"Immigration Crisis Tests Federal Courts on Southwest Border"

The Third Branch, the newsletter for the federal courts, has this lead article titled "Immigration Crisis Tests Federal Courts on Southwest Border." Las Cruces and New Mexico are prominently featured. An excerpt from the article details some of the facts about our district:

"Criminal felony cases—those crimes punishable by at least a year in prison—have climbed 287 percent in New Mexico's federal district courts since 1997. Immigration-related felony cases have increased 661 percent in that span.
The average felony caseload (felony cases per authorized judgeship) nationwide is 87. In the District of New Mexico, which ranks first, the average is 405."
Judge Brack is quoted:
"My heart gets broken several times every day doing this job," Brack said after sentencing several men to prison. "I'm a father and a husband just like these people I'm talking to. I relate to them as a husband and a father, but I'm also a judge. When their efforts on behalf of their family involve breaking the laws of the United States, I have to say ‘basta'—enough."

The article is located at
http://www.uscourts.gov/ttb/06-06/border/index.html"