Tucson Border Patrol Gets Tougher On Illegal Immigrants

Posted: Jan 14, 2008 02:23 PM PST




Suleika Acosta, KOLD News 13 Reporter

Starting Monday, a program aimed at prosecuting more of those who are caught crossing illegal is underway.

It's the busiest sector in the Nation. More illegal immigrants are caught in Tucson than anywhere else. Last year, Border Patrol agents arrested almost 400,000 immigrants.

"Maybe within minutes to hours to days they'll come right back over and we'll catch them again and go through the cycle," explains Agent Mike Scioli.

Until now, most illegal immigrants found in the Tucson sector have been voluntarily returned to Mexico. But Border Patrol is ending the catch and release method and prosecuting more immigrants.

"It's going to be more prosecutions than we had before on a daily basis, but an undetermined number yet."

Not all immigrants will face charges, Border Patrol will factor in the number of times an immigrant has been caught when determining if they will be prosecuted. Agents hope the enhanced prosecution program will take the pressure off local law enforcement.

"We've got to show the illegal crossers coming that Tucson's sector isn't the place you want to cross," says Scioli.

At Arizona ports of entry, Customs and Border Protection expects to catch more wanted criminals.

"These people are trying to enter the country without us knowing who they are," says CBP Spokesperson Brian Levin.

Last year CBP arrested 1,200 people entering from Mexico who were wanted fugitives in the U.S., a dramatic rise from just two years ago.

"As minor as failure to appear on traffic citations in local courts all the way up to first degree homicide and murder charges," says Levin.

New identification requirements at ports of entry get underway in late January. Anyone trying to get into the U.S. will face tougher screening, that means residents running from the law will stand a better chance of being arrested.

"We can catch them at the port before they're allowed to come into the country and we get them off the streets and into jails, into prisons."

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