Oh, Canada: immigration edition
What would the U.S. do if this happened here? AFP reports:
Authorities have lost track of 41,000 people ordered to leave Canada, and in most cases have stopped looking for them, said a federal watchdog Tuesday.
In a scathing report, Auditor General Sheila Fraser said most of the missing were failed asylum seekers allowed into the country on temporary permits while their immigration or refugee cases were assessed.
However, some of them "may pose a threat to public safety and security," she added.
Oh, wait -- it did happen here.
A Homeland Security Inspector General report (pdf) released last year said that the backlog of immigration cases involving immigrants ordered to leave the U.S. had reached 600,000 -- and the whereabouts of many of those, whether criminal offenders or non-criminal deportees, couldn't be determined. It's important to note that this number represents the backlog, not the number of people missing, as in Canada.
The report put the blame for the backlog, which had been increasing since 2001, on insufficient detention space and systems, along with inadequate staffing. (This focuses on ICE rather than CIS, so it doesn't take into account the long lines legal immigrants face to get in or change their status if they're already here.)
There hasn't been an internal assessment of where the "fugitive" backlog stands more recently. And though Homeland Security has received more beds and staff, it has also stepped up its enforcement efforts, so the backlog may very well still be rising, if at a slower pace.
The Canada case gives occasion to recall that this country's ad-hoc enforcement-first approach doesn't necessarily work as smoothly as advocates hope. And, as the editorial board would argue, it isn't the best approach for the country even when it works as intended.
Homeland Security ought to put a bounty on these people and let private enterprise pick them up. Same for foreign nationals that are wanted in other countries like the lost illegals from Canada, if they are caught down here, may-be it ought to be a dead-or-alive situtation. Bounties paid to Civilians work better than the government.
Posted by: Don M. Powers | May 09, 2008 at 01:38 PM
Oh please... the leftist (this includes the LA Times ed board) solution is to give the criminals citizenship. Great work genius's Remember this, when you finish with this outrage our laws will be meaningless. That includes the laws YOU want obeyed. Like environmental laws, civil rights laws etc.... I used to believe in the law and I laugh now when anybody talks about something being illegal.
Posted by: Juan McAmnesty | May 09, 2008 at 02:18 PM
Frightful isn't it.
Here is a quote from one Canadian paper. It sounds familiar. Apparently the US isn't the only nation in North America with an outdated immigration system. Ours just is worse.
"The point is that thanks to our overly permissive refugee policies and our Byzantine system of review boards and appeals, there's no way Immigration Canada's feeble policing methods can keep up with the hordes of claimants and rejects awaiting hearings or appeals. And because all these people have failed to get approval at some level, at least, there's a good chance we've let in some terrorists and criminals along with the innocent. We'll never really know until it's too late."
Posted by: itsmewin | May 09, 2008 at 04:47 PM
The latest report from the Texas Secretary of State(2005), concludes that illegals cost our local governments over 400 million dollars. I am a taxpayer and that makes me mad.
Detect Detain Deport
The only real solution.
Posted by: Frank Crittenden | May 10, 2008 at 05:14 AM
WHERE'S THE FENCE??
Posted by: Lando | May 10, 2008 at 08:55 PM
Try living in West Texas. We live in a mobil home park and out of about 25 spaces there are only two white families. We get their party trash in our yard every weekend.We have to listen to their music,because we cant turn our t.v. loud enough to drown it out. They impose themselves into every aspect of our lives.Try getting your grocrey shopping done on a Sunday when there visiting in the isles and wont move till their done.I guess you'de say my family is fed up. What has happened to the AMERICA we all used to love. I for one refuse to learn spanish. Im an american and we speak english. Its bad enough so many americans think they should celibrate cynco d mayo. Let them go back to Mexico too.
Posted by: Bobbie Nichols | May 12, 2008 at 02:46 PM