NOGALES, Ariz. — Confusion over President Bush's proposal to create a guest-worker program for illegal immigrants has fueled a rush across the Southwest border that threatens to overwhelm the U.S. Border Patrol in some areas, agents say in intelligence reports.
Border Patrol administrators question the connection between the Bush plan -- which is stalled in Congress and is unlikely to be acted on this year -- and the sharp increase in illegal crossings. But reports compiled by rank-and-file agents who patrol the border contend that the January announcement created confusion throughout Latin America, raising expectations of amnesty for new arrivals in the United States.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday May 19, 2004 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 42 words Type of Material: Correction
Immigration -- An article in Sunday's Section A misspelled the surname of a U.S. immigration spokesman, Mario Villarreal, as Villareal. Also, he is a spokesman for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, not the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
That hope has prompted large numbers of workers and families to surge toward the border, the agents wrote. And though a primary goal of the president's proposal was to improve border security, agents suggested in the documents that amid the commotion, foreign terrorists might have an easier time slipping into the country.
Detentions of illegal immigrants along the border -- a primary gauge of immigration trends -- have risen 30% over the first seven months of the fiscal year, a period that includes the four months since Bush announced his plan. Apprehensions are up 56% in the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector, a region that includes most of the Arizona-Mexico border and the nation's busiest routes for illegal immigration.
Bush's program would give three-year renewable work visas to millions of undocumented immigrants inside the United States and to others who wish to enter and can prove they have been offered a job.
The proposal has angered some on the right who see it as rewarding illegal acts, and some on the left who see it as a grab for Latino votes and a favor to the business community.
When agents interviewed immigrants this year in Altar, Mexico, "several migrants [asked] where they had to go to apply for the new work permit," though such a permit does not exist, according to one report.
Several agents noted that interviews with detainees confirmed that rumors of an amnesty program were spreading, though the White House had said amnesty was not part of the president's proposal.
"Even though Congress has not approved the work program, they (Mexican Nationals) believe the program is already approved because President Bush talked about [it]," an agent wrote. "In Mexico when their President gives a statement regarding reforms or changes in their country, it is accepted as law."
The documents are primarily internal field reports written by Tucson Sector agents to alert supervisors and peers to trends in illegal immigration and smuggling. Similar summaries are written routinely, often weekly, by agents across the country. The names of the agents who wrote the reports were blacked out before the documents were given to The Times.
Rank-and-file agents, many of whom are supportive of the Bush administration, have been critical of the immigration plan, calling it a slap in the face to thousands who have devoted their careers to policing the border and catching illegal immigrants. Some have also chafed at changes to their jobs required by their inclusion in the Department of Homeland Security.
Top Border Patrol officials point out that illegal immigration was increasing before Bush's announcement. Detentions rose 6.4% from January 2003 to January 2004. But as word of Bush's proposal and rumors of amnesty spread, apprehensions jumped rapidly -- by 14.2% in February, 57.5% in March and 79.6% in April.
The Border Patrol concedes that it only captures a portion of those trying to enter the country illegally. That is particularly worrisome, agents wrote, when Islamic extremists are believed to be establishing a foothold in Latin America. Agents said they were so busy chasing down people who were trying to enter the United States in search of jobs that they could miss those trying to enter with sinister plans.
"Possible terrorist cell groups may exploit this high influx phenomenon," one agent wrote. "[O]ur immigration system may in fact become over burdened to the point that many individuals may fall through the cracks allowing subjects that may be affiliated with terrorist groups to enter the country without being identified, or stopped."
White House spokesman Ken Lisaius said Bush had done his best to clarify that "this is not an amnesty program," and said the plan would help "identify foreign visitors and immigrants and make clear their intentions in coming to this country."
"One of the pillars, or priorities, of this proposal is to protect the homeland by better protecting our borders," he said.
Supervisors in the Tucson Sector declined to comment for this article. T.J. Bonner, a 25-year veteran of the force and president of the National Border Patrol Council, the union that represents 9,000 rank-and-file agents, confirmed that the documents were authentic.
