On the day after U.S. President Barack Obama announced his immigration executive action, some of the top law enforcement officials on the Texas border say that the key to avoiding a new immigration crisis lies on the message that gets taken back to other countries.
The executive action announced by Obama allows for those in the country illegally for several years to avoid deportation however it does not appear to grant a path to citizenship and it does not grant any status to those who have just arrived, if that message remains intact there should not be a surge, said McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez.
McAllen made national news over the summer when a shift in human smuggling routes led to thousands of illegal aliens being detained by federal law enforcement creating a humanitarian crisis. Despite the surge, the citizens of McAllen were not effected by it since the area was primarily a transit area and not their final destination.
“These people are not sitting at home wanting to come to McAllen, Texas, they want to go to Job City USA,” Chief Rodriguez said.
While the surge did not effect the city of McAllen it had a significant effect in the rural areas of Hidalgo County where human stash-houses and pursuits spiked significantly Sheriff Guerra said.
The increase led to state and federal authorities stepping up their presence and strengthening their working relations with local law enforcement allowing them to target the human smuggling organizations, Guerra said.
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