‘Operation No Pass’ Figures Released

EL PASO — Customs and Border Protection officials arrested and prosecuted 175 illegal immigrants since the “Operation No Pass” program started February 25th.

Under the program, every immigrant caught crossing the border illegally between the Paso del Norte Bridge and Santa Teresa, New Mexico will be prosecuted on criminal charges, officials said.

Before the operation, any illegal immigrant caught crossing the border illegally would only be deported back to Mexico.

U.S. Border Patrol Spokesman Doug Mosier said the original strategy for the operation began in El Paso and then expanded to Santa Teresa. “As long as it’s effective, the operation will continue. There’s no reason to stop,” he said.

Mosier said CBP in the El Paso sector now has more agents, better infrastructure and the newest technology. “There’s no easy way to get into the U.S. illegally,” he said, “that’s what we bank on and that’s what we’re seeing.”

Illiana Holguin, a local immigration advocate, said the program has proven to be successful but fails to address one major problem. “They’re mainly misdemeanors, which is probably just a few days in jail,” she said.

Holguin believes the program will not deter illegal immigration in the long run. “It really is not going to be deterrent to somebody who wants to provide for a family that is starving or for someone who wants to be re-united with their family,” she said.

Mosier disagrees, stating the numbers speak for themselves. “You find a strategy that works, you implement it and you expand it.”

Here is a breakdown of the operation’s numbers:

Operation No Pass (El Paso)

Initiated: 02/25/2008

Total Cases Prosecuted To Date — 175

Felony — 25

Misdemeanor — 150

Statistics for the week of 03/21/08 – 03/27/08

Total — 38

Felony — 4

Misdemeanor — 34

Here is the breakdown of numbers from similar operations:

Operation Lockdown (Santa Teresa, NM)

Initiated: 11/07/2007

Total Cases Prosecuted To Date –1016

Felony — 146

Misdemeanor — 870

Statistics for the week of 03/21/08 – 03/27/08

Total — 49

Felony — 11

Misdemeanor — 38

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Operation Swift Justice (Deming, NM)

Initiated: 03/19/2008

Total Cases Prosecuted To Date — 54

Felony — 18

Misdemeanor — 36

Statistics for the week of 03/21/08 – 03/27/08

Total — 31

Felony — 9

Misdemeanor — 22

Source: US Border Patrol