Speech #1100008838

Oklahoma. Utah and Wyoming. Most typical immigration cases go before an immigration judge. and the subjects are deported. But people deported once and caught crossing illegally again can be charged with a felony. And that brings the defendant into federal district court. Those are the cases driving up New Mexicos caseload . . . Some days as many as 90 defendants crowd the courtroom in Las Cruces. . . . The same problems are afflicting federal border courts in Arizona. California. and Texas." Similar problems were documented in the May 23. 2006 Reuters article "Bush Border Patrol Plan to Pressure Courts" which said: "President George W. Bushs plan to send thousands of National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border could spark a surge in immigration cases and U.S. courts are ill prepared to handle them. . . . Even without the steppedup security at the border. federal courts in southern California. Arizona. New Mexico and Texas have been overburdened. Carelli [a spokesman for U.S. federal courts] said those five judicial districts. out of 94 nationwide. account for 34 percent of all criminal cases moving through U.S. courts. . . . Most immigrants caught crossing illegally are ordered out of the country without prosecution. But that still leaves a growing pile of cases involving illegals who are being prosecuted after being caught multiple times or those accused of other crimes. Nationwide. each U.S. judge handles an average of 87 cases a year.