Border Security by Preventing Folks from Leaving the United States?

Recently I overheard some of my Arizona immigration lawyer friends discussing reports that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials are preventing people attempting to leave the United States through the Nogales Port of Entry. The same reports came from other crossing points.

Considering all the current hue and cry with regards to “too many immigrants in the U.S.,” its unusual that CBP would really interfere with those that wanted to leave. Many of those stopped were actually going to visa consultations at the United States Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in order to get ideal, legal paperwork and return “the correct way.”

The topic was raised, “How does further complicating the lives of individuals trying to adhere to the law by leaving the US enhance our security?”

As strange as it looks, this ‘new’ policy may well be an off-shoot of one of the better concepts in the “border enforcement” solution to national security

In comparison, rounding up and deporting a couple of 100 or a few million undocumented individuals is certainly counter-productive. It only increases the demand for, and the sales from, the cartels’ services. Not to mention shooting our own current economic climate in the foot by depriving it of needed employees, requirement for services and goods, tax proceeds, and so forth.

Besides comprehensive immigration reform (which might eliminate the requirement for unlawful ‘underground’ options of admittance), cutting off the earnings and reducing the firepower of the human- and drug-smuggling cartels might be among the more efficient ways to keep the U.S. secure fram an actual ”threat.”

For this reason “complicating the lifestyles of individuals trying to adhere to the law” [by leaving the U.S.] is really part of a rational immigration plan.

Unfortunately, CBP’s effectiveness with this “outbound interdiction” role is going to be significantly reduced, if they don’t figure out how to do it without terrorizing or alienating the overall society of migrants and various other travelers. Imagine the influence on true “border security,” if all people may see CBP as “the good guys, trying to keep us all safe and sound, from the correct bad guys.”

For more details in relation to Arizona immigration law, call the Mesa Arizona immigration attorneys at Gunderson, Denton, & Peterson at 480-655-7440.