The illegals cross the border, wind up in the states hospitals, YOUR tax dollars (13 MILLION) a MONTH are paying THEIR bills and NOW we're sending them home for FREE
http://www.azcentral.com
Illegal immigrants to be sent to Mexico's interior
advertisement
Sergio Bustos
Republic Washington Bureau
Jun. 29, 2004 12:00 AM
WASHINGTON - Mexican immigrants caught trying to illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona soon will have a choice: a free flight back to their hometowns or a short trip to the nearest city on the Mexican side of the border.
The pilot repatriation project, which begins in July and ends Sept. 30, marks an attempt to stem the wave of illegal immigrants from Mexico and reduce migrant deaths, Homeland Security Department officials said Tuesday. Arrests and deaths have soared in recent years, prompting an international outcry.
"The goal of this program is to save lives by safely returning Mexican nationals to their homes, away from the dangers of the Arizona-Sonora desert, where smugglers and the harsh summer climate contribute to the deaths and injuries of illegal border crossers," Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary for border and transportation security at the Homeland Security Department, said in a statement.
The official migrant death toll kept by the U.S. Border Patrol has reached 62, putting the Tucson, Ariz., sector on pace to break last year's record of 139. Apprehensions since Oct. 1 in the Tucson sector, which covers nearly the entire state, have topped 376,000, more than all of last year, according to Border Patrol officials.
Under the repatriation plan, Mexican immigrants arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol will be asked if they wish to be returned to their hometowns. Those immigrants who choose to go home will be interviewed separately by Mexican consulate officials to confirm their decision.
They would then be flown via chartered aircraft from Tucson to Mexico City or Guadalajara at the expense of the U.S. government, then taken by bus to their hometowns.
Those who decline the offer will be dropped at the nearest border community in northern Mexico by U.S. immigration authorities.
Only Mexican citizens will be eligible for the repatriation program, but those with criminal records will be detained by U.S. authorities.
U.S. and Mexican government officials will evaluate the program's effectiveness at the end of September and issue recommendations. The program is expected to cost between $12 million and $13 million, said Bill Strassberger, a Homeland Security Department spokesman.
The agreement between the United States and Mexico culminates negotiations that began last summer when the Bush administration began talks about a repatriation program with Mexican President Vicente Fox's administration.
In February, during negotiations in Mexico City, administration officials pushed Mexico to make the program mandatory. But Mexican officials rejected it, arguing the Mexican constitution guarantees the free movement of its citizens.
Still, administration officials are pleased with the voluntary program because they believe it will discourage most Mexican immigrants from making the illegal journey.
Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Tucson, and Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, whose districts include the southern Arizona border, had mixed reactions to the agreement.
"I am pleased the Mexican government has agreed to work with the United States to take this small step to address the illegal immigration problem, but I'm skeptical that a voluntary repatriation program will be particularly effective," Kolbe said in a statement.
Grijalva called it "a necessary humanitarian option for Mexican immigrants apprehended on the border."
"I have my doubts about its impact on unauthorized entry, but it will lessen the pressure on the border," he said. "The true solution to the problem lies in Congress, which must get off the dime and deal with real immigration reform."
Susan Carroll of The Arizona Republic contributed to this article
Dennis
