Estimate of Illegal Alien Population Rises

New figures from the 2000 Census say there are a significantly larger number of illegal aliens or immigrants in the United States than previously estimated by the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

As recently as last year, the INS estimated that the illegal population was 3.5 million in 1990 and 5.1 million as of January 1997.

But the number of illegal immigrants in the United States is at least 7 million and possibly as high as 8 million, according to Census Bureau figures.

A net increase of this size implies that the total flow of new illegals entering each year must be more than 700,000, says the Center for Immigration Studies, because the INS estimates that several hundred thousand illegals return home each year or receive legal status as part of the normal "legal" immigration process.

On average, the net increase had to be 400,000 to 500,000 per year during the 1990s, says CIS.

CIS says the Census Bureau's estimates clearly demonstrate that amnesties don't solve the problem of illegal immigration. Although 2.7 million of the estimated 5 million illegal aliens living in the country in 1986 were given amnesty (legal permanent residence), the new estimates indicate that they have been entirely replaced by new illegal aliens and that by last year the illegal population was 3 million larger than before the last amnesty.

Source - http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=7599

Failure to arrest illegal aliens 'an anomaly'

The U.S. Border Patrol said the failure to arrest and deport four men who are in Bismarck without documentation was a fluke.

Glen Schroeder, chief patrol agent with the Border Patrol in Grand Forks, said the Border Patrol's reaction was an anomaly.

According to Bismarck Police Lt. Nick Sevart, four illegal aliens were discovered Saturday night when police responded to a call about a loud party in south Bismarck. The four men were between 17 and 21 years old - and they were from Mexico.

Bismarck police indicated they will be following up on the matter.

Sevart said when police contacted the Border Patrol and Immigration and Naturalization Service, they were told not to detain or deport the men because they had not committed a major crime.

Usually, the Border Patrol and local police departments work closely to find and deport all illegal aliens in North Dakota.

"We go out of our way to take care of these things," Schroeder said.

However, on that particular day, the Border Patrol was too busy to handle the call.

"We need to have resources, and that time we were just short," Schroeder said. "It was the wrong thing at the wrong time."

The Border Patrol's resources are stretched to shore up security on the border with Canada. "Our mandate is for border security," Schroeder said.

The Border Patrol is responsible for detecting any illegal activity between the ports of entry along the Canadian border and making sure that no one enters through a port of entry that is closed for the night. If they discover people entering the United States without proper documentation, the Border Patrol will take them and make every attempt to remove them.

According to Bismarck Police Sgt. Mark Buschena, the decision about what to do with illegal aliens is left up to the Border Patrol, but usually, action is taken in these cases.

"As far as I know, being in the country illegally is the crime," Buschena said. "Deportation is the penalty."

Schroeder said his department has always supported the Bismarck Police Department's activities and will continue to do so in the future.

"We'll respond to all the requests," he said.

Source - http://www.bismarcktribune.com/uncategorized/article_4e9dacfb-c4e2-5073-9770-b01ddbde7b26.html