Journalism 101 - NYT shows how to report thoroughly but obscurely

Path to Deportation Can Start With a Traffic Stop - New York Times:
"In Putnam County, N.Y., about 50 miles north of Manhattan, eight illegal immigrants who were playing soccer in a school ball field were arrested on Jan. 9 for trespassing and held for the immigration authorities.
"As an example of the uneven results that sometimes occur in such cross-hatches of local and federal law enforcement, the seven immigrants who were able to make bail before those agents arrived went free. The one who could not make bail in time, a 33-year-old roofer and father of five, has been in federal detention in Pennsylvania ever since."

This is designed to elicit our sympathy for the poor father of five who landed in a federally-leased portion of the Pike County Prison in Pennsylvania just because he couldn't make bail faster than immigration agents could respond to his initial incarceration in Putnam County, New York.

You have to read through more than 20 paragraphs about other matters before the story returns to our unlucky roofer. Then we find that he and the other adults with him were only arrested after they refused the demand of school officials to leave the area, that school was in session at the time, and that his bail had been set at $3,000 (the others had bail set at only $1,000) "because he was not able to provide his home address" to the magistrate at his arraignment. Doesn't he know where he lives? A responsible man with a job and five kids ought to know where his home is.

That last fact is cited as corroboration of a statement by an illegal immigrant defense group that excessive bail is required of these people when arrested on minor charges. Seems to me it shows just the opposite. After all, seven of the eight ponied up the $1,000 bail before the feds arrived. And the eighth would have had the same low bail set if he had provided an address as the others apparently did. From my experience with the courts, I regard $3,000 bail as a bit on the low side for someone who does not provide full information to the magistrate.

A large part of the story concerns state, county and local police agencies having some officers attend a four-week training session run by federal immigration enforcement officials. Those who complete the course can then make arrests, conduct investigations and initiate court proceedings in cases involving immigration laws. The program was authorized by statute over a decade ago but has recently seen a surge in interest. Meanwhile, the number of federal officers in this field has remained stagnant at about 2,000. This is another example of how lax federal immigration enforcement imposes costs on other levels of government.