer, according to TRAC data. (Unlike criminal cases, immigration courts are considered administrative hearings and attorneys are encouraged, but not guaranteed.) In July, advocates filed a lawsuit to force the government to provide legal representation for children in deportation hearings.
The federal government has taken steps to address some of the problems.
The agency that oversees the immigration courts, the Executive Office for Immigration Review, is currently reviewing applications for up to 15 temporary immigration judges, according to Kathryn Mattingly, from the EOIR’s Office of Legislative and Public Affairs. It’s also currently in the hiring process for 32 additional immigration judges and has requested funds for more, according to Mattingly. The agency has also speeded up the cases of children in special “priority dockets” in several cities, including Los Angeles.
Broader reform may depend on congressional action. Lawmakers left for their August recess without coming to an agreement on President Obama's $3.7 billion request for funds to respond to the surge of child migrants.
Though the rise of child migrants has drawn attention to the immigration courts, the problems have been around for years, experts say. Still, what happens in L.A. could have a ripple effect.
"The immigration court here serves an example for what’s about to come," said law professor Emily Ryo of USC. "The kind of process we set in place here and the kind of reform we put in place -- the effect will have amplified consequences.”
Related: US to change how it handles 'voluntary departure' immigrant cases in California
This story is part of a series looking into the immigration court system in Los Angeles, the busiest in the country. Burdened by a massive backlog of cases and long wait times, the courts play a key role in deciding the fate of thousands of immigrants.
Processed through immigration courts, some Central American children return home
Many of the children processed through U.S. immigration courts will end up back in their country of origin in Central America. In fact, three flights of women and children coming from the United States have already landed in El Salvador.
That's where Jude Joffe Block has just been. She's a reporter with the Fronteras Desk at KJZZ in Phoenix and she's just returned from the Central American country.
Before heading back to the U.S., Block joined a crowd at the airport in El Salvador, where they awaited the arrival of family members returning home after being detained in the U.S. She spoke to one woman there returning with her four-year-old son from a facility in Artesia, New Mexico. The woman said there was a lot of sickness in the Artesia facility, and that her son had a fever for eight days before she volunteered their departure.
Amid rumors of poor conditions at the Artesia facility, a coalition of advocacy groups has filed a lawsuit, claiming mothers and their children detained there are being denied due process, even though many "have valid asylum claims." Block says they call Artesia a "deportation mill."
Orland bus crash: Several survivors to attend Humboldt State University
Last Spring, five young people were killed in a fiery crash when a FedEx delivery truck collided with a bus carrying prospective students to Humboldt State University in Northern California.
The survivors had to decide whether to return to Humboldt State, but this time as freshmen. Southern California Public Radio's Ashley Bailey spoke with some of them as the new school year began this week.
You can read her full story here.
Guatemala declares a state of emergency as severe drought threatens Central America
Central America is in the throes of one of its worst droughts in decades. And the agricultural losses the region is suffering has hundreds of thousands of subsistence farmers at risk of hunger.
Now, Guatemala has declared a state of emergency.
According to the Associated Press, about 170,000 families there have already lost almost all of their crops. And though the declaration will allow the government and international agencies to step in with some relief, some experts worry that if rain doesn't come soon, hunger may drive more Guatemalan families to migrate.
Tim Rogers is an editor at Fusion television, which is part of Univision. He's covered the region for years and he says that the Guatemalan people — and their neighbors — are always threatened by mother nature; but with the reality of climate change and the prospect of famine on the horizon, some with family in the United States may consider heading north.
Napa Valley shop holds 'earthquake survivor' wine sale
Officials in Napa Valley are still tallying the economic damage to the $13 billion wine industry after Sunday's earthquake. Vintners in the region have been using forklifts to re-stack toppled barrels in warehouses throughout the valley, but it's not just winemakers who are affected. Wine purveyors also took a big hit.
Scott Lewis, owner of V Wine Cellar in Yountville, California, says the earthquake damaged or destroyed about 35 percent of their wine. He came in to the store on Sunday and found a lake of wine on the floor. "It was quite a surprise to see your livelihood on the floor. I wish I had more straws," he said. While he's still assessing the costs of the damage, the shop is now offering discounts on "earthquake survivor" wines with damaged labels and foils.
Could the Napa earthquake make wines more expensive?
Business is now getting back to normal in Napa Valley after the magnitude 6.0 earthquake this weekend. Wineries and wine shops are still assessing the damage and the costs, raising the question: Could those costs be passed on to consumers in the form of higher wine prices?
W. Blake Gray, California editor of the online wine magazine Wine Searcher, says that while the earthquake was a catastrophe for some individual wineries, it's unlikely to have much of an impact on the overall wine market because it happened at a very fortunate time in the harvesting season.
Nearby City of Vallejo also affected by Bay area earthquake
News of the 6.0 earthquake that struck Northern California have centered around the damage in wine country, but Napa wasn't the only place hit. The quake also caused considerable damage in the City of Vallejo. The temblor was just the latest blow to a city still struggling to emerge from bankruptcy.
Vallejo City Manager Daniel Keen says the damage is "a bit of setback," but doesn't believe it's going to be a crippling one. He joins the show to talk more about the damages and how the community has been reacting.
Sports Roundup: USC and UCLA, recruiting in high school football and the future of Michael Sam
It's our weekly chat about sports with Andy and Brian Kamenetzky, who cover sports for ESPN.
UCLA or USC? College football kicks off
The Trojans kick off the season Saturday night in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum with a game against Fresno State. They were 10-4 last season but now have a new coach in Steve Sarkisian, who not only was an assistant during the Pete Carroll glory days but also is sometimes compared to him in terms of energy and enthusiasm.
The UCLA Bruins come in with expectations running sky high. Two polls have them at #7, and they have one of the best QB's in the nation in Brett Hundley, and they have three cupcakes on the schedule right away.
Recruiting in high school football
Recruiting high school football players has always been a tricky thing because a school never knows what'll draw a kid in or turn him off. Shy Tuttle is a defensive tackle who is getting interest from powerhouse schools such as Alabama and Florida.
The University of Tennessee may have jumped to the top of the list for now because they sent him a photoshopped cover of Rolling Stone magazine where Shy is walking with Beyonce and one of the headlines says, "Beyonce on why she thinks Tuttle belongs at Tennessee."
Michael Sam and his future with the NFL
St. Louis Ram defensive end Michael Sam has made the first round of cuts. They have one more game before the final roster is set on Friday. He's played well so far, but so has another rookie he's competing with: Ethan Westbrooks.
Mexico's President visits the Golden State
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto visited California this week, his first official visit since taking office two years ago.
Though trade and cultural exchange topped the official agenda, it was immigration that drew most of the attention.
We talked to Angelica Salas, director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.
Surfers ride huge waves in Southern California
Skilled surfers are having a great albeit dangerous time in Southern California. Hurricane Marie, a category five storm, is currently hanging out in the East Pacific, and as a result, we're seeing huge waves along Southern California's coast.
Tony Perez, general manager of Surfer Magazine, was hanging out in Newport Beach, where waves reached more than 20 feet high. He joined Alex Cohen on the line from the sand.
California's foster care kids are prescribed psychotropic drugs, some not approved for children
Nearly one in every four children in California's foster care stem are being given psychotropic drugs, some of which haven't necessarily been approved for kids.
In a new investigative report for the San Jose Mercury News, reporter Karen de Sá found that the rates these foster children receive psychiatric drugs are three times more than other kids nationwide.
"That is really bathing the brain in a chemical wash," says de Sá.
There is an argument for the need of these drugs in some cases. Children, faced with the emotional trauma of being torn from their family or being bounced from home to home, may lash out angrily and uncontrollably.
However, de Sá says there is not enough evidence to prove that these drugs are effective on children this young.
"Some of these drugs are approved by the FDA for very narrow purposes," she says. "Instead, these drugs are being prescribed to tamp down troublesome behaviors."
She adds that the prescriptions don't get at the heart of the trauma, instead letting psychological issues go unaddressed.
Many former foster youths also described side effects from drugs that still persist today.
For example, Sade Daniels, now 26, has scrawled "255" on her bathroom mirror as a reminder of the weight gains she's battled since being up on drugs.
"When I look back as an adult at who I was when I was initially diagnosed and given the medication — I needed love," Daniels told the San Jose Mercury News. “The system relies heavily on medication to do a job that parents are supposed to do.”
The first part of de Sá's series has already prompted swift action in the state capital.
Darrell Steinberg, state senate president pro tempore, called for more oversight of the foster care system and the role that drug companies play – the state paid more than $226 million on psychotropic meds for foster children, which is 72 percent of the money it spends on all drugs for these kids.
Meanwhile state Sen. Jim Beall says he'll convene a hearing with the Senate Human Services Committee to review the policies of doctors and foster care officials.
Part one of de Sá's multi-part series is now online, with more installments coming soon in the upcoming days and weeks.
Lesley Visser heads up TV’s first all female sports talk show
This week, CBS announced a “first” in the world of sports. Next month the network will launch weekly sports program that will be hosted entirely by women.
The hour show - dubbed "We Need to Talk" - will premiere on the CBS sports Network.
It will include a rotating cast of female contributors and will be anchored by four hosts, including famed sportscaster Lesley Visser.
Having started in the media world back in the 1970s when sports credentials stated “no women or children in the pressbox,” Visser says it is about time she and her colleagues got their own show.
Heartbleed: The biggest internet security threat ever is still a threat
Six months ago, one of the biggest Internet security breaches ever came to light. It was a bug called Heartbleed and it threatened millions of usernames, passwords and credit cards.
Many companies reacted quickly to ensure that their customers were safe. But, according to a new report from Bloomberg news, more than half the names on Forbes Global 2000 list of the world's biggest companies are still vulnerable.
Bloomberg Reporter Chris Strohm says that, while most companies responded in a quick fashion, they didn't quite realize the gravity of what they had to deal with -- this wasn't just a quick patch.
Burning Man: A getaway for the tech elite?
Wednesday marks the third day of Burning Man, the raucous and colorful annual art event dedicated to radical self-expression and self-reliance. Back in the early 1990s, when the event was first held in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, it was populated mostly by artists and hippies. But things have changed since then.
Lately, Burning Man has become a networking affair and a personal playground for some of the biggest names in technology. Nick Bilton has been writing about this for the New York Times and joins us to talk about some of the latest emerging trends among the tech elites.