Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Miscellaneous Border Patrol Border Patrol Operation: Rio Grande and Operation: Big Hassle? You are driving along with a group of friends in your car. You and your friends are talking and laughing having a good time, suddenly as you look in your rear view mirror you see that a sport utility vehicle is following your car. As your imagination begins to grow you begin to try and lose this “stalker”, as you are making your break; you see the flashing lights and begin to hear sirens. No, you are not in a disco dance club; you have just become another victim of, Operation Rio Grande. In the Valley, people have gotten away with car jacking, theft, and fraud, way more than illegal immigrants crossing the border have. In some personal experiences I feel that the actions taken to stop illegal aliens from entering the United States are a bit much. Money spent on Operation Rio Grande could be used for other programs, such as making classes for U.S. citizenship. Instead of spending money on illegal immigrants we could make them U.S. citizens and have them contribute to society by the American nightmare, taxes. Money could go to other programs as well, such as improving roads, hiring another judge, improving out police department. A witness at a murder scene seems to not get asked as much questions as a possible illegal alien. But despite all of the complaints about Operation Rio Grande, you cannot argue with success. From 1996 to 1998, in Kingsville, illegal immigration has gone down 26 percent, and continues to drop. Highway 77, leading from Brownsville all the way to Corpus Christi are the hot zones for alien smugglers, once they get north of the checkpoints they are home free. But, since the increase of border patrol units along U.S. Highway 77 and in Brownsville, many immigrants have started shifting west to travel north on U.S. Highway 281 towards Falfurrias. Joe Garza Chief of Border Patrol in McAllen, claim that apprehensions have increased after shifting towards Falfurrias, but his main concern in U.S. Highway 77, because 80 percent of all illegal immigrant traffic heads in that direction. (Grant) In 1999, the U.S. Border Patrol has recorded that over 111,000 illegal immigrants were forced to leave the country. Even Attorney General Janet Reno called it “a significant milestone.” The new record smashed the old record of 69,000 set it 1996. He also stated with continues help from Congress, by hiring more staff and building more jails, that we can and will make the streets safer. Nearly two-thirds of the 50,000 criminal aliens last had convictions for aggravated felonies, and more than 40 percent of the criminal aliens had drug convictions. Many patrol agents are more than satisfied with the turnout of Operation Rio Grande; crime is down 20 percent in the Valley. (Baro) Even in my own personal experience I have been a victim of Operation Border Patrol, and it is safe to say, that they aren’t bias, they pulled me and my friends over, and only none of us were Hispanic. But the questions kept coming, “Citizenship, what school did we go to, where were we born, have you been drinking, where do you work?” If that’s what people who are not Hispanic have to go through, I cannot help to wonder what the Hispanic looking people go through. Wildlife officials claim that the Border Patrol may be harming animals. The Border Patrol installed dozens of lights along the banks of the river, and it is threatening the endangered, nocturnal ocelot and jaguarondi cats. Because these cats are nocturnal, the lights impose as an obstacle in their ability to move. Fifty miles of floodlights along the Rio Grande will impact everything from moths to butterflies, to birds, bats, and cats, stated by Jim Chapman, chairman of the Lower Valley Sierra Club. What about all this money that is going towards Border Patrol, just in the Rio Grande Valley it costs 3.1 million dollars to keep the Border Patrol running. That’s not ever including California and all the other Border States. Instead of spending money on illegal immigration, we should build more store and buildings causing more job openings and raise the economy. Fixing damaged roads is another “operation” that the Valley could work on, they been promising that for years. Border crackdowns in popular areas shift the immigration flow to less popular regions, deserted like regions where immigrants’ rights may not be protected. I was talking to a rancher about the immigrant situation and he told me a story about how some of the ranchers shoot the illegal aliens for trespassing on their land. He told me that some of these aliens are dying, physically, when they make it to the United States. He said that when he spots a small group of illegal aliens he helps them, he was not helping the alien break the law, he was helping a man live. Despite what people think, believe, and say, immigrants do not come to the United States to commit crimes, they come in hope of getting a job and residing in a community. I believe that the actions taken to slow down illegal immigration are just too much. The only reason immigrants come to the United States is based on our economy compared to Mexico's. The money used for Operation Rio Grande could be used for something more productive. Although crime has been cut down since the operation came into effect, moral crimes are now being committed, people looking for a better way of life are being killed because they are attempting to better themselves. Nothing seems to leading to a cease or slowing down from the Border Patrol mainly because no one can argue with results, and the Operation Rio Grande has more results than the police department. So next time you decide to drive anywhere near the border, you better have two forms of identification, and your birth certificate and be prepared to answer a round of questions. Bibliography: Arrillage, Pauline "Operation Rio Grade" Reporter News Jan.1998 Baro, Madaline "Border Patrol Chief announces enhancement to Operation Rio Grande" Reporter News April 1998 Goldman, Ken "Operation Rio Grande Too Dangerous: Defenders Files Complaint to Protect Endangered Ocelot, Jaguarundi" Environment Aug.19,1999 "Government claims partial victory in struggle against illegal immigration" USNEWS Grant, Mary Lee "Border Patrol: Operation Rio Grande is working" Corpus Christi Times Jan.8,1998 Harmon, Dave "More agents, immigrants travel dangerous terrain" Austin News Nov.28, 1999 Mittelstadt, Michelle "Record number of illegal immigrants forced out last year" Athenauem Oct.15, 1998 http://www.athensnewspapers.com/1997/103197/1031.a3immigrants.html> The Official Site of the US Border Patrol United States Border Patrol Sept.2000 Shannon, Kelly "Mexican consuls decry potential rights abuses under border crackdown" Reporter News Aug.1997 http://www.texnews.com/texas97/response082997.html "Wildlife officials: Operation Rio Grande may be harming animals" Reporter News Sept.16 Word Count: 1030
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