Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer demanded Friday that a reference to the state's controversial immigration law be removed from a State Department report to the United Nations' human rights commissioner.

Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday gave a vigorous defense of the administration's economic recovery act for its role in promoting innovation, likening the government to a venture capitalist that provides the "seed money" for nourishing emerging new sectors that will create well-paying jobs and ensure U.S. competitiveness.

The Department of Homeland Security is systematically reviewing thousands of pending immigration cases and moving to dismiss those filed against suspected illegal immigrants who have no serious criminal records, according to several sources familiar with the efforts.

One of about every 12 babies born in the United States in 2008 was the offspring of unauthorized immigrants, a Pew Hispanic Center study released Wednesday concluded.