Tough Borders Not Enough to Prevent Illegal Migration

The US government had implemented sophisticated surveillance and apprehension technology to stem the influx of immigrants. The number of Border Patrol agents tripled from 1993 to 2006, and spending on border enforcement grew six-fold during this period. These activities have managed only to affect the strategies used by illegal entrants to cross the border – such as changing their border-crossing points– but did not deter them from attempting clandestine entry. The results of this study imply that the current US immigration control policy is unlikely to have its desired effect unless underlying drivers of migration—the employer demand for unauthorized immigrant labor and the U.S.-Mexico wage gap—are addressed.