The Region : Arrests at Border Decline

Border Patrol arrests of immigrants illegally entering California were down this year, indicating that many aliens may be settling in the state rather than repeatedly crossing the Mexican border, agents in San Diego said. The Border Patrol said 530,502 arrests were made this year in California, compared to 545,345 last year. “Instead of coming up and staying two or three months and returning home, the ones who make it through are staying,” said Gene Smithburg, assistant chief of the Border Patrol’s San Diego sector, where 73% of the arrests were made. However, along the entire 2,000-mile boundary with Mexico, agents reported arrests slightly up--1,113,008 this year, compared to 1,084,977 last year.