This International Herald Tribune article makes it sound like recent border control changes are actually reducing the flow of illegal immigrants.
"It's become much more difficult," Valenzuela said, echoing the comments of dozens of other migrants.The only barometer to gauge whether migrants are being discouraged to attempt entering the United States is how many migrants are caught. In the past four months, the number has dropped 27 percent compared with the same period last year. In two sections around Yuma and near Del Rio, Texas, the numbers have fallen by nearly two- thirds, officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security say. ...
The U.S. government has also begun punishing migrants with prison time from the first time they enter illegally in some areas. For instance, along the 210 mile border covered by the Del Rio office of the Border Patrol, everyone caught crossing illegally is charged in federal court and sentenced to at least two weeks in prison.
Two weeks in jail before deportation sounds about right. Most of these people aren't dangerous criminals who deserve severe punishment; a couple weeks in jail should be enough of a deterrent to ensure that most of them don't keep trying.
One of the migrants was a 51-year-old plumber from Acámbaro, Guanajuato, who asked that his name not be used because he was ashamed of the criminal conviction. He said he was trying to get to San Antonio, Texas, where a friend had promised to get him a job at a water park, making $400 a week, far more than the $150 he earns at home."I had no idea until they grabbed us and told us we were going to court," he recalled. "They are using barbaric techniques." But he acknowledged the stint in jail had convinced him not to try again, even if he is unable to pay his son's college tuition.
"No way," he said, shaking his head.
Perhaps this plumber and others like him will now find the motivation to demand reform from Mexico's corrupt government. Remember: America is not the villain here, and we are not at fault for poverty south of our border -- that responsibility lies with the criminals that infest the Mexican government and the citizenry who don't demand better.
Hmmmm. I wonder if this is why housing prices are headed down. Fewer new family formations chasing the same amount of housing.
RK: Could definitely have an effect in areas with lots of illegal immigrants, but I'm pretty sure the current flatline in the housing market started before these illegal immigration enforcement successes.
I feel like I've written about the potential effects of illegal immigration on real estate before, but I can't find such a post. If illegal immigrants buoyed housing prices in Los Angeles that would be quite an interesting transfer of wealth from those who pay for public services to those who own residential property (lots of overlap between those groups, I'm sure). If illegal immigration really does get drastically reduced, I'd expect to see a drop in real estate prices in places like Los Angeles and a corresponding drop in the expenditures on public services like emergency rooms and education.