Alien Arrests Hit New High for 1 Month

Arrests of illegal aliens in California and Arizona continued at a record pace last month, bolstering official assertions that an unprecedented number of people are entering the United States illegally from Mexico, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service said Monday.

During April, agents in the two states apprehended 103,594 illegal aliens--an increase of 53% compared to April, 1985, the INS said. For the first seven months of fiscal 1986, arrests of illegal aliens in both states are up by 41%, according to the INS.

In San Diego County, the INS made 71,910 apprehensions in April, a one-month record and a 68% increase compared to April, 1985.

The spring months are traditionally busy ones along the U.S.-Mexico border, as migrant workers head north for jobs.

The sharp increases are reflected in all four U.S. states that border Mexico, where arrests could approach 2 million in fiscal 1986--which would be an increase of more than 66% over the record 1.2 million caught last year, said Harold Ezell, INS western commissioner.

“These are staggering numbers and there is no letup in sight,” Ezell said at a press conference held here to announce the latest numbers.

Earlier, Ezell, who has frequently been accused by INS critics of grandstanding on the immigration issue, held similar news conferences in Los Angeles and Phoenix. Ezell said the events, which included lengthy reiterations of his oft-repeated plea that Congress impose some form of sanctions against employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens, were appropriate in view of the severity of the problem.

Critics say Ezell’s call for employer sanctions are misguided. “Why is this individual allowed to politic on public money?” asked Herman Baca, chairman of the Committee on Chicano Rights, a San Diego group that strongly opposes employer sanctions as potentially discriminatory against Latinos.