Illegal immigrants' cheap ticket home

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

We're 33,000 feet above the Sonora Desert in Arizona. Guards are watching for any sudden movement. They are wearing dark sunglasses so the passengers can't see their eyes. In all, there are 14 of them: Federal marshals trained in hand-to-hand combat. The passengers are for the most part wearing shackles and handcuffs.

Welcome to "Con Air." That's what Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials call this flight full of undocumented immigrants, which left from Williams International Airport in Mesa, Arizona. From this airport alone, three full flights leave each week bound for Central America.

This "expedited removal" program began last September in order to cut through the red tape and remove undocumented immigrants from the United States -- not within months or years, as was typical, but within days. The number of flights nationally has already been increased to 12 per week. ICE officials say they've removed 81,000 people in three months this year. Never before have so many illegal immigrants been removed from the United States in such a short period of time, these officials tell us.

The flight we're on is headed for Honduras. Onboard, we find immigrants separated by two classifications: 1) Criminal aliens, whose crimes range from heroin smuggling, murder and petty offenses; 2) Those whose sole crime is being in the United States illegally.

When we land, we realize Honduran officials are almost embarrassed to receive us. They can't keep their own people in their own country, and there are three reasons for it: No money, no money, no money.

After touching down, we visit some small villages outside Tegucigalpa, Honduras' capital. It appears as though half the boys are gone. Where are they? Many people told us they are in America looking for work.

On this trip, we met one young man, Marlon Vargas, 23, who has snuck into the United States seven different times. He says the United States is making it more difficult for him to stay in the country, so he plans to join the Honduran military instead of trying again to get into the United States.

Prior to the "Con Air" program, illegal aliens would have gotten written notice to appear for a deportation hearing. More often than not, they wouldn't show, according to Gary Mead, assistant director of ICE. Now, they often are on plane out of the country within days.

"It's a hope that these people, when they get back, will explain to others that there is no safe haven anymore, and that when people are apprehended, they are processed quickly and they are returned quickly," Mead said.

[Fuzzness 2]

at $40,000 per person that must be a very expensive flight

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

He says the United States is making it more difficult for him to stay in the country, so he plans to join the Honduran military instead of trying again to get into the United States.

Enforcement works, even when it is not perfect

[Sinergy 3]

at $40,000 per person that must be a very expensive flight

gold plated seats, and 1st class gormet meals

[Ban Hammer 13,334]

i say drop them off in the southernmost corner of their country, parachutes optional

[Sinergy 3]

i say drop them off in the southernmost corner of their country, parachutes optional

[almaty 19]

i say drop them off in the southernmost corner of their country, parachutes optional

just wrong...

[Ban Hammer 13,334]

i say drop them off in the southernmost corner of their country, parachutes optional

just wrong...

i'm not running for political office.......

[almaty 19]

i say drop them off in the southernmost corner of their country, parachutes optional

just wrong...

i'm not running for political office.......

no or being human either...

[peejay 327]

I have watched this in action for years and it really does nothing. In the early 1980's I traveled from Houston to work my offshore shift out of Corpus Christi, TX. Every week I used to stop at my favorite CONOCO station in Victoria, TX off of Hwy 59. It was also the favorite stop of the INS buses heading west full to deposit deportees back to Mexico and returning empty. I saw this week in and week out for years. And it solved absolutely nothing. It is plain as day to me 20+ years later.

Until the US government quits lying and actually puts mechanisms in place to enforce laws against employers...sending back illegals is a waste of money. When they can't work they won't come and the ones over here already will go back home where they can work. HR4437 and real enforcement is the answer.

The illegals hate HR4437 because it will work. It is plastered on their T-shirts and on their protest signs.

They want amnesty and hate HR4437. Need I say more?

[Jasman0717 9]

[Ban Hammer 13,334]

i say drop them off in the southernmost corner of their country, parachutes optional

just wrong...

i'm not running for political office.......

no or being human either...

so that explains these tentacles and such......

[Nessa 23]

i say drop them off in the southernmost corner of their country, parachutes optional

just wrong...

i'm not running for political office.......

no or being human either...

so that explains these tentacles and such......

making friends again, hubby?

[arwensun1965 0]

It all seems to be a good idea but the US government has to set some kind of program in place so that the illegal immigrants will no longer be a problem, that said it is going to be costly which ever way the US government implement it. I noticed on the news that they were waving flags that were not American, these people cannot want to be here that much if they cannot even wave the flag of the country that they insist that they want to stay in. Can someone make me understand this type of action??

Janice

[ace13 0]

It all seems to be a good idea but the US government has to set some kind of program in place so that the illegal immigrants will no longer be a problem, that said it is going to be costly which ever way the US government implement it. I noticed on the news that they were waving flags that were not American, these people cannot want to be here that much if they cannot even wave the flag of the country that they insist that they want to stay in. Can someone make me understand this type of action??

Janice

It doesn't make sense and makes them look rediculous to the majority of Americans.