The government says apprehensions of people for federal immigration violations have dropped to the lowest level in 40 years.
This reflects a decline in the northbound traffic of illegal immigrants from Mexico.At the same time, the number of suspects booked by the U.S. Marshals Service for criminal immigration offenses has gone up dramatically, a function of tougher law enforcement on the U.S. side of the border.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics says the number of immigration-related apprehensions has steadily declined, peaking at 1.8 million in 2000 but dropping to 517,000 in 2010 - the lowest level since 1972.
Suspects arrested for federal criminal immigration offenses increased from 8,800 in 1994 to 82,000 in 2010.
In a seven-year span, the number of border patrol officers nearly doubled, from 11,000 to 21,000.
AP
West Nile Cases Increase
West Nile virus cases in North Texas continue to rise.
Dallas County is now reporting 20 human cases. Twelve are in the city of Dallas; two in Irving and Richardson, as well as cases in Cedar Hill, Farmers Branch and Grand Prairie.
Tarrant County reports 18 human cases of the mosquito-transmitted illness: 13 in Denton County, two in Collin.
One death has been reported so far this year; a man in his 60’s living in the zip code just northeast of downtown Dallas.
BJ Austin, KERA News
New Power Plant Planned For Temple, TX
Dallas-based Panda Power Funds will build a natural gas powered generating plant in Temple. Officials say it will have state-of-the-art emission controls and create 800 jobs.
Panda President Todd Carter says construction is to begin immediately, with completion in late 2014, about the time the state’s tight electricity supply is expected to dip to critical levels.
Last month, the Texas Public Utility Commission doubled the wholesale electricity price cap in hopes of spurring construction of new power plants. The goal is to avoid rolling outages as demand outstrips supply.
BJ Austin, KERA News
Dallas police say 2 people found dead
Dallas police say two people have been found dead at an apartment complex.
Further details were not immediately released on who discovered the bodies late Wednesday morning or circumstances of the deaths. No identities have been released.
The neighborhood is in South Dallas.
AP
Fort Worth police arrest suspect in robberies
Police say a suspect in the robbery of more than a dozen North Texas banks and businesses has been caught.
Fort Worth police say 48-year-old Terry S. Wilcox has been charged with bank robbery and remains in federal custody.
Wilcox was captured Tuesday as police investigate a series of armed robberies between May 25 and July 11. Police say Wilcox is suspected in at least two bank robberies, including one earlier this month in Arlington.
The store holdups happened in Fort Worth and the White Settlement area. Many of the businesses that were robbed are located in strip centers.
AP