U.S. Border Patrol, San Diego, Calif. / AP
The recent release of illegal immigrants in detention, the Obama administration’s renewed push for amnesty, and the planned furlough of thousands of border patrol agents will result in more illegal crossings, immigration experts and border officials say.
“It’s the perfect storm,” said Stuart Harris, the vice president of Local 1929 of the National Border Patrol Council in El Paso, Texas.
The planned furloughs of border patrol guards and the push for immigration reform has now given illegal immigrants the perfect opportunity to come across the border, he said.
“Now’s the time to do it,” Harris said.
Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the nonpartisan Center for Immigration Studies, agreed.
“It’s a giant catch and release program,” she said. “Why go through the expense of applying for a visa, when you can get turned down?”
Instead, said Vaughan, if you come here illegally, “you’ll get processed and get released and the worst that will happen to you is you will be turned back to Mexico.”
