Economic benefits are hard to assess

By Tim Steller
The Arizona Daily Star

DOUGLAS - While the increase in illegal border crossings has bothered most of Cochise County this spring, not everyone is complaining.

The illegal entrants - and the Border Patrol agents they attract - benefit some local residents economically.

Border Patrol agents know that some people in town are making money from smuggling migrants. Tracks of illegal entrants sometimes disappear at a local house. Or agents may follow a ``load'' vehicle that suddenly disappears - into a garage, they assume.

Other residents, such as the owners of the Double Adobe General Store, benefit from illegal entrants without playing the role of smuggler.

``Coyotes come and buy balogna and bread,'' Lee Foss said. ``They're not looking for trouble.''

But overall, the countywide benefits of the people-smuggling business are negligible, said Ken Jones, director of Cochise College's Center for Economic Research.

``Most of this money does not stay in the Douglas area either because local residents are not involved or because the large amounts of money at stake are often spent outside of the local area,'' Jones said in a written statement.

The negative publicity surrounding illegal immigration and the property damage by illegal entrants outweigh any benefits of the underground economy, Jones concluded.

``Probably most detrimental to the economic livelihood of the community but also most difficult to quantify is the loss of businesses that are hesitant to locate in the Douglas area,'' Jones wrote.

A tangible benefit comes from the salaries of Border Patrol agents, which spill into the local economy, Jones said. Perhaps one-third of the approximately 350 agents stationed in Douglas live in or near town, he said.