The Real Impact of Operation Streamline : AZ IMC

As of February 19 when this reporter observed the court proceedings in Tucson, AZ the U.S. Government continued to dehumanize the 42 men and one woman who shared the typical story of those traveling through our desert. Most were married with children and some were in their late fourties. Many told of their U.S. Citizen children, and in some cases parents and spouses, that they were hoping to join. Those who were not reuniting with family in the U.S. regularly spoke of how they were hard working farmers who could not provide for their families and hoped to come and work for a time. Two parents spoke of how their children were sick and that they sought assistance in the U.S.

Many had been robbed and beaten by bandits en route. While “illegal entry” is a victimless crime many other violent crimes against people are occuring in the shadows thanks to our governments enforcement-only approach. One lawyer actually raised the question of why we are prosecuting simple farmers but can’t manage to catch the banditos.

The defendants sentences varied from 7 days to 180 days. For most even an additional week with no prospects of earning money to support their family is a serious punishment in and of itself. This disparate enforcement strategy is just one more step in a long-line of practices that have served to increase death and suffering while stripping away dignity in the name of creating a detterent.

Since 1998, over 4,000 men, women, and children have died attempting to come and work in the U.S. or reunite with families here. A disproportionate amount of these deaths have occurred in the Tucson Border Patrol Sector as a result of Operation’s Gatekeeper, Hold-the-Line, and Safeguard in urban areas in California, Texas, and Arizona respectively. The stepped up enforcement along the impossible-to-be-sealed southern Arizona border has strengthened the drug cartels and bandits that have been preying on migrants and residents on both sides of the border.

Background:

On January 14, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began a limited zero-tolerance enforcement strategy based on Operation Streamline. Streamline, hailed as a success in the much smaller Del Rio and Yuma Border Patrol Sectors, called for the criminal prosecution of all unauthorized border crossers in the sectors. Prior to Streamline unauthorized entrants without previous convictions were put through an administrative procedure instead of a criminal prosecution.

In the 262 mile-wide Tucson Sector, BP agents are supposedly nabbing 40 single men (18-35 years-old) daily to be criminally prosecuted. Many question how those 40 individuals are chosen among the hundreds of daily detentions currently in the sector. Sector spokespersons say that ultimately the project will truly be a zero-tolerance strategy but that the infrastructure must first be developed to handle the massive load of cases. Public Defenders in the Federal Court in Tucson already have six-times the normal caseload.

To accommodate the additional caseload, numerous contract lawyers have been hired to represent the migrants. Outside legal experts express concern that this overstressed system forces defendents into subpar representation and nearly forced plea deals. These practices ultimately erode the judicial process and tack huge public costs to further enforce a permanent subcitizenry. The lawyers have 30 minutes to meet with each client (many are representing close to ten per day) before they plea.

For those held for longer than 45 days, their personal belongings removed by Border Patrol upon being taken into custody are forfeited. Such belongings include Mexican Identification (which is necessary for most travel and hospital admission), money, clothing, and all other personal effects.

My heart just bleeds for 'em. The U.S. taxpayer having to pay for this crap - not the illegal aliens. Screw them.