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INS DISCUSSES IMMIGRATION EFFECT OF HURRICANE MITCH
In the months since Hurricane Mitch, concerns about the impact of the storm on patterns of immigration have been voiced. Many, both in and out of the INS, worry that the storm may cause larger than usual numbers of Central Americans to seek work in the U.S. So far, however, this concern is unfounded.
While more Central Americans than usual have been apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol at the Mexican border, 6,064 during the last three months of 1998, compared with 4,734 over the same period in 1997, officials have not yet seen the high numbers they originally feared. Nonetheless, a classified INS intelligence report still warns of a possible mass influx of Central American migrants.
A number of policy experts are suggesting that a way to prevent such a wave of immigration is to provide sufficient relief funds to the area that would provide an incentive to remain. To this end, President Clinton has promised to seek $ 956 million in additional aid for the region. Republicans in Congress, however, are hesitant to make such an appropriation, saying the US budget cannot allow for the expenditure. According to immigrants from Honduras, emergency aid is not yet reaching rural areas, increasing the drive for people in those areas to begin migrating north.