New program in Texas jails illegal immigrants

[deadparrot]

EAGLE PASS, Texas (Reuters) - A pilot program that jails all illegal immigrants crossing into this Texas border town from Mexico has led to a dramatic fall in numbers attempting the journey, the U.S. Office of Border Patrol said on Friday.

A program known as Operation Streamline II, instituted on December 12, is aimed mostly at non-Mexican illegal immigrants who were arrested and released because Border Patrol agents did not have sufficient space to jail them.

The blanket crackdown is also being applied to undocumented Mexicans who were previously subject to criminal background checks and released back over the Rio Grande without charges.

The U.S. Marshals Service has freed up 1,000 beds in several county jails abutting the Border Patrol region that includes Eagle Pass, Texas, to accommodate the growing number of immigrants.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/usa_mexico_immigrants_dc

[Eugene]

1. What kind of people did they turn loose to free up those jail cells?

Buglars, purse snatchers?

[GRLMGC]

2. the immigrants just go to other, more dangerous points of

crossing.

[stepnw1f]

3. Yuh... that's Gonna Work. NOT!

These people just plain stupid!

[DBoon]

4. The more illegal immigrants are intimidated

The easier it becomes to exploit them.

[pinerow]

5. Who are they letting out in order to accomodate the latest

xenophobic craze...:wtf:

[Maestro]

6. My family is from Eagle Pass.

For years, there was a nice harmony between Americans and immigrants or simply day-workers who held jobs in the US, but lived in Piedras Negras across the border. Anyhow, the antagonism against everyone who is foreign down there has taken over mostly as a result of the extreme right's posturing and xenophobic ways. Anyhow, the last time I was down there in August when my grandfather died, they were quickly expanding the local jail or border patrol holding tanks there so this has probably been in the plans for a while.

[pinerow]

7. My first wife's family is from Eagle Pass\Piedras Negras...

been there plenty of times...always felt welcomed...first place I tasted chili habanero...