Orlando Border Patrol stays busy

Updated: Friday, 30 Jul 2010, 6:35 AM EDT
Published : Friday, 30 Jul 2010, 6:35 AM EDT

By Steve Gehlbach
FOX 35 News

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL, FOX 35) - United States Border Patrol agents in Orlando don't pay much attention to immigration laws being debated around the county. They're still patrolling for people here illegally.

The agents in Orlando are primarily responsible for more than 150 miles of coastline on the Atlantic Ocean from Sebastian to Ormond Beach. But they don't see the immigrants from Cuba, or Haitians coming through the Bahamas, like their counterparts in South Florida.

Instead, Border Patrol here concentrates on immigrants getting here over the road. Patrol Agent in Charge Robert Gilmore says they stake out bus stations and interstates, not employers. "We don't target the farm and ranch, or the workplace enforcement. What we target is transportation hubs. We target the over-the-road smuggling."

The Department of Homeland Security estimates the number of illegal immigrants in Florida has dropped in recent years to 720,000. But that still places Florida third behind Texas and California, and well ahead of Arizona.

The Border Patrol says their number of apprehensions in Orlando has dropped in the last year, most due to the drop in the economy and number of jobs. Industries like construction have taken a hit, but this is still a destination for immigrants crossing the border illegally hundreds of miles away. "You have your hotel industry, your agriculture, still attractive for illegal aliens coming into this area," said Gilmore.

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