Musings on Immigration

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS A guide for American citizens or permanent residents at airports or ports of entry If you are traveling into the United States from overseas, you will be questioned by Customs and Border Protections (CBP). You may also encounter other law enforcement officers. Depending on where you were born or your nationality, you may face more questioning than other travelers. Whether you are selected for secondary search may be based on your religion, race, national origin, gender identity, ethnicity, or political beliefs. Here are eight things you SHOULD and SHOULD NOT do if you're a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (green card holder) and you're held for questioning at the border: You will be asked questions about your travels or your immigration status. You should answers those honestly but briefly. Make any required declarations about money or items you are carrying. However, be careful with what you disclose to CBP and do not offer more detail tha...

The LA Times Reports that apprehensions of undocumented migrants are down significantly this year , and appear to have dropped to levels not seen since the 1970s. In fact, the Yuma Sector of the Border Patrol reported not a single arrest for 2 days in December 2008. This from a Sector that was featured on that ridiculous show “Homeland Security” featuring migrants caught last summer. Apparently, there was no guarantee of catching anyone today! One has to ask: Is this a result of all the money the Bush, and now Obama Administrations have poured into border security and deterrence? Or, is there something much bigger at play here? What comes to mind immediately when these raw statistics are rehearsed is that old James Carville saying from the 1992 election: “Its the Economy Stupid.” The reality of the economic impact on the sharp reduction of undocumented immigration is played out in the last paragraph of this article when it becomes clear that while there are still folks wanting and eve...