242 Migrants Dropped Off Near U.S. Mexico Border, Cross into Arizona

A large group of 242 illegal immigrants arrived in Arizona on Thursday, having been dropped off by buses on a Mexican highway adjacent to the nation’s border with the United States.

This arrival marks the latest in a string of unusually large groups crossing the U.S-Mexico border illegally, usually turning themselves in and requesting asylum.

Border Patrol sources alleged that “several busloads” of the migrants were dropped off in Northern Mexico, almost immediately crossing the border, which was only fortified for the prevention of vehicular crossings in this sector. Migrants, who were mostly from the Central American nation of Guatemala, were said to simply crawl under the fencing with ease.

In similar fashion to recent large groups of migrants, the border crossers were apprehended by Border Patrol shortly after their arrival in the United States, having been detected by motion sensors. This was likely all part of their plan, as fighting a battle for legal residency within the American immigration courts is often viewed by migrants as a more favorable way to obtain legal status in the country.

Should their claims for asylum be accepted, the American taxpayer would be on the line for providing free world-class education, welfare, healthcare and public services for the migrants, regardless of their illegal entrance into the country.

Large groups of migrants pose an increasingly prevalent issue for Border Patrol and Homeland Security, which institutionally are more structured to deter smaller groups of adult men coming to the United States illegally to seek work. The group that arrived Thursday is one of several that came this month, with one that tunneled in near Yuma containing 376 people.

A wall, while serving as an essential component of comprehensive border security, is unlikely to deter these sorts of groups that aim to utilize the immigration court system to secure residence. A more specific solution would involve reforming the system to crack down on fake asylum claims and requiring migrants to submit claims for asylum in a safe third country, such as Mexico.

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