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| Home Front: Economy |
| Each Arrest on Mexican Border Now Costs Taxpayers $1700 |
| 2005-07-19 |
| The cost to U.S. taxpayers of making a single arrest along the U.S.-Mexican border increased from $300 in 1992 to $1,700 in 2002 – an increase of 467 percent in just one decade. That's the shocking report from the Cato Institute's Center for Trade Policy Studies, which takes a critical look at American efforts to stem the tide of illegal immigration from south of the border. The report, written by Princeton University Prof. Douglas S. Massey, says that those stepped-up efforts have in fact backfired and led to a drop in the apprehension of illegals entering the country – and an increase in the number of aliens living in the U.S. According to Massey, increased border enforcement has only succeeded in pushing immigration flows into more remote regions. That has led to a tripling of the death rate at the border and a dramatic decrease in the rate of apprehension. Meanwhile the tax money being spent to fight illegal immigration has skyrocketed. In 1986, the budget for the entire Immigration and Naturalization Service was $474 million, including $151 million for the Border Patrol. By 2002, the budget of the Border Patrol alone had reached $1.6 billion, while the budget of the INS was $6.2 billion. The growing expenditures, coupled with the decrease in apprehensions, led to the 467 percent increase in the cost of making one arrest along the border, according to Massey, coauthor of "Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: Mexican Immigration in an Era of Economic Integration." Furthermore, increased U.S. efforts to apprehend aliens have driven up the cost of crossing the border illegally, so aliens are more likely to stay longer in the U.S. to recoup their cost of entry – or not return to their home country at all. "If this increase in the cost of enforcement, high as it was, had slowed the flow of undocumented migrants, one might consider it money well spent," Massey concludes. "But as we have seen, in 2002 the probability of apprehension was lower than at any point in the modern history of Mexican-U.S. migration, and the number of Mexicans entering the United States was greater than ever." Massey favors President Bush's initiative to enact a temporary visa program that would allow workers from other countries to work in the U.S. without restriction for a certain limited time. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #5 Furthermore, increased U.S. efforts to apprehend aliens have driven up the cost of crossing the border illegally, so aliens are more likely to stay longer in the U.S. to recoup their cost of entry – or not return to their home country at all. Then conduct internal sweeps to round 'em up and send 'em home. NO illegal immigrant has any "right" to stay. If they want to be here, let 'em get in line and take their chances like everyone else, or prove that they are qualified for asylum. And NO economic hardship cases; we already have home grown ones, and importing more would be just plain dumb. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-07-19 22:26 |
| #4 A high price, but surely worth it. |
| Posted by: Sheik Abu Bin Ali Al-Yahood 2005-07-19 22:18 |
| #3 the first two visits for primary care at the emergency room, as well as that Uninsured Motorist hit and run collision you're due for |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-07-19 22:14 |
| #2 How much does it cost the US taxpayer if the arrests are *not* made? |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-07-19 22:05 |
| #1 It's about $1699.99 to much, Militarize the border with Mexico. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom 2005-07-19 22:00 |