see also: in June 2005 Press Releases:   U.S. Customs and Border Protection Trains Dogs to Detect Drugs and Humans   U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers Seize 132 Pounds of Cocaine, 134 Pounds of Heroin in Coffee Cans   CBP Border Patrol Arrests Murder Suspect Using Anti-Terror Technology   U.S. Customs and Border Protection Seizes Thousands of Illegal Fireworks   CBP Officers Find Marijuana After Sentri Participant Absconds from Car   CBP Border Patrol Agents Seize 261 Pounds Of Ecstasy   United States' Schmitz is Elected to Director at the World Customs Organization ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

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Tucson, AZ- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Government of Mexico, today announced the second year of the Interior Repatriation Program (IRP). The IRP will return illegal aliens to Mexico City, on a voluntary basis. The IRP is a collaborative effort with the Government of Mexico to save migrant lives and stop the dangerous cycle of alien smuggling and human trafficking.

Beginning Friday, illegal aliens from Mexico may volunteer for the program, returning home via charter aircraft from Tucson, Arizona to Mexico City. Upon arrival in Mexico, bus transportation will be provided to a location near their final destination.

“Returning illegal aliens to the interior of Mexico allows us to disrupt the inhumane and often callous human smuggling organizations that operate along the border area,” said Robert C. Bonner, Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “This is a crucial, integral component of the DHS Arizona Border Control Initiative to gain greater operational control and to save lives in dangerous traffic areas along the border with Mexico.”

The Interior Repatriation Program will be continuously monitored and evaluated by both Governments throughout the summer months. At its conclusion, the governments will bilaterally evaluate and provide an assessment of the program.

In keeping with the mutually agreed principles, the program is designed to remove up to 300 aliens per day and is only made available to Mexican nationals. Illegal aliens with felony convictions will not be eligible for the program. Candidates will not be separated from their family members. If the entire family does not wish to participate then no one in the family will be eligible. Unaccompanied minors will not be allowed to participate in the program.