Portside

Rasmea Odeh, Associate Director of the Arab American Action Network in Chicago, was arrested at her home by agents from the Department of Homeland Security in October 2013 . Her arrest and subsequent conviction is part of a broader pattern of persecution by the federal government of Arabs and Muslims that are outspoken leaders in their communities throughout the U.S.

The odds are stacked against immigrant children wanting to stay in the U.S. Although immigrants with legal representation are nine times more likely to win their case, less than fifty percent of children have legal representation. In fact, immigrants are not entitled to public defenders in immigration court. It is not unusual for a toddler or a six-year-old to appear in front of the judge without a lawyer.

There has been widespread outrage in Europe over the scope of the National Security Agency's PRISM surveillance program. European experts, however, are not surprised by American whistleblower Edward Snowden's revelations.