Detaining Of Illegal Immigrants Already Heading Home Draws Criticism

HOUSTON (AP) – Public defenders in Houston are criticizing the recent arrests of illegal immigrants who were pulled out of airplane lines when attempting to fly home to their native countries.

Since July, at least five people have been arrested at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport while trying to board planes headed to Mexico, Honduras or El Salvador, according to Customs and Border Protection officials. All five had been deported previously.

Federal public defenders who take on these cases call the practice a waste of time and money.

“What’s silly about this is that they are on their way home,” said Houston federal public defender Marjorie Meyers. “They have gotten the message that they shouldn’t be here. It’s not cost-effective.”

U.S. Attorney Don DeGabrielle defended the practice, saying that if authorities allowed illegal immigrants to leave without punishment, it would minimize government efforts to control the border.

DeGabrielle also described the five defendants as repeat violators of U.S. immigration laws. “We feel it’s definitely worth the resources to hold these people accountable,” DeGabrielle said.

Airline passenger lists are routinely checked to find people who have broken the law, said U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman Kelly Klundt.

But assistant federal public defender Michael Herman said authorities shouldn’t bother with the time and expense of prosecuting someone who is already leaving the country.

“They are self-deporting,” Herman said, “but they wind up in shackles and chains when these people have … heeded the cry of the public for them to leave.”