Illegal Alien Sweep - More Headlines Than Substance

(Boston, Massachusetts) A nation-wide sweep called Operation Return to Sender began May 26 and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have arrested nearly 2,100 illegal aliens. Officials stated that the raids focused on child molesters, gang members, violent criminals, and aliens who have been previously deported.

From CNN.com:

The operation has caught more than 140 immigrants with convictions for sexual offenses against children; 367 known gang members, including street soldiers in the deadly Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13; and about 640 people who had already been deported once, immigration officials said. The numbers include more than 720 arrests in California alone.

More than 800 people arrested already have been deported. [Ed. note: It's presumed that the 800 deported are part of the 2,100 apprehended since Operation Return to Sender began.]

These numbers sound good and will probably make rosy headlines, however, I hesitate to be too positive. Although 800 illegals have been deported as a result of the current sweep, 640 had to be arrested for sneaking into the country after previously being deported. So, there's no guarantee those 800 deportees won't be back in the U.S. tomorrow. Furthermore, it's not comforting to know that of 150 illegals apprehended in New England alone, 75 had been previously kicked out of the country.

Also, the 2,100 illegals arrested in the current sweep looks ridiculous when evaluated against the estimated 500,000 "fugitive aliens" who have been deported once or never left when ordered. Doing the math, Operation Return to Sender has resulted in the arrest of 0.42 % of the fugitive aliens on America's streets. For emphasis, less than one-half of one percent of the criminals were rounded up. And, since illegals can ping-pong themselves across U.S. borders at will, I'm confident that at least half of those deported will return to the U.S. quickly.

It's unknown precisely what duration an average deportee actually stays in his home country before returning to the U.S., but I would guess that the time spent is no more than two weeks. And why not? Far too often, it appears that deportation is to an illegal alien what a time-out is to a grade-schooler.


[Update 1530 EDT]

My contention that deportation is ineffective because the aliens simply turn around and re-cross the border is overshadowed by the greater concern that most illegals are not even deported after arrest. Debbie Schlussel explains.

Catch-and-release of these and other illegal aliens has not stopped. It has only ramped up to catch up with the ramped up PR arrests. ICE has not increased its number of beds to what is needed to hold and deport these illegals. And ICE continues to issue these people Notices to (Dis)Appear, turning them back into the great American abyss, many never to be found again.

It's disgusting. Most illegals don't get deported and those that do, come right back.