As Illegal Entry Rises, Solutions Include Establishing Work Visas and Bilateral Agreements with Mexico and Central America

Illegal entry, as measured by apprehensions at the border, has increased by 45 percent since FY 2011, according to an analysis of data obtained from the U.S. Border Patrol. Based on data through May 2014, apprehensions willreach 476,557 or higher by the end of FY 2014, which would be 45 percent higher than the FY 2011 total of 327,577. Much of the increase in illegal entry is from migrants, including both adults and unaccompanied minors,from Central America. This level of illegal entry is likely to persist if the U.S. economy continues to improve and Congress does not pass legislation to establish legal visas for lower-skilled work. Moreover, the time has come toestablish bilateral agreements with Mexico and Central America that would, in part, authorize work permits for nationals of those countries in exchange for cooperation on immigration enforcement. If parents had been able towork in the United States legally and travel freely back and forth to Central America it is likely the current situation along the Southwest border would never have happened, since parents would have gone home to help theirchildren or petitioned for them legally. The current policy primarily benefits human smuggling cartels, which profit by controlling the routes to enter the U.S. illegally. Relying on U.S. law enforcement alone (Border Patrol andinterior enforcement) to resolve primarily an economic issue (people from poorer countries seeking jobs in America or joining parents already working in the United States) has proven to be a questionable policy choice. Absent a change in policy, the costs in dollars and human lives will remain substantial.

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