By John Waters,  Publisher

Last week Marfa Border Patrol Sector Chief Patrol Agent John Smietana told a gathering in Lajitas of the Texas Border Sheriffs’ Coalition that the Alien Transfer and Exit Program has been halted effective December 31.

Under that program, two busloads of undocumented Mexican nationals caught illegally in the Tucson, Arizona sector were being deported via the international bridge that leads from Presidio, TX to Ojinaga, Chihuahua, MX.

The ATEP deportations through Presidio were short-lived and only occurred in November and December of late 2009. When the plan was first announced in late October of last year it was expected up to 34,000 people would be deported annually. The cause for the abrupt end to the deportations is unknown.

When asked at the Border Sheriff Coalition meeting by the Gazette why the program was halted, Smietana said that it was a “decision made by [Department of Homeland Security] headquarters.” Smietana added he did not know when or if the program might resume, and that those decisions would be also be made by headquarters.

Updates on this story will be in the print edition of our February issue, due out next week.