FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          AG
THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 1995           CONTACT: ROB DANIELS (602)
281-1391
                                        OR RON ROGERS (714) 643-4739

              RENO ANNOUNCES NEW AGENTS & RESOURCES
     TO BOOST OPERATION SAFEGUARD AND CUT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

    Biggest Increase Ever in Deploying Agents and Equipment to
Arizona Border

     ARIZONA -- Attorney General Janet Reno returned to Nogales
today to announce that Arizona will receive an unprecedented
increase in border enforcement resources as well as to review
steps already taken to stem illegal immigration. 

     Reno's announcement was part of the Justice Department's and
the INS' comprehensive Southwest Border Strategy all along the
California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas borders.  The plan
initially concentrated resources at the busiest crossing points. 
As a result of the progress made securing these busy crossing
points, traffic has shifted to other parts of the border --
including Arizona.  The border strategy anticipates these shifts
and directs additional assistance to those areas experiencing
increases in alien traffic.

     Reno said today that, "We know that as a result of the great
progress we have made securing our borders in San Diego and El
Paso, alien traffic has increased in Nogales significantly and we
are moving to address it."

     "We announced Operation Safeguard here in Arizona 80 days
ago -- and we are now sending 100 new agents to the Tucson
Sector, and are providing Arizona's Border Patrol stations with
critical technology to free agents from administrative duties and
to help them catch criminal aliens, to make this plan a reality." 


     Reno stated her commitment to assure that Operation
Safeguard is as successful in Arizona as Operation Gatekeeper and
Operation Hold the Line have been in San Diego and El Paso,
respectively.  She said that she expects the new efforts to
dramatically improve INS' ability to control illegal immigration
in Arizona.

     The new resources directed to Arizona and other states to
control illegal immigration were appropriated by Congress in the
FY95 budgets of the Department of Justice and the Immigration and
Naturalization Service.  Many of these resources were authorized
by the President's 1994 Crime Bill.  

     The resources that will be deployed in Arizona under
Operation Safeguard include the following:

    100 new agents.  These new agents, coupled with agents added
     last year, will result in an almost 50 percent increase in
     the strength of the Tucson sector, over where it stood two
     years ago.  60 of the 100 new agents will be sent to Nogales
     and 40 to nearby Douglas.

    New fences, lights and roads.  In the area that is most
     heavily trafficked by illegal aliens, border security will
     be enhanced by the installation and construction of $250,000
     worth of fencing lighting & roads.  

    Additional inspectors for Ports of Entry.  Nine new
     inspectors will be assigned to the Arizona ports of entry,
     an increase of 7% over the number of inspectors in 1994. 
     The additional personnel will strengthen INS' ability to
     detect illegal entries and facilitate legal entries at ports
     in the state.  

    Two high technology systems -- IDENT and IBIS.  These
     systems will be installed and upgraded to help INS officials
     in Arizona quickly detain and prosecute criminal aliens. 
     The systems will use fingerprints and access other
     computerized data to identify repeat border crossers and
     criminals who are trying to enter the U.S.

    Criminal alien detention facilities.  Additional resources
     being deployed to crack down on criminal aliens include a
     new detention facility recently opened with 500 beds
     reserved exclusively for the Institutional Hearing Program
     (IHP) that will streamline and expedite the deportation of
     criminal aliens. 

    Assistance to the State of Arizona.  Already, the federal
     government has sent Arizona $991,900 as the first down
     payment to help reimburse the State for the costs of
     incarcerating criminal aliens.

     Reno further affirmed the Administration's commitment to
facilitate legal traffic across the Arizona-Mexican border.  She
pledged to reduce the time it takes to apply for and receive a
border crossing card from five months to 30 days.

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95-007