Operation Catahoula Crunch continues in the New Orleans Metro. The United States Border Patrol says it aims to arrest 5,000 people who are living in the United States without legal permission. However, one analyst says the agencies work will drive even more immigrants out of the country.
According to Andrew Arthur of the Center for Immigration Studies, undocumented migrants are leaving the United States--both voluntary and involuntarily.
"We've seen about 2.2 million leave since about January 20th," Arthur said, noting that this figure includes those deported by the Trump Administration. "We estimate that it's about 14.2 million (who remain in the U. S.) and dropping very quickly as this goes on."
Arthur says the Border Patrol's raids have caused many people who are in the United States illegally to return to their home countries to avoid arrest, driving down the number of undocumented immigrants in the country.
"It's more than just a ripple effect. It's a vibe shift," Arthur said. "What the Trump Administration is doing is changing the incentives in the system to give more people more reason to go back. We already know that 1.2 to 1.6 million people have voluntarily returned (to their home countries)."
According to Arthur, the ripple effect caused by the Border Patrol's operations is also impacting businesses.
"Employers are going to be checking documents to make sure they're really good, and people will be considering whether they, too, want to be arrested and placed in the back of a squad car or if they want to go down to Louis Armstrong Airport, buy a ticket, and simply go back home," Arthur said.