A program that started in Tucson, Arizona in 2004 to fly illegal aliens to Mexico City in hopes that they then wouldn't come back, will end on September 30, 2006. Part of the Arizona Border Control Initiative, the program cost $15 million a year and flew a total of 12,000 illegal aliens out of the country. The Government Accounting Office has found no evidence that it has reduced the problems of illegal aliens just coming back.

It was initially started to put the illegal aliens farther from the border and to prevent deaths in the desert.

I'm not surprised this program is a massive failure. Without border security to stop them from coming back they can be back in the US in a matter of days. On top of that the cover of it being some sort of humanitarian program should have been left to some private interest to handle. There's enough wimpy, sympathetic pro illegal alien groups out there that should have been paying for this from the start and not have wasted the US taxpayers money on it.

Arizona Star

As part of an agreement with the Mexican government, U.S. officials paid for twice-daily charter flights into Mexico for any illegal immigrant willing to return home after being caught in Arizona.

...

Under the program, undocumented immigrants from Mexico detained in Arizona in the summer are asked if they would like be returned to the border or flown to Mexico City, where the Mexican government pays for a bus ticket to their hometown. If the migrants tell immigration officials they want to go home, they have a second interview with Mexican consular officials who try to make sure they didn't feel pressured to agree.

...

Ten percent, roughly 1,360, of those flown home were caught trying to cross again during the program. During the same period, 32 percent of those arrested who opted out of the flights were arrested again, according to Border Patrol statistics.

U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., said the program is clearly not a total solution, but added, "If it does anything to reduce even one death, I'm essentially supportive of it."

OK Representative Raul Grijalva, if you're so concerned about it then how about you pay for it out of your own pocket? Oh, now it doesn't sound like so good of a deal when it's your own money and not the taxpayers does it? You can always count on Democrats to support programs that don't work, but cost a fortune.

If you want a laugh see Representative Raul Grijalva's immigration record.