Federal prosecution of illegal immigrants soars
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The Bush administration has sharply ratcheted up prosecutions of illegal immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico border in the last year, with increases so dramatic that immigration offenses now account for as much as half of the nation’s federal criminal caseload, writes Nicole Gaouette from Washington.
In the widening crackdown, administration officials prosecuted 9,350 illegal immigrants on federal criminal charges in March, up from 3,746 a year ago and an all-time high, according to statistics released Tuesday. Those convicted have received jail sentences averaging about one month.
See Nicole’s blog post on the issue yesterday, with comments, here.
-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City