TUCSON, ARIZ. ? A top federal official claimed Thursday that the Border Patrol during a recent crackdown has reduced illegal immigration along the well-traveled route from Mexico into Arizona.

“We are making progress : in decreasing numbers and the flow of aliens across Arizona,” said Robert Bonner, commissioner for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

In a telephone interview from Washington, he noted that total apprehensions of illegal immigrants crossing into Arizona dropped about 13 percent during the past six months compared to the same period a year earlier.

“Same song, different day,” countered the Rev. Robin Hoover, founder of Humane Borders, a Tucson-based organization that places water along desert trails frequented by illegal immigrants.

“What is needed is for Commissioner Bonner to come out for comprehensive immigration reform so that we can get people out of the desert in the first place,” Hoover said.

Hoover contended that none of the federal efforts since 1993 have resulted in overall reductions in the number of people migrating.