Illegal immigrants on ICE

Posted by Marc Hodak on August 14, 2008 under Unintended consequences | Be the First to Comment

Today I saw two stories that illustrate that people pay more attention to behavior than words.

Both stories had to do with illegal immigrants. Most Americans debate immigration policy as if the government is to be considered a trustworthy rational actor in a complicated scheme. In fact, while each agent of the government might be individually rational with respect to their personal incentives and constraints, anyone dealing with the government’s regulatory or enforcement machinery know they are up against a frighteningly irrational and amoral, if not retarded creature.

Illegal immigrants, especially, feel like they have been screwed so much for so long in their dealings with ICE that it’s laughable to consider any program that depends upon their trust and cooperation.

The first story recounts a familiar tale of someone in ICE custody:

In April, Mr. Ng began complaining of excruciating back pain. By mid-July, he could no longer walk or stand. And last Wednesday, two days after his 34th birthday, he died in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a Rhode Island hospital, his spine fractured and his body riddled with cancer that had gone undiagnosed and untreated for months.

What the story left out was that the behavior of the authorities, while cruel, was exactly what the system required of them. Yet, the ICE authorities who set up that system act truly surprised when plans that depend on the trust of illegal immigrants work out like this:

A program to induce illegal immigrants to turn themselves in to U.S. federal authorities for a “scheduled” deportation has failed to attract substantial interest. Eight days into the scheme, only six people have surrendered, out of thousands who are eligible.