SACRAMENTO, CA - Since the passage of Proposition 187 in 1994, illegal immigration has faded as a political issue in California. The problems caused by illegal immigration, unfortunately, are still with us.

Take, for example, the fast-growing crime wave connected with illegal immigration. Crime at the border is increasing in frequency and severity. Just last week, the Clinton administration, which earlier this year admitted to naturalizing thousands of illegal immigrant criminals, announced that it was beefing up the Border Patrol because of increased criminal activity along the U.S.-Mexican border.

Ranchers on the U.S. side of the border are arming themselves because drug traffickers on mountain bikes carrying 100 pound marijuana loads are pouring over the border and riding through their property. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) also acknowledges that Mexican traffickers are sending tons of cocaine and heroin across the border. And, according to the New York Times Magazine, these Mexican traffickers are "often exploiting illegal aliens to carry the drugs." The Times Magazine quotes a local police chief who says, "They're hauling drugs just down from my house. I even carry a .38 to mow my lawn, but those guys are carrying assault rifles." One rancher angrily says, "It's getting worse every day, and nothing's being done about it." Indeed, a top local Border Patrol official admits that the agency is overmatched, with traffickers using night-vision equipment, scanners for eavesdropping on the Patrol's radio communications, superior weaponry, and an intelligence network that spans both sides of the border. Shoot-outs are increasingly frequent with automatic weapon fire often coming from the Mexican side of the border.

The crime problem, however, isn't limited to just the border area. Once in the U.S., many illegal immigrants continue to engage in criminal activity, including gang-related crimes. For instance, the 18th Street gang in Southern California is one of the nation's most violent street gangs with a staggering 20,000 members (which dwarfs the number in the more publicized Crips and Bloods). More appalling is the fact that 60 percent of the 18th Street gang's membership consists of illegal aliens. The gang's crimes range from armed robbery to arson to murder. Since 1990, the gang has been responsible for 100 homicides. The Los Angeles Times notes that, "Wherever [the 18th Street gang] surfaces, the quality of life inevitably suffers." Law enforcement admits that it is losing the battle against the gang. One state official says, "They're worse than a cancer. A cancer you can kill. These guys keep growing."

California's prisons are testimony to the growing illegal alien crime wave. Nearly 15 percent of California's state prison inmate population is made up of illegal aliens (approximately 22,000 prisoners). In 1997-98, the state expects to spend a whopping half a billion dollars for incarceration and parole supervision of convicted illegal alien criminals.

It's time for America to recognize the awful enormity of this problem. As one DEA official warned, when surveying the criminal anarchy to our south, "You have to look at Mexico. What's going on there, is coming here."

-By Lance T. Izumi