Tidal Wave of illegal immigration
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Millions of illegal aliens live in all areas of our nation and yet there is no appreciable or measurable apprehension of illegal aliens in places other than directly on our nation's borders - and even that is minimal. Many cities, and now the state of Maine, offer official sanctuary to illegal aliens. Our federal government, which is charged with and sworn to enforcing our immigration laws, has consistently refused to take that action.
Increase in illegal aliens apprehended along the southwest U.S. border, January - March, 2004
The above map shows illegal aliens apprehended in southwest U.S. Border Patrol sector from January to March, 2004, as compared with the same period in 2003. A 51% increase occurred along the east and central Arizona border, coupled with a 60% increase along the southwestern Arizona border and a 38% increase in San Diego.
(Sources: U.S. Border Patrol sector offices, as reported in the Washington Times. San Diego data covers October 1 through April 4; El Paso covers October 1 through March 27).
Why the tidal wave of illegal immigration in the first quarter of 2004?
On January 7, 2004, President Bush announced a guest worker proposal - really an amnesty for illegal aliens, and the Democrats recently announced their own proposal giving amnesty to criminals, called the SOLVE ACT. Illegal aliens immediately rushed to cross the border in hopes of taking advantage of the possible amnesty, and the rush is still underway. This tidal wave clearly demonstrates the connection between proposed legalization of illegal aliens and increased illegal immigration.
From a February 9, 2004 article, Amnesty and Betrayal,
President Bush’s proposed immigration reform package is a shocking betrayal of our nation’s sovereignty, culture and economy...
“This plan is not amnesty, placing undocumented workers on the automatic path of citizenship,” insisted Mr. Bush at a January 12 press conference in Monterrey, Mexico, as he stood alongside Mexican President Vicente Fox. “I oppose amnesty because it encourages the violation of our laws and perpetuates illegal immigration.”...
It’s vitally important to recognize that the Bush plan would not be limited to the current illegal alien population, which is commonly estimated to be 6-12 million (but may be 20 million or more). As the president’s own words demonstrate, it would also extend to “those in foreign countries who seek to participate in the program.”...
Supposedly, those coming from foreign countries would need a job offer in advance of their arrival. But the president’s invitation had an immediate, and quite predictable, effect. “The U.S. Border Patrol marks January 7 as the day illegal crossing numbers surge,” reported a January 10 Arizona Star dispatch from the Mexican border town of Hermosillo. “We’re starting to see an increase already,” commented Border Patrol spokesman Andy Adame. It’s reasonable to expect that a similar “amnesty rush” is underway elsewhere as millions — or tens of millions — of others race to take advantage of the Bush plan...
Ah, but that plan isn’t an amnesty, insists the president, clinging to his official fiction... Representative Ron Paul (R-Texas) has no use for such evasions. “Millions of people who broke the law by entering, staying, and working in our country will not be punished, but rather rewarded with a visa,” comments Rep. Paul. “This is amnesty, plain and simple. Lawbreakers are given legal status, while those seeking to immigrate legally face years of paperwork and long waits for a visa.”...
From a June 14, 2004 It's Official! Bush Betrayal Triggered Wave of Illegals, by Juan Mann, published on VDARE.com:
Has the “Bush Betrayal”—the touting by President Bush and Congress of some form of illegal alien amnesty under the guise of a “border security” program—actually enticed more illegal aliens to crash our border with Mexico in 2004?...
The numbers were released with little fanfare by the DHS on May 28, 2004. The narrative of the report tells the tale of a massive influx:
“The U.S. Border Patrol made 135,468 apprehensions along the southwest border during April 2004, an 80 percent increase when compared to April 2003. Voluntary returns [of Mexican nationals to Mexico] conducted by Border Patrol agents increased by 79 percent from a year ago to 125,561. For the first seven months of fiscal year 2004, apprehensions were up 31 percent and voluntary returns were up 28 percent compared to the same period in fiscal year 2003.”...
Compared to the seasonally adjusted apprehensions (apparently taking the illegal aliens’ travel patterns into account), the 2004 data shows a massive spike in apprehensions...
Let’s get something straight here.
As long as the DHS keeps releasing illegal aliens from detention, as long as the DHS does not fully implement the summary removal provisions in Immigration Act Section 235(b), and as long as the permanent amnesty buffet of the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s Immigration Court system still exists . . . there will always be a benefit for illegal aliens entering the United States.
From a May 6, 2004 Washington Dispatch article, Stop Immigration, Start Deportation:
Bush’s proposal for illegal alien amnesty and increased legal immigration has caused a huge increase in illegal immigration across the border with Mexico. The Mexican government is encouraging this and the Mexican army and police routinely violate our territory while protecting and escorting illegal aliens and drug dealers. A recent article reported that:
“The U.S. Border Patrol told The Associated Press that detentions jumped 25 percent to 535,000 in the six months ending March 31 compared to a year ago.
From an April 2004 article, Bush Amnesty Plan Producing Huge Increase of Illegals:
Recent press reports say that illegal immigration is skyrocketing since President Bush announced his amnesty plan [in January, 2004]. For example, World Net Daily reported, "U.S. Border Patrol officials report a 15 percent increase in the use of fraudulent documents at the world's busiest land border crossing [San Ysidro]."
... The report also said, "More than half of those caught using phony documents say the president's offer of de facto amnesty motivated them to attempt to sneak in the United States."
A Washington Times report said basically the same thing: "The number of illegal aliens being apprehended on the southwestern border has jumped 25 percent in the first three months of 2004 compared with last year, and some are blaming President Bush's immigration proposal in January for enticing immigrants across the border."
The Times quoted Rep. Tom Tancredo, Colorado Republican and chairman of the House Immigration Reform Caucus, as saying, "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell you the president's speech was the catalyst for lots of folks to make their way north and try to get into this country in order to get what they accurately believe to be amnesty."
In two Arizona sectors, Yuma and Tucson, illegal immigration is up 60 percent and 51 percent, respectively. Apprehensions are up 222 percent in the Yuma sector alone. In fact, six of the nine southwestern sectors saw increases compared to last year...
From a January 12, 2004 article, Border council calls Bush plan 'slap in the face'
The National Border Patrol Council, which represents all 9,000 of the Border Patrol´s nonsupervisory agents, has told its members to challenge President Bush´s proposed guest-worker program, calling it a "slap in the face to anyone who has ever tried to enforce the immigration laws of the United States."...
"The border is, maybe, 10 percent more secure than it was prior to September 11, but it is still out of control," [National Border Patrol Council Vice President John Frecker] said.
For more information, see our analysis of the numbers of illegal aliens evading apprehension and staying in the United States.
