San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial

Deportation glitch

Border Patrol relieves plight of minors

2:00 a.m. June 18, 2009

- What's wrong with this picture? The turnstiles at the U.S.-Mexican border typically go in one direction when illegal immigrants are removed from this country. Of course, illegal immigrants often cross back into the United States after being deported – but certainly not with the help of U.S. authorities.

And yet this week three undocumented minors were returned to the United States after being repatriated to Mexico on May 20. Thanks to a rarely used procedure, the three were given “humanitarian paroleâ€