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Monday 6 noveMber 2017

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More border crossers prosecuted in ‘new era’ of enforcement

By ASTRID GALVAN first-time border crossers
Associated Press - heavily increasing the
PHOENIX (AP) — When program’s caseload - af-
U.S. Attorney General Jeff ter years of prosecuting
Sessions delivered his get- only repeat offenders. The
tough-on-immigration move is a small part of
speech in the border city the overall increase in im-
of Nogales early this year, migrant prosecutions that
he promised a “new era” in Sessions has called for.
immigration enforcement. Just how effective Opera-
Six months later, some of tion Streamline is at reduc-
those promises are taking ing repeat border crossings
shape in federal court, but is unclear.
through the expansion of A report by the U.S. Gov-
a nearly decade-old pro- ernment Accountability
gram known as Operation Office this year found that
Streamline, in which immi- the way the Border Patrol
grants accused of coming calculates recidivism rates
into the U.S. illegally com- in programs such as Op-
plete a usually months-long eration Streamline results in
prosecution process in one lower figures by only con-
day. Critics say the pro- sidering whether a defen-
gram violates due process dant re-entered illegally In this Feb. 8, 2017 file photo, Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos is locked in a van that is stopped in
and does nothing to deter within a year. the street by protesters outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Phoenix. Ad-
repeat offenses. The Border Patrol finds only vocacy groups said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are rounding up people
In Arizona, federal authori- 14 percent of migrants in large numbers around the country as part of stepped-up enforcement under President Donald
ties are now prosecuting who go through programs Trump, a decade-old deterrence program for prosecuting immigrants in its get-tough approach
to immigration. But it’s unclear just how effective that program is.
(Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic via AP)
designed to deter border ecuted. University of California,
crossings reoffend. The As of this spring, when the Berkeley Law School paper,
Government Accountabil- agency decided to resume saying that pursuit of more
ity Office puts that figure prosecutions of first-timers, serious offenders was “con-
at 29 percent based on its hearings are held four days sistent with what the public
own methodology, which a week and with close to (in California) would like
the Border Patrol has de- the maximum number of to see.”Border Patrol Chief
clined to adopt. defendants per hearing, Rodolfo Karisch, who took
Customs and Border Pro- which is 70.In August, U.S. over as head of the Tuc-
tection spokeswoman Jen- Marshals led small groups son Sector in August, said
nifer Gabris said the recidi- of mostly men into a fed- programs like Operation
vism rate for defendants eral courtroom. The men Streamline are necessary
who go through Opera- stood in front of their court- to show migrants who cross
tion Streamline was about appointed attorneys and the border illegally that
8 percent in the 2016 fis- listened to a judge give there are consequences
cal year.The Border Pa- instructions, tell them their to their actions. He said
trol’s Tucson Sector, which rights and ask questions the program in Tucson has
comprises most of Arizona, through a translator. been successful.
is one of four in the nation Still in the clothes they were “At the end of the day, if
that still use the program. wearing when they got you simply arrest someone
In these court hearings, caught, some appeared and nothing ever happens
dozens of immigrants who confused when asked to them, then they just
were just caught crossing questions. continue to come back,”
the border are assigned All of them pleaded guilty. Karisch said.
an attorney, go before a Federal prosecutors in Cali- But many migrants do
judge, plead guilty and are fornia, unlike those in Arizo- come back.Take Ernesto
sentenced all within a day. na and Texas, have reject- Dorame-Gonzalez, a Mexi-
In recent years, there were ed Streamline, considering can man who was has
few defendants in Tucson it an ineffective drain on been arrested for crossing
because there weren’t resources. Karen Hewitt, the border illegally multiple
as many migrants caught the top federal prosecu- times since at least July
crossing and first-time of- tor in San Diego from 2007 2013, according to court
fenders weren’t being pros- to 2010, is quoted in a 2010 records.q