- WASHINGTON -- Anyone caught
sneaking into the United States across land borders from Canada or Mexico
faces deportation with no right to an immigration hearing under new regulations
announced yesterday by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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- "Those who choose to break our nation's immigration
laws will be promptly removed from the U.S.," said Asa Hutchinson,
undersecretary for border and transportation security.
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- The new rules, part of Washington's sweeping effort to
tighten its border controls, could mean that a legally landed immigrant
in Canada could be deported to his or her home country.
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- "But it's quite possible that we would return that
individual to Canada," said Bill Strassberger, a spokesman for Homeland
Security.
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- "That would be determined on a case-by-case basis
and would depend on whether Canada would have them back."
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- The new rules essentially mean that existing procedures
used at airports would now apply to those caught illegally crossing the
long U.S. land borders with Canada and Mexico.
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- Under the program, known as "expedited removal,"
anyone caught illegally in the United States up to 160 kilometres from
the border can be deported without a hearing.
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- "In most cases," anyone apprehended close to
the border having entered the United States within two weeks will not be
provided a hearing "before an immigration judge, unless the migrant
is determined to have a credible fear of return to his or her country,"
the department said.
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- "The expanded use of expedited removal is primarily
directed at those illegal aliens who are not citizens of Mexico or Canada."
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- The measures are mainly aimed at the tens of thousands
of Central Americans who cross into the United States from Mexico.
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- Although current law allows illegal Mexican migrants
to be sent back immediately if they are caught, non-Mexicans are held in
detention centres.
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- "Overall, the numbers apprehended along the northern
border are very, very small," Mr. Strassberger said.
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- More than 42,000 illegal immigrants from countries other
than Mexico have been apprehended along or near the Mexican-U.S. border
in the past 16 months. All of them are currently entitled to a immigration
court hearing, creating a backlog that stretches to more than a year.
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- Also yesterday, the department extended the time limit
for short-term visits by Mexicans with border-crossing cards to 30 days
from 72 hours. Those visits, restricted to 40 kilometres of the border,
are designed for short shopping trips.
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- "It's designed for tourism, business and travel,"
Mr. Hutchinson said. "Those individuals who follow legal immigration
procedures will benefit." Mexicans need to undergo background checks
before being issued the short-term visas.
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- The measure is expected to be popular in states such
as Arizona and New Mexico, where there are tightly fought races for the
November election. President George W. Bush is expected to campaign today
in Arizona.
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- "It's 27 more days in a row that people from Mexico
can come here and spend money... It's 10 times more than what we have right
now, so it's great," said Bill Summers, president of the Rio Grande
Valley Partnership, which promotes the South Texas region.
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