Stratfor on illegal immigration

While I'm still investigating the trickle of responses (we'll see if it turns into a flood) to the GAO study of arrested illegal aliens' criminal activity, I should note a level-headed analysis by Fred Burton of Stratfor.

Beneath all of these politically charged issues, however, lies a more subtle danger posed by criminal aliens, one frequently overlooked or simply glossed over in the debates. It is a quiet threat; the risks to national security are quite small, but criminals mixing in with the tide of other legal and illegal migrants crossing the border can directly threaten the security of private American citizens and corporations in very real ways.

There is an important point to be made here: The vast majority of illegal aliens in the United States -- whether they cross the border in hopes of becoming American citizens or as temporary economic migrants -- are not violent criminals. They have powerful economic incentives to enter the country; many unskilled laborers can earn more in one hour working in the United States than they earn in an entire day in their home country. Moreover, the economies in many countries that contribute to the problem are partly or largely dependent on remittances from both legal and illegal aliens working in the United States -- so officials there have few incentives to help control document fraud or discourage emigration.

There are an estimated 12 million illegal aliens in the United States, most of whom view the country as a "land of opportunity." Among this multitude are a minority who perceive a land of criminal opportunity as well.

As is often said, read the whole thing.