Psychologists and immigration experts have become alarmed at signs of stress among illegal aliens. "So many arrived with psychological problems, with the feeling of failure," says Rev. Gianni Fanzolato, who runs Casa del Migrante, a shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. "They would be shaking, sweating, anxious. This 'migrant syndrome'—we're seeing it every day."

Rudy Ramirez, a psychologist and administrator at the shelter, concurs. "We're doubling, doubling and doubling the Border Patrol," Ramirez says. "There is increased stress all along. They manifest the symptoms in neuroses, depression, psychosis—sometimes violent, sometimes autistic."

Fred Krissman, a researcher at the Center for U.S.-Mexico Studies at the University of California, San Diego, calls it "undocumented entry syndrome." "There is no doubt in my mind that trying to cross this military border is a very traumatic, dangerous experience."

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