In immigration news: White House pushes court on executive action, LA cop arrested at border, tech diversity, more

More than a thousand people crowded the Los Angeles Convention Center late last year for a workshop related to President Obama's executive immigration order, signed in November. The order could give temporary legal status to millions of immigrants. It was put on hold in February by a federal judge in Texas, who ruled on a multi-state lawsuit filed by opponents. The White House is urging an appeals court to lift the order blocking the immigration plan from moving forward.
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Leslie Berestein Rojas | March 16, 2015

White House makes aggressive legal push on immigration - The Hill On the Justice Department's request last week that a federal appeals court lift an order blocking President Obama's executive immigration order from moving forward: "The preliminary injunction from U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen on Feb. 16 forced the administration to delay the executive actions...The stakes are high. If the court overturns Hanen’s ruling, the Obama administration could begin implementing the programs. But if it sides with the Texas judge, the legal battle could continue, possibly for months."

LAPD Officer Arrested at US-Mexico Border for Alleged Smuggling - NBC 4 A Los Angeles police officer has reportedly been arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border after a person was found hidden in his car. He could face human smuggling charges. From the story: "The officer was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in California. His name was not released, but officials confirmed he was assigned to the LAPD’s Hollywood Division."

Arizona immigrants polish their political dreams - Al Jazeera America A nonprofit that runs training programs around the country aims to train immigrants and children of immigrants who aspire to run for public office. Attendees at a recent conference in Phoenix were "participants and trainers at a political leadership conference for first- and second-generation immigrants — a kind of Lean In regimen for relative newcomers in the U.S. contemplating a run for political office."

Google backs three-city program for black, Latino techies - USA Today On a push to encourage more black and Latino participation in the tech industry. From the story: "Google is backing a new pilot program from CODE2040 in three cities. Starting this year in Chicago, Austin and Durham, N.C., the San Francisco nonprofit will give minority entrepreneurs in each city a one-year stipend and free office space. Code2040 is a nonprofit founded in 2012 that focuses on getting more African Americans and Hispanics into the tech workforce."