The number of illegal immigrants has dropped, but the relationship remains tense

The number of illegal immigrants has dropped, but the relationship remains tense (Alberta Times) According to the police chiefs of various cities, the local crime rate is low and continues to decline, and illegal immigration-related...

Number of illegal immigrants drops, tensions remain (Alberta Times) According to municipal police chiefs, local crime rates are low and continue to decline, and crimes and expenses related to illegal immigrants are also decreasing. Federal officials held meetings with state and local police officers at the Border Security Show in Phoenix last Tuesday and Wednesday. Most of them believe that the number of immigrants caught smuggling has dropped from a peak of 1.1 million in 2005 to 340,000 in 2011, which has reduced the burden on the police, but has also caused worrying changes in crime. While they say they are no longer seeing large numbers of illegal immigrants flooding into the U.S. to compete for low-wage jobs, federal and local law enforcement officials say they are now forced to confront more persistent and potentially more threatening smugglers, including those carrying smuggled drugs. Federal officials point out through statistics and charts that illegal immigration has dropped significantly over the past five years as border strength has been strengthened. But local law enforcement officials, especially county police chiefs who patrol desert areas along the border, see things differently. "We see a lot of ranching families in rural counties, a lot of people living in fear every day," said Los Roque, deputy police chief of Cochise County in the southeast near Mexico. At this exhibition, dozens of technology companies provided the latest paramilitary tools to help strengthen border security. Contractors large and small provide radar that can see through walls, thermal cameras mounted on high poles on patrol cars, and they can be installed on unmanned patrol boats in waters unfit for human navigation. But Governor Brewer's opening remarks Tuesday pitted him against federal officials. She claims federal border enforcement is outrageous. "No distortion can obscure the absolute truth. For years, Washington stood idly by and allowed the border to become more porous and more dangerous." In response, Ahern, a former senior Customs and Border Protection official, said Brewer's statement was a "very personal opinion." With many federal officials still on the job, the rhetoric was less direct. And Aherne said border security has improved dramatically. He said the Border Patrol has expanded to 21,000 personnel, an all-time high, and a series of new technologies are being adopted, including a remote video surveillance system and seven drones. Allen, the federal agent in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigations in Arizona, said 51 halfway houses were raided in Phoenix last year, and federal agents raided 181 halfway houses in 2008. He said a total of 800 illegal immigrants were arrested in raids in 2011, while in 2008 3,200 illegal immigrants were arrested. Mesa Police Chief Milstead said the local crime rate has dropped to its lowest level since the 1960s. He said that of the 17,900 arrests in the Mesa area last year, only 2% were suspected of illegal immigrants. That impact on the department's prisons has been minimized. But Los Rock, deputy chief of the Cochise County Police Department, also admitted the new reality: In 2010, more than 300 illegal immigrants wanted to go to the United States to participate in criminal activities. He said police in the county are facing different types of illegal immigrants: appearing as individuals or in small groups, and smuggling in marijuana or other drugs. Most of the smugglers want to hand over the drugs to the transit person and then return to Mexico quickly. Coker Ham, the police chief of Nogalas, the busiest city for illegal immigration, said the city's crime rate is very low, with only two homicides in the past seven years. But he was shocked when a high school student was recently arrested with nearly 4 pounds of heroin and $80,000 in cash in his backpack. Federal investigators have also reported alarming attacks on border agents by illegal immigrants. Tegall, the FBI's special agent in charge in Arizona, said the bureau opened nearly 500 investigations into attacks on agents in Arizona last year - from rocks thrown to shootings. That number is more than four times the 117 cases in 2008.