http://kob.com/article/stories/S370956.shtml?cat=520

Border Patrol expands zero tolerance zone in N.M.

EL PASO, Texas (AP) - A U.S. Border Patrol effort aimed at prosecuting more illegal immigrants is being expanded to include parts of southern New Mexico and far West Texas.

An agency spokesman, Doug Mosier, says the zero tolerance plan covers about 15 miles of border between Santa Teresa and west El Paso.

He says illegal immigrants caught in the zone will face jail time or be ordered out of the country under the Border Patrol’s expedited removal program.

In either case, Mosier says the illegal immigrants will be barred from legally entering the United States for up to five years and face felony criminal charges after a second arrest for sneaking across the border.

Mosier says the new effort effectively ends the practice of allowing Mexican nationals to voluntarily go back to Mexico if they don’t have a history of illegal crossings.