Illegal U.S.-Mexico border crossings decline

Washington Times ^ | 7/19/02 | Andy Olsen

[kattracks]

Immigration officials say that tighter border security since September 11 has caused a continuing decline in the number of people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, but others are not so sure why all is quieter on the southwestern front.

For the eighth month in a row, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service reported a sharp drop in the number of immigrants detained entering from Mexico, viewed as the best gauge of how many are crossing the border illegally.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

.

[stilts]

OR....they have gotten worse at detaining them.

[PRND21]

Bump

[PRND21]

Agenda busting Bump.
Silence is Golden.

[FITZ]

I think judging from the falling crime rate in certain US border towns that there are less crossings from Mexico. Car theft is down by a pretty large percent and that is a pretty good indicator.

[Jhoffa_]

Great!

(Maybe.. It's down, it may not be down.. It could be up.. We arent sure but we wrote the story anyway)

[Texasforever]

But the California study, based on census figures and community surveys, counters that illegal immigration nearly tripled during the past decade despite a major border crackdown in 1993 and a tripling of the annual border re-enforcement budget to $2.5 million.

Simple answer? Check the welfare benefits in California in relation to Texas. If California wants to cut down on freeloaders then stop being a welfare Mecca.

[Marine Inspector]

For the eighth month in a row, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service reported a sharp drop in the number of immigrants detained entering from Mexico, viewed as the best gauge of how many are crossing the border illegally.

True, but what the INS is not telling you is that those sharp drops are dropping sharply themselves. In October 2001, the number of apprehensions dropped by over 50% from the previous year, but , by May of 2002 the number of apprehensions had only dropped 20% from the previous year.

The original 50% drop was due to 9/11 and wide spread rumors in Mexico that the US was going to enlist illegals to go fight in Afghanistan. As the shock of 9/11 wears off and the rumors dies out, the numbers start to rise to their previous levels.

Analysts and some patrollers, however, are cautious about jumping to conclusions. A report released yesterday by the Public Policy Institute of California said that, despite the short-term drop in apprehensions, illegal immigration has continued to rise for the past nine years.

This is also true and is due to the stepped up enforcement on the border. In the past, many of the illegals would frequently cross back and forth. Since the many border operations by the INS has made crossing the border more hazardous, many of the illegals are opting to stay in the US, as opposed to subjecting themselves to the risk of apprehension on the border, thus increasing the permanent illegal population in the US.

[spectre]

Probably means everybody from Mexico and Central America have all finally arrived.

[FITZ]

True. I think some of the illegals know easy ways or easy places to go back and forth but are keeping those fairly secret even from the others. Illegals used to be pretty willing to tell you how they came over but now if you ask them they just laugh and won't say.

[F16Fighter]

Quite frankly, I think these numbers are totally contrived for purely political reasons...

Imagine the hue and cry had conservatives been given the real numbers? The numbers that reflect virtually NO change in illegal immigration invasion despite a supposed "hightened security" at the borders?

[TADSLOS]

"It's going down at an average of about 300,000 a year,"

That's like me saying the fire ant migration in my yard is going down 300,000 a year, but my failing to mention that the total population of fire ants already in my yard building nests and laying eggs is in the millions and growing exponentially.

Who do these buffoons think they're fooling?

[Marine Inspector]

Quite frankly, I think these numbers are totally contrived for purely political reasons...

The numbers are correct. Read my post #10.

[PRND21]

Illegals used to be pretty willing to tell you how they came over but now if you ask them they just laugh and won't say.

You continually post critically of the situation.

Instead of chatting with illegals, report them.

[PRND21]

Can you imagine if the title was "...crossings increase"
It would look like a zoo around here.
Perhaps not tight enough for some, but the borders are tighter. Obviously.

[FITZ]

Around here they wouldn't deport them even if you reported them, they just come back anyhow, and there are types that should be deported long before the kind I chat with. I don't believe people should come over illegally but that is the situation ---for the relatively few that come over to actually do a certain kind of work that Americans really don't prefer to do, I'd rather see a guest worker program where they'd be screened and guaranteed a safer entrance and better treatment. Who wants to see someone's maid or gardener be hauled off by INS? Many of them plan to return to Mexico as soon as they can, they aren't even asking to become citizens.

[PRND21]

Around here they wouldn't deport them even if you reported them,...

Try. Or quit your bitching.

[FITZ]

I'm very critical of the Mexican government on this issue because it is very inhumane toward it's own citizens and has no right ordering the US around. I'm against those committing fraud and using stolen Identification etc, and those illegals working for the drug cartels and those having babies just to obtain a welfare check and citizenship. I can understand why someone is forced to leave a country and home they love trying to save their family and home ----and we could help them in a legal way but at the same time put some heavy pressure on that elite ruling class to get some changes made in the way things are done over there so it would only be temporary.