Arrests of illegal immigrants keep dipping along Mexican border

Feb 6, 7:09 PM EST
By ARTHUR H. ROTSTEIN

Associated Press Writer

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- Border Patrol apprehensions are continuing to drop along the Mexican border, a sign that changes in policy and increased resources are paying off, U.S. Border Patrol officials say.

What's missing at this point is comprehensive immigration reform that would remove the economic pressure driving most illegal immigrants to come to the United States, said Xavier Rios, a Border Patrol national headquarters spokesman.

"If there's a way that the pressure could be taken off the law enforcement piece of it by basically taking the economic migrant out of the mix, then we'll be well on our way to getting effective control of the border," Rios said. "The majority of the folks that we apprehend are coming in for jobs."