Fifteen anti-war protesters were arrested on disorderly conduct charges outside the presidential debate at Long Island's Hofstra University Oct. 15. A skirmish broke out between protesters and mounted police at the gates when police refused to allow anti-war Iraq veterans into the debate. Mounted police pushed a group of about 200 people away from the gates—injuring at least two, one of whom was taken away in an ambulance. Most of those arrested were members of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW). (Newsday, The Indypendent, Oct. 16)

A little-noted news story about the transfer of Iraq-hardened combat troops for active duty at home in the immediate prelude to the elections has been seized upon by Amy Goodman's Democracy Now! Oct. 2 and—with considerably greater paranoia—Naomi Wolf on AlterNet and YouTube Oct. 8, as evidence of an imminent "coup d'etat" or "October Surprise." Gina Cavallaro wrote for Army Times, Sept. 30, emphasis added:

In a three-week enforcement operation that ended Sept. 27, ICE fugitive operations teams arrested 1,157 immigrants in California: 436 in the San Francisco area, 420 in the Los Angeles area and 301 in the San Diego area. The operation targeted "fugitives" who have failed to comply with deportation orders and immigrants with criminal convictions. ICE spokesperson Virginia Kice said 595 of those arrested had outstanding deportation orders and 346 had criminal convictions. Those arrested come from 34 countries. (LAT, Sept. 29; ICE news release, Sept. 29)

On Sept. 5, Shipley Do-Nut Flour and Supply Company Inc. pleaded guilty through its president, Lawrence Shipley III, to conspiring to harbor unauthorized immigrants. The Houston-based company agreed to pay a $1,334,000 forfeiture to the government, federal prosecutors said. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 19. Shipley Do-Nut faces a maximum fine of $500,000 and up to five years probation. As part of the plea deal, the company also agreed to revise its immigration compliance program and implement new procedures to prevent future violations of immigration laws.

Seven agricultural workers arrested in a July 7 ICE raid at an apartment building in Waipahu, Hawai'i, have pleaded guilty to criminal charges for using false identity documents to gain employment and have agreed to cooperate in a continuing investigation. In return, all seven have been released with work authorization pending sentencing dates scheduled for December and January. "Those dates might be postponed while the investigation continues," said Brandon Flores, an attorney for one of the defendants. "It's conceivable that they could be here for quite a while."

On Sept. 22, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested 21 workers at the Honua Kai construction site in Kaanapali, on the island of Maui in Hawai'i. Twelve of the workers were from Mexico, eight were from Brazil and one was from Slovakia. All were placed in deportation proceedings. The Maui Police Department assisted in the raid. ICE coordinated the arrests with Ledcor Construction, the general contractor for the Honua Kai project. According to ICE, all 21 workers arrested in the raid worked for Global Stone Inc., a subcontractor based in Orem, Utah.

Jury selection began under unusual security measures Sept. 29 in the federal trial of five men accused of planning an attack on Fort Dix, NJ, where reservists are trained for duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. The men—all foreign-born Muslims in their 20s who have lived for years in New Jersey—are charged with conspiracy to murder soldiers and attempted murder. They'll face life imprisonment if convicted. No attack was carried out and attorneys for the men say there was no plot. (AP, Sept. 29)

On Friday, Sept. 26, a "chemical irritant" was sprayed through a window of the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton mosque, where 300 worshipers were gathered for a Ramadan prayer service. The spray targeted the room where babies and children were being kept while their mothers were engaged in prayers. The service and ritual fast-breaking were interrupted so those suffering from tearing, coughing and shortness of breath could receive treatment. "It's very disturbing," said ISGD board member Tarek Sabagh. "Something like this has never happened before." (Dayton Daily News, Sept. 27)