Border Arrests of Illegal Aliens Up 2 Months in Row

SAN DIEGO — For the second consecutive month, U.S. immigration authorities have reported a surge in arrests of illegal aliens along the U.S.-Mexico border here.

The arrest numbers, which officials say are the best single indication of illegal entries into the United States, are being watched closely in the wake of the landmark 1986 immigration law revisions.

In the first 28 days of February, U.S. Border Patrol agents in San Diego recorded 52,209 apprehensions of illegal aliens, the great majority of them Mexican citizens who were quickly returned to Mexico. The figure is a 23% increase over the same period last year.

The numbers, which come on the heels of near-record arrests in January, also approach the record 53,320 such apprehensions in February, 1986.

“We’re certainly concerned about the increase,” said William Veal, deputy chief for the San Diego Border Patrol contingent.

Veal said it is still to early to say whether the 1988 arrest statistics will ultimately match the record-breaking numbers recorded month after month in 1986. He noted that the spring and summer months are traditionally the busiest time along the border, as workers seek seasonal agricultural jobs.

Also troubling, officials said, was the fact that arrests of non-Mexicans, mostly Central Americans, almost doubled in the first 28 days of February, compared to the same period last year.