The Boston Globe’s Maria Sacchietti has another inchoate immigrant sob story [Jailed Immigrants Buoy Budgets, February 9, 2009]. This article is also accompanied by a short video clip. The images of razor wire are obviously supposed to illustrate the alleged inhumanity of detaining illegal immigrants.

"In Massachusetts, a majority of detainees are being held for immigration violations, not crimes, and are kept apart from the general jail population."

 Actually, it is a crime to enter the country illegally or to overstay one’s visa. And Sacchietti never tells us how many detainees have committed violent crimes, but it's safe to assume that the number is high (Hey Maria, that razor wire is there for a reason).

"But advocates for immigrants say the government should dramatically reduce the number of detainees, by releasing them pending deportation. They complain about the burden on taxpayers."

 Has the Globe’s immigration reporter really never heard of the disastrous "Catch & Release" policy? And does anyone seriously believe that immigrant advocates are concerned about the "burden on taxpayers"? [Email Sacchietti ].

Still, the article does inadvertently show that, in a time of tight budgets, it pays to support immigration enforcement. County jails are being compensated $90 a day per immigrant, which often translates into multi-million dollar annual reimbursements. This has enabled many sheriffs to significantly upgrade all of their facilities. Thus, it's no wonder that immigration enforcement is becoming more popular, even in liberal Massachusetts.

The Boston Globe is owned by the New York Times – which means it is now part-owned by Mexican plutocrat Carlos Slim. So expect their immigration reporting to get even worse.