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Court System Is Big Opening For Immigrants
Express-News Border Bureau ^ | 10/14/2003 | Jesse Bogan

Posted on 10/15/2003 9:42:39 AM PDT by texastoo

LAREDO--The government routinely releases undocumented immigrants caught along the U.S.-Mexican border while it decides whether to deport them, and roughly half of them don't show up for their date with an immigration judge.

Federal officials say they don't have the resources to detain them all, and the releases create an opportunity for thousands to bypass the nation's Border Patrol barrier along the Rio Grande.

Another federal agency, U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is chronically short of space at its own facilities or out of money to pay for jail beds at local lockups to house immigrants awaiting court hearings.

So patrol agents release many first-time, non-violent detainees, handing them a "Notice to Appear" document that gets them past Border Patrol checkpoints on the highways leading north is the judge is not based in a border city.

Frustrated patrol agents say the chances of release have become well known to illegal crossers. Those they call "OTMs" shorthand for "Other Than Mexicans," are automatically put in the court system when caught.

Most undocumented immigrants from Mexico are returned under a procedure called "voluntary repatriation".

Describing one of his first days doing "river Watch" in Brownsville, a six-year veteran of the agency said, "They crossed the river right in front of me, came up to my truck and said, 'Hey, we're from Honduras,' I thought, 'What's going on here? They didn't tell me about this at the academy."

The agent said undocumented immigrants from Mexico sometimes claim to be from other countries in an attempt to get into the immigration court pipeline--so agents quiz them about their nations's capital, geography, currency, or the tune of their national anthem.

The agent asked not to be named, but his version of patrol routine was corroborated by two others in the agency elsewhere in South Texas.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.mysanantonio.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; Mexico; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: border; court; federal; immigrantlist; immigrants; judges; otm; patrol; undocumented
This is a long article.

snip...

In 2003, according to preliminary nationwide figures, the Border Patrol apprehended 49,765 non-Mexicans and ICE deported l6,184.

1 posted on 10/15/2003 9:42:40 AM PDT by texastoo
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2 posted on 10/15/2003 9:43:40 AM PDT by Support Free Republic (Your support keeps Free Republic going strong!)
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To: texastoo
The government routinely releases undocumented immigrants caught along the U.S.-Mexican border while it decides whether to deport them, and roughly half of them don't show up for their date with an immigration judge.

So what is the problem here? If they are undocumented, load them into a train for Tiajuana! Undocumented = illegal. 'Nuff said! What is a freaking trial for?

3 posted on 10/15/2003 9:47:10 AM PDT by SpinyNorman
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To: MissAmericanPie; JustPiper; FITZ; Joe Hadenuf; gubamyster; Sabertooth; dennisw
This is how Homeland Security works.
4 posted on 10/15/2003 9:49:11 AM PDT by texastoo
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To: *immigrant_list; A Navy Vet; Lion Den Dan; Free the USA; Libertarianize the GOP; madfly; B4Ranch; ..
ping
5 posted on 10/15/2003 9:50:31 AM PDT by gubamyster
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To: SpinyNorman
Agree with you. However, this even gives them a pass to go through the check points. Can you believe????
6 posted on 10/15/2003 9:52:04 AM PDT by texastoo
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To: SpinyNorman
The government routinely releases undocumented immigrants caught along the U.S.-Mexican border while it decides whether to deport them, and roughly half of them don't show up for their date with an immigration judge.

90% of these illegal aliens are from Central America. Must be deported by airplane and the INS/Border Patrol is too damn f***** up to get the logistics in place to do so in huge numbers. I'll bet they are very happy when these Central Americans don't show up for court appearance. And the ones that do ...... I doubt they are deported in any kind of decent time frame.

7 posted on 10/15/2003 9:55:10 AM PDT by dennisw (G_d is at war with Amalek for all generations)
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To: texastoo
From the article:

"Basically, we bring them back to the office and give them papers so they can walk out the door. We call it a 'notice to disappear,' not a notice to appear, because they are never seen again," he added.

The notices state when and where to show up in court, but 49 percent of those released fail to appear, according to the Executive Office for Immigration Review, a branch of the U.S. Department of Justice, which runs the immigration courts.

"When these people are released on bond, they don't show up," said Garrison Courtney, an ICE spokesman in Washington.

Whether they appeared before the judge or not, only about 14 percent of non-detained immigrants who are ordered deported actually show up for deportation, which can happen weeks later, Courtney said.

8 posted on 10/15/2003 9:58:01 AM PDT by gubamyster
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To: gubamyster
What is truly amazing is that this "Notice to Appear" or as the Border Patrol calls it "Notice to Disppear" is their passport to the northern states. This is a legal paper to by-pass the border patrol checkpoints.
9 posted on 10/15/2003 10:02:15 AM PDT by texastoo
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To: dennisw
90% of these illegal aliens are from Central America. Must be deported by airplane and the INS/Border Patrol is too damn f***** up to get the logistics in place to do so in huge numbers.

The Border Patrol would like nothing better than to load all these people on planes and send them packing. If nothing else they should be detained until their hearing.

There is no more INS thank God, and the responsibility for detaining these aliens now rests with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). I guarantee that ICE has every funded bed space filled to capacity. We can blame the employees of DHS for this, however upon more serious reflection the responsibility clearly rests with our congressional representatives and the administration and their inability to draft a safe and sane immigration policy.

10 posted on 10/15/2003 10:12:28 AM PDT by usurper
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To: usurper
Thanks for the details but I still see a logistical problem in flying out all these border jumpers back to Central America. How many plane loads of illegal border crossers are heading out each week to Guatemala, El Salvador and Hondouras?
11 posted on 10/15/2003 10:31:24 AM PDT by dennisw (G_d is at war with Amalek for all generations)
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To: texastoo
I don't understand something with all these "illegals." Any other country on earth that had a massive influx from border jumping people from another country would set up refugee camps on the border, keep them all there in tents until a decision was made to either admit them, deport them or have them turn around and leave voluntarily. Why can't the U.S. do this?
12 posted on 10/15/2003 10:56:14 AM PDT by doc30
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To: dennisw
Thanks for the details but I still see a logistical problem in flying out all these border jumpers back to Central America. How many planeloads of illegal border crossers are heading out each week to Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras?

I don't believe it is a logistical problem in terms of aircraft. If DHS has a plane load which have been formally deported, and have valid travel documents (the receiving country will not accept them without travel documents) then sending them via a federal or leased aircraft is not a problem.

The logistical problem is one of detention space here in the US while the aliens wait for their hearing. This is compounded by a lengthy administrative deportation process which can literally take years. Its no wonder all the beds are full because the removal process is anything but expedited. The officers go out everyday and do their job arresting these people only to be told "there is no room in the inn" release them on the street. The frustration is endless, as the officer knows full well that these people will never show up for they're hearing.

This system would be comical if our post 9-11 world was not filled with potential danger. Sadly, the system is working perfectly in the eyes of those who created it. It's not an accident, the current system is working exactly as designed.

13 posted on 10/15/2003 11:19:30 AM PDT by usurper
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To: texastoo
AI KARUMBA!!
14 posted on 10/15/2003 11:21:19 AM PDT by neverdem (Say a prayer for New York both for it's lefty statism and the probability the city will be hit again)
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To: doc30
Any other country on earth that had a massive influx from border jumping people from another country would set up refugee camps on the border, keep them all there in tents until a decision was made to either admit them, deport them or have them turn around and leave voluntarily. Why can't the U.S. do this?

Why is the u.S. not doing this? Well, there is an answer. It is not the answer most want to hear because it is not a logical explanation. It is not what our government should do. It is not in the best interests of the citizens of this country. It is not any of these things but it is the simplest answer and the only one that, when applied, makes any sense. Also, no one will like it.

There is a hidden agenda being followed by the federal government that does want to lower all standards of the citizens of the u.S. in order to more easily control them.

Told ya you would not like it.

15 posted on 10/15/2003 11:30:51 AM PDT by TLI (...........ITINERIS IMPENDEO VALHALLA..........)
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To: gubamyster
Where are cowboys when you need them?
16 posted on 10/15/2003 2:27:41 PM PDT by JustPiper (18 out of 19 HiJacker's had State issued Driver's License's !!!)
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To: JustPiper
Cowboys?
17 posted on 10/15/2003 7:28:06 PM PDT by TLI (...........ITINERIS IMPENDEO VALHALLA..........)
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To: TLI
Laredo,Texas=Cowboys
18 posted on 10/16/2003 8:46:31 AM PDT by JustPiper (Do the "Bartman")
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To: JustPiper
Oh. Duh, I can't believe I missed that one, I'm only from Texas...
19 posted on 10/16/2003 10:51:24 AM PDT by TLI (...........ITINERIS IMPENDEO VALHALLA..........)
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To: TLI
LOL ;)
20 posted on 10/17/2003 7:15:23 AM PDT by JustPiper (Curses to the Billy Goat and The Bambino !!!)
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