Border Patrol apprehensions supposedly down; propaganda?

The long article "Border patrol says Bush plan is working" says that Border Patrol apprehensions of illegal aliens are down 11% over last year in Arizona and 8% along the entire border. The article says that might be due to the National Guard troops stationed at the border, but it also says that relying on such numbers as an indicator of reduced attempts to cross is not advised. Oh, and it also buries this:

...Border Patrol officials say the work being done by guard troops has freed 108 agents in Arizona to go out into the field. The troops are intended to serve as a stopgap until the Border Patrol has time to recruit, hire, and train 6,000 additional agents by the end of 2008.

This June,the National Guard plans to cut in half the number of troops deployed along the border. The Border Patrol, meanwhile, is struggling to find enough qualified candidates. The agency plans to add 2,500this fiscal year, 6,000 by the end of 2008, for a total of 18,000. But it's unclear whether the agency will be able to meet those goals. The Border Patrol estimates it will have to interview 500,000 people to find 6,000 qualified candidates.

So far, the Border Patrol has hired 367 new agents. Another 739 are currently in training at the Border Patrol academy in New Mexico. But many candidates wash out before graduating, or don't pass muster once they get out in the field...

Immigration · Thu, 12/28/2006 - 04:50 · Importance: 1