Immigrant Effects, Part 7
There are about a hundred US hospitals along the
US / Mexican border. Each of these hospitals loses an average
of two million dollars a year for the treatment of just illegals
brought in through the emergency room due to debilitation from
exposure. Many of these illegals can spend six months in intensive
care with an average daily cost of $2,000. Usually these cases
are from heat stroke and the prognosis is very poor. The families
do not allow the hospital to discontinue life support and at some
point the patient is returned to Mexico where they then die. Yes,
even half a million dollars to maintain the illegal who is incapable
of ever regaining consciousness and is then returned to Mexico
where they die.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service is proud
to state that the increase in illegal alien traffic has been less
than 275,000 a year. No, that is not the number of illegals crossing
the border, that is the modest increase in the yearly number
of illegals crossing the border.
In 1965, the number of illegal aliens apprehended
by the US Border Patrol was 110,000. In fiscal year 1996 that
number was 1,650,000. The number of apprehensions is not the number
of people who entered the country illegally. The number apprehended
is the number of illegal aliens the US Border Patrol actually
caught. For every illegal alien caught, the US Border Patrol estimates
that they miss four. The good news in this equation is that some
of the illegal aliens the US Border Patrol catches are quickly
deported only to quickly try again. Thus the real number of illegals
actually being caught (subtracting the multiple attempts) might
be as low as 1,200,000. Yes, the US Border Patrol may only be
capturing a little over a million illegals a year. So instead
of possibly 6.5 million illegals getting through the real number
may only be 4.8 million.
There is a certain level of insanity to all of these
numbers. Because, it seems, showing that large numbers of illegal
aliens are entering the country may alarm the populace (especially
today), and so the numbers are to be kept low. How are the numbers
kept low? The US Border Patrol Agent in the field is tacitly encouraged
NOT to apprehend illegals. Yes, just let them through. The logic
is that if the statistics show a low apprehension rate then --
by multiplying by four -- the number of illegals entering the
country must also be lower and thus the US Border Patrol is doing
its job.
Border Patrol management is under extreme pressure
to placate Mr. Chertoff and Mr. Bush in their plans for a happy
future for the United States.
