Thread: Answer is to deport the illegal fugitives

Answer is to deport the illegal fugitives

Apr 15, 2007

More than 623,000 of the estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal aliens in the United States have been caught at least once by law enforcement agencies and ordered to leave this country.

They’re still here — and there is no reason to believe that they will leave of their own volition or be apprehended and forced out.

Why? Because the government isn’t taking the problem seriously, according to its own report. A report by the Department of Homeland Security reveals that the government has a total of 52 ‘‘fugitive operations teams’’ seeking the aliens who have ignored orders to leave the country. That works out to nearly 12,000 fugitives for each of the teams. In the unlikely event that each team manages to locate and deal with one fugitive each working day, it will take them 48 years to deal with the backlog.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands — or, more likely, millions — of new cases will go on the books. Homeland Security officials blame the backlog on a variety of factors.

Obviously, not enough personnel are being devoted to seeking out and kicking out the fugitives. But in addition, the department says it is being hampered by ‘‘insufficient detention capacity, limitations of an immigration database and inadequate working space.’’

That just about covers every factor imaginable. And it indicates that the government simply isn’t serious about catching and deporting scofflaw aliens.

Frankly, it puts a whole new face on the plan by some, including President Bush, to offer amnesty to millions of illegal aliens. Decriminalize their behavior and — presto! — there’s no problem in dealing with it.

We don’t think that’s how the vast majority of Americans view the situation. Many of the fugitives have been convicted of serious crimes other than merely sneaking into the United States. They need to be found and deported. It’s time to take the problem seriously — and that means devoting more serious resources to it.

editorial@tribune-chronicle.com

http://www.tribunechronicle.com/Editori ... leID=16911

If we just cut off the jobs these people would be forced to self-deport. It's a shame our worthless government refuses to focus on this approach.