Here is an excerpt from Moises Mendoza's article in The Houston Chronicle:
"U.S. Border Patrol agent John Lopez has seen it all: Men hiding in tiny holes in the ground, in car trunks and behind seat backs. He’s even captured an illegal immigrant hiding in a suitcase... Each year, agents see many brazen attempts to sneak people and drugs into the U.S. But as border enforcement has stepped up in the past two years, smugglers’ schemes appear to be getting more creative and bolder than ever... Smugglers could be turning to craftier tactics because it’s harder than ever to sneak people across the border. Or, as some Border Patrol officials believe, this is nothing strange at all — smugglers are innovating all the time. Between January and March of this year, the Border Patrol captured 164,733 illegal immigrants, compared to about 227,000 over the same period last year. It’s not clear whether the decrease is due to increased enforcement or an ailing economy with few jobs to draw immigrants." Link to Full Article
Analysis: This article makes two main points, both of which are well-presented and important to make note of. First is the point that smugglers have always been creative, and new and crazy ways of bringing people or drugs across the border doesn't necessarily have to be in immediate response to enforcement efforts, the loss of a plaza, etc. Successful drug smugglers know that a portion of their product will be lost to seizures, stolen loads, or lost/dropped loads. They factor this in as a percentage and thus the cost of doing business. Smugglers also know they can reduce their loss percentage by spreading their product around to different smuggling avenues, some of which will inevitably be more successful than others. Some of these methods include the use of backpackers, all-terrain vehicles, ultralights, border tunnels, go-fast boats, and drug submarines. Moving people is a bit of a different story, and allows for a little less creativity simply because people need to breathe, eat, drink water, and relieve themselves, limiting the amount of time and space a person can be cramped into an object or compartment. Ultimately, the creativity just makes good business sense, in addition to helping smugglers thwart the authorities.
The second point is that it's hard to pinpoint exactly why less people are being arrested and detained for attempting to cross the border illegally. I don't think you can point to a single factor. Yes, I believe the ailing US economy has something to do with it. However, the Mexican economy is also ailing - some would say more so than the US - and job prospects for illegals in the US are probably still better in most respects than they are in Mexico. I also think improved enforcement has something to do with it. While CBP and USBP still don't have as many people as they need to maintain control of every square inch of the US-Mexico border - which in some places is extremely rugged and inaccessible during bad weather - the technology available to them has improved significantly. But you can't rely completely on gadgets. Previous deployments of National Guard troops to the border have provided hundreds of extra eyes, which free up USBP agents to conduct apprehensions. Sensors, scopes, helicopters, improved roads, and just plain additional bodies are helping with the enforcement effort.
Bottom line, the creativity will continue, both in the drug and human smuggling arenas, and due to both business/economic reasons and enforcement efforts. Based on the stories in this article and personal anecdotes I've heard from CBP officers, I can't wait to see how crazy these smugglers can get.
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