23% Increase Over 1986 : Illegal Alien Arrests Continue to Surge

For the second consecutive month, U.S. immigration authorities have reported a surge in arrests of illegal aliens along the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego County.

The arrest numbers, which U.S. officials say are the best single indication of illegal entries into the United States, are being watched closely in the wake of the landmark immigration law revisions of 1986.

Through Feb. 28, U.S. Border Patrol agents in San Diego County recorded apprehensions of 52,209 undocumented foreigners, the great majority Mexicans who were quickly returned to Mexico. That was a 23% increase over the same period last year.

The numbers--which come on the heels of near-record arrests in January--also approach the record of 53,320 apprehensions in February, 1986.

“We’re certainly concerned about the increase,” said William Veal, deputy chief for the San Diego contingent of the U.S. Border Patrol, an enforcement arm of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Waiting for More Figures

Nonetheless, Veal said it was still too early to say whether the 1988 arrest statistics would ultimately match the record-breaking numbers recorded month after month in 1986. He noted that the upcoming spring and summer months are traditionally the busiest time along the border, as workers seek seasonal jobs in the fields and elsewhere.

“We should have a better reading after March,” Veal said.

Despite frequent criticisms that arrest numbers are unreliable and misleading, U.S. officials often cited the mounting numbers of arrests in 1986 as evidence of an “invasion” of illegal aliens. That image provided impetus for the passage of the new immigration law, which was signed into law in November, 1986.

The far-reaching new statute--which, among other things, makes it illegal for U.S. employers to hire undocumented workers--was credited with deterring many foreigners from attempting to enter the United States illegally. After its passage, officials noted, border arrests quickly dropped by 40% or more in some areas.

However, Veal suggested that a “normalization” process may be under way along the border, as undocumented workers, driven by economic necessity, realize that they can still find work in the United States, particularly on farms. “No one expected that the law would turn things around overnight,” Veal said.

Non-Mexican Arrests Up

Also troubling, officials said, was the fact that arrests of non-Mexicans, mostly Central Americans, almost doubled in the Feb. 1-28 period compared with the same stretch last year. Among those arrested were hundreds of Salvadorans and Guatemalans, along with citizens of nations as diverse as China, India and Argentina.

“Some of these countries do have stronger economies than Mexico,” Veal noted.

The recent surge in arrests of undocumented workers in San Diego is not being experienced in other regions of the 1,900-mile U.S.-Mexico border.

In El Paso, for instance, Border Patrol said that arrests from Feb. 1-28 rose by only 4% in 1988 compared with last year--and remained well below the record levels reported in 1986. “It’s too early to tell what’s going on,” said Doug Mosier, a Border Patrol spokesman in El Paso.

The San Diego area, which provides quick access to the bustling job market of Los Angeles, is considered the region most favored by immigrants seeking to settle in the United States without papers. The El Paso area is considered the second most popular crossing area.