 BORDER NEWS
Three undocumented immigrants injured in a car accident when the Border Patrol vehicle they were being transported in rolled over are suing the agency, along with the widow of a fourth immigrant, who was killed in the accident. According to the suit, the Border Patrol acted negligently by removing the seats in a Ford Bronco and transporting the immigrants. The accident occurred on April 19, 2000 in New Mexico. The suit seeks more than million in damages.
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Border Patrol agents this week arrested 99 undocumented immigrants found in the back of a tractor-trailer in Texas. The immigrants, who were from Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Mexico, paid 0 each to be transported into the US. The driver has been charged with smuggling and the immigrants all deported.
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The Drug Enforcement Agency has agreed to pay .75 million to a Mexican citizen who was paralyzed after being shot by a DEA agent two years ago. Abecnego Monje was shot on January 25, 1999 while trying to cross into the US on an inner tube on the Rio Grande.
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According to an internal INS report, deportations have increased by 164% since the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 was passed. Over the past five years, more than 720,000 foreign nationals have been deported from the US. By far the largest group of deportees is Mexicans. In fiscal year 2000, 149,515 Mexican nationals were deported, up from 51,002 in 1996. The INS portrays the numbers as reflecting its efficiency and concern for public safety, pointing to the number of so-called criminal aliens deported. However, immigration advocates counter this argument by noting that a large number of long-time permanent residents have been deported for minor offenses. Since its enactment, advocates have criticized the 1996 law as unduly harsh and removing the discretion of Immigration Judges to allow a person convicted of a crime to stay.
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