| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front Economy |
| Flow of illegal immigrants to U.S. starts to slow |
| 2007-02-21 |
| Long and unexpected article in the International Herald Tribune. Hattip Drudge. Mexico border fence and Guardsmen complicate crossings SAN LUIS RÍO COLORADO, Mexico: All along the U.S.-Mexican border, there are signs that the measures that the U.S. Border Patrol and other agencies have taken over the past year, from erecting new barriers to posting 6,000 National Guardsmen as armed sentinels, are beginning to slow the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States. For 10 years, Eduardo Valenzuela has been crossing the Mexican border near Yuma, Arizona, illegally, trekking over desert scrub and hopping on a freight train to get to his job with a construction company in Phoenix, Arizona. But on a recent afternoon, Valenzuela and four travel companions from his hometown of Los Mochis plopped down on a bench in a park in the border town of San Luis Río Colorado, exhausted and dispirited. Border patrol agents had caught them two times over three days, hounding them with helicopters and four-wheel-drive trucks. "It's become much more difficult," Valenzuela said, echoing the comments of dozens of other migrants. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #6 "...posting 6,000 National Guardsmen as armed sentinels..." Wrong! The National Guards role is one of support NOT armed sentinels. More importantly, its been established that the illegals are aware of that fact. "The only barometer to gauge whether migrants are being discouraged to attempt entering the United States is how many migrants are caught." Wrong! All migration experts agree that apprehension rates alone do not establish trends in migration. (Especially motivation) Furthermore, apprehension rates alone are not indicators of enforcement efficiency. Of course, its impossible to prove or disprove their change in momentum angle. But the beauty of propaganda is that all you need to do is elicit emotion. Clearly, this article is nothing more then a fluff piece for DHS and is intended to provide political cover for the Bush Administrations legalization plan. |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2007-02-21 10:44 |
| #5 Or it could be an economic sign? |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles in Blairistan 2007-02-21 10:33 |
| #4 Some are indignant that the United States would treat them like enemies or criminals. Well, that's kinda what you are... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-02-21 10:06 |
| #3 This is one of just a very small number of issues I have with President Bush. I'm hoping that he's now doing one thing while saying another (kinda like the "surge" in Iraq, when the *real* news is the change in the RoEs). Yes, it sucks that our troops (Nat'l Guard) aren't even allowed to defend themselves on the border, but maybe, just maybe their *presence* alone is enough to scare the beejeebus out of the illegals. |
| Posted by: BA 2007-02-21 09:38 |
| #2 Much of the crossing is based on a few factors. First is publicity, the news and gossip getting to the illegals about how easy, or how difficult, a crossing is. Second is the weather. Prime time for crossing is in the Spring and Fall. Third are the main crossing points. A few channels get 60-80% of all the illegal crossers; whereas most of the border gets none. If these channels are blocked, it really would put a crimp in the flow. Fourth is the "back pressure" in Mexico. Since their birthrate has dropped to 2.3 kids per family, there is nowhere for this back pressure to go but down. This will on its own eventually reduce illegal crossing to a trickle. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-02-21 09:08 |
| #1 As with the war in Iraq, just a modicum of backbone combined with innovative thinking can sort this problem. Make the costs of illegal immigration high enough and it WILL stop. This story is proof of that. Whether there is the political will to display that backbone is always the real question to be answered. |
| Posted by: mac 2007-02-21 08:14 |