Illegal Entry At A 36 Year Low, But Comprehensive Immigration Reform Still a Must

June 16, 2009

Today, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Immigration Statistics released data on the number of immigrants apprehended at the border attempting illegal entry. The report shows that apprehensions at the border are at a 36 year low.

“The number of apprehensions made by the Border Patrol declined for the third year in a row to 724,000 in 2008 after reaching a mid-decade peak of 1,189,000 in 2005…Border apprehensions in 2008 were at their lowest level since 1973.”

– Apprehensions by the U.S. Border Patrol: 2005-2008, Nancy Rytina and John Simanski, Office of Immigration Statistics, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, June 2009.

The following is a statement by Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, a non-partisan, non-profit pro-immigrant advocacy organization in Washington:

“Reduced unauthorized border entry is good news, but is not a sign that we can put off the reform our immigration and border security systems need.

The economic situation facing the U.S. has reduced the demand for workers and the number of immigrants coming illegally reflects that. Without all that excess opportunity floating around in America, fewer people are willing to risk their lives or risk arrest to come here for a toe hold on the American Dream. Eliminating economic growth is obviously the wrong way to deal with our immigration problems.

Some see reduced border traffic as another excuse to delay immigration reform, but that would be a tragedy. We need immigration reform now more than ever to get immigrants into the system and on to the tax rolls and so that when our economy improves, we have a safe, legal, and orderly way to manage the demand for immigration that future growth will create.

Part of getting the economy back on track is dealing with the reality of 12,000,000 or so immigrants in the country illegally. How can we fix the economy when 5.4% of the workforce is undocumented and essentially unprotected by labor laws? We must get the workforce and all employers on a level playing field so that workers’ rights are protected, competition is fair, and work and commerce are taxed at all levels of government.

Deporting or waiting to drive out 12,000,000 men women and children and their families is a pipe dream; holding out for this fantasy only delays real reform. When our economy was growing, many of us prospered, but we suffered from a mismatch between the supply of legal immigration (visas) and the demand for legal immigration from the economy and U.S. families. This mismatch created the illegal flow, fed the smuggling industry, and resulted in a growing population of undocumented immigrants in this country.

Now, with some of the pressure caused by the mismatch between supply and demand of legal immigration alleviated, we have the opportunity to put in place a rational system, tied to the needs of the economy, which can determine the level of legal immigration we need and ensures that the individuals who come have clear rights and responsibilities and their employers are held accountable. Let’s not miss the opportunity to get workable solutions in place before the economy starts growing again.

Furthermore, with unauthorized traffic down at the border, we can make sure border enforcement resources are deployed in a targeted manner, that the rights and civil liberties of border residents are respected, and that the federal government and local government entities are working cooperatively to target violent crime.

Any delay in crafting, passing, and implementing comprehensive immigration reform just allows a bad situation to get worse and puts off the change the American people demand.” (bold added).