Drop in Illegal Border Crossings a Sign of Success, Bush Aide Says

The Bush administration announced Wednesday that it had made “extraordinary progress” in reducing the number of Mexicans and others trying to enter the United States illegally, saying that apprehensions had reached the lowest rate in the last four years.

The administration’s beefed-up enforcement efforts -- including more emphasis on deportation, improved Border Patrol technology and the president’s decision to temporarily deploy National Guard troops along the Mexican border -- appear to be making a significant difference, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told reporters.

“What we have done is beginning to work,” he said, adding that the number of illegal immigrants caught crossing the border had declined considerably since early summer. The numbers are at least 25% lower than this time last year, according to statistics provided by the Department of Homeland Security.

Critics challenged the government’s position, saying that the three-month statistical snapshot was too brief to signify a trend and that economic and other factors could be contributing to the immigration slowdown.

But in Mexico, authorities who work in staging areas along the Arizona border -- the busiest corridor for illegal crossers -- confirm that the flow of would-be immigrants has dropped significantly this year and that many are deciding crossing is too difficult.

In Sasabe, Sonora, the number of immigrants passing through each day has fallen from 1,000 to about 200, said Miguel Zamarripa, an agent for Grupo Beta, a Mexican migrant safety force.

Chertoff’s announcement came as the administration is trying to make the case that its border enforcement policies are working and that Congress should approve broader immigration legislation -- including a guest worker program and other provisions that eventually could legalize many of the estimated 12 million people here illegally.

“We’re not ready to declare victory. We’ve got more work to do,” Chertoff said. “But it is encouraging, and it’s something that ought to inspire us to continue to push forward on all of these different areas.”

Some House Republicans have sponsored events across the country this summer to build opposition to the comprehensive legislation, which the Senate has approved. They contend that improved border security -- the sole focus of a House-passed bill -- should come before any other changes are made in the nation’s immigration laws. With that tough stance, they hope to overcome voter resentment toward Bush and the GOP on other issues, particularly the Iraq war, in November’s congressional elections.

Chertoff on Wednesday hailed the administration’s efforts, particularly what he described as the near-elimination of the Border Patrol’s “catch-and-release” policy. That practice had allowed illegal immigrants from countries other than Mexico to be cited to appear in court and then freed because authorities did not have facilities to detain them.

The government’s policy is now “catch and remove,” Chertoff said, noting that seven detainees were released the week of Aug. 7 compared with 1,055 in the same week last year.

“As of the last several weeks, we have essentially been at 100% catch-and-remove in our southern and northern border,” Chertoff said.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), an outspoken opponent of the administration’s immigration proposals, described the lowered apprehension rate as welcome but insufficient.

“I have been calling on the federal government to do more to end the catch-and-release practice, which contributes greatly to the illegal immigration crisis in our country today,” Cornyn said. “This renewed commitment by the Bush administration is a strong step in the right direction.”

However, he added, apprehensions are just “part of our broken immigration system.”

“We can’t lose sight of the fact that nearly half of all illegal immigrants first enter the country legally and then overstay their visas,” he said. “Unless and until Americans are confident that the federal government will control the border and enforce the law, it will be difficult to move forward with comprehensive immigration reform.”

Chertoff’s announcement received little immediate reaction from lawmakers who oppose a comprehensive immigration overhaul, in part because many were campaigning in their home districts. Action on immigration is widely considered unlikely before the congressional elections.

Some experts doubt that increased enforcement alone will significantly reduce the number of border-crossers. Similar large decreases in apprehensions occurred in 2001, followed by sharp increases in subsequent years, said Wayne Cornelius, director of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at UC San Diego.

“Apprehension statistics are very volatile, and the reasons why they change are difficult to discern,” he said. “The Border Patrol would like us to believe that the only thing that affects apprehensions is the Border Patrol’s own resources and tactics, but there are many other things that affect them as well.”

Cornelius said Mexico’s solid economic growth rate this year could be keeping more would-be immigrants at home. There also is evidence that illegal crossings are becoming more arduous, increasing the likelihood of getting caught. But that perception, he noted, has not been enough in the past to discourage immigrants.

Some experts say many illegal immigrants in the U.S. might not return home as often as before because of the enforcement crackdown.

And along the border, few have failed to notice the enhanced security. Many say that the once-simple journey now requires multiple attempts to get across. Cornelius estimated that tens of thousands of migrants, many of whom are older and less physically fit, give up and go home.

Those who do succeed often tell tales of hardship.

Luis, a 27-year-old from Guanajuato, Mexico, said that earlier this summer he spent two days walking in the mountains east of San Diego before he was caught. He later tried to crawl into the U.S. through drainage pipes, and got caught again.

Luis and his wife finally got in by presenting fake documents at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, he said, but his cousin got caught by inspectors and went home to Mexico City.

Luis, who declined to give his full name to protect his identity, said crossing the border had gotten much more difficult since the first time he came to the United States, in 1998.

But for people such as Luis who have steady jobs in this country, giving up is not an option. “As soon as we get caught, we’re already thinking about new ways to cross,” he said.

Chertoff, in addition to arguing for a guest worker program, urged Congress to pass legislation to end the special status accorded to immigrants from El Salvador, who as the result of an 18-year-old court order have the right to a more involved deportation process that often leads to their release.

The Bush administration has filed a motion in court to remove the order, known as the Orantes injunction, but it is still pending. Chertoff said congressional action would override the court order.

“The civil war in El Salvador is over,” Chertoff said. “The reason for these restrictions has long disappeared.”

Reynolds reported from Washington, and Marosi from San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico.