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 News from Around the Americas | December 2007 
Officials: Illegal Border Crossings Declining
 NBCSandiego.com
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| | In some cities, police and immigration officers are also cracking down on the so-called sanctuary movement. |
San Diego - Officials with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency say there are fewer people trying to cross into the country illegally than before.(at)Tougher border enforcement and fewer jobs in San Diego - and across the nation - have caused a real decline in the number of Mexican citizens coming across the border, officials said.
In San Diego, the Border Patrol has almost 500 new agents and they're using new methods.
"The fences, the all-weather roads and the cameras and the sensor devices - when you put all that together, it's a lot harder to cross in San Diego than it used to be," said James Jacques with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Agents arrested about 20 percent fewer illegal crossers this year compared to 2006, according to officials. The agency said that's a sign that fewer immigrants are tying to enter the U.S. for jobs.
Economist Alan Gin told NBC 7/39 there are far fewer construction jobs available in San Diego, making the area less of a "magnet" for illegal immigration.
In some cities, police and immigration officers are also cracking down on the so-called sanctuary movement. While some churches offer a home to illegal immigrants, government agents are arresting more of them in this country, and sending them home.
The growth rate of the U.S. Mexican-born population has dropped by nearly half to 4.2 percent in 2007 from about 8 percent in 2005 and 2006, according to an analysis of census data by the Pew Hispanic Center. |
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