INS COMMISSIONER ADMITS BORDER ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS HAVE FAILED IN PART While in Arizona this week to announce the beginning of a new anti-smuggling effort, INS Commissioner Doris Meissner said in an interview that US border policy in recent years has not had the intended effect. Since 1993, various programs have been launched to stop undocumented cross border traffic, from Operation Hold the Line in El Paso to Operation Gatekeeper in San Diego. These efforts were successful in meeting the expressed goal of cutting the flow of people at high traffic areas. Migrants began crossing through Arizona, as the INS expected would happen.
But what happened next was not anticipated by the agency. Operation Safeguard was implemented at Douglas, Arizona. According to statements made in an interview with The Arizona Republic, Meissner said that the INS believed that once migrants were forced out of the cities and into the deserts, “the number of people crossing the border through Arizona would go down to a trickle once people realized what it’s like.” Instead, people continued to cross the border wherever they could, and increasing numbers of people have died in the deserts of rural southern Arizona.
Despite what many view as a clear failure of border policy, Meissner said that she nonetheless feels that most border initiatives have succeeded. She also pointed to the recent Operation Skywatch, which has placed additional agents and resources on the border to search for migrants stranded in the desert.
Douglas Mayor Ray Borane, a vocal critic of US border policy, was not impressed with Meissner’s view that it has been an overall success. He compared plans to rescue migrants that have been forced into the desert to throwing a child into the water and saying that we can rescue the child from downing. < Back | Next > Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk. | 
