By train, bus and car, illegal aliens are crossing the Rio Grande in large numbers and this spring the traffic appears heavier than usual. Many illegal aliens are traveling on Interstate 20, which means passing through the Big Country and Abilene.
Spring is a peak time because people are trying to come over here and work.
From January to April, the Abilene station apprehended 547 illegals compared to 465 last year. The station covers eight counties, including Nolan, Taylor and Callahan. It sure doesn't look like it's going to. The total number of illegals caught crossing into the Border Patrol's Del Rio sector, which includes Abilene and San Angelo, was 35,083 for the two peak months of March and April, compared to 24,761 for the same period in 1997, an increase of 29 percent. Patricia Mancha, spokeswoman for the Del Rio sector headquarters, attributes the increase to operations in California, Arizona and on the Rio Grande which have dramatically reduced border crossings there, but forced illegals to look elsewhere.