Officials announced that apprehension of undocumented migrants dropped 20 percent this year, to its lowest point in five years.
Immigration officials announced the drop on Tuesday, attributing the drop to:
1. An increase in Border Patrol Agents: Border Patrol employment grew from 2,500 to 14,923 agents, and 6,000 National Guard troops have also been serving at the border.
2. Additional Fencing
3. Expanded prosecution of illegal border-crossers
A trial program called “Operation Streamline” resulted in the highest apprehension drops in the cities of Yuma and Del Rio. According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website, this zero-tolerance program requires criminal prosecution of all border-crossers, and leads to jail terms as long as 180 days. Before the program was implemented, border-crossers were quickly returned to Mexico without formal deportation. The dramatic apprehension decline in Yuma and Del Rio led authorities to believe that the zero-tolerance program is truly effective.
“Operation Streamline” will be implemented in additional border-towns, but lack of detention space and prosecutorial resources will limit the program’s capacity.
Critics and experts on the subject do not follow officials’ reasoning behind the decline, stating that there is no evidence suggesting that the attributed measures actually deter immigrants. They believe that the new statistics do not paint a complete picture of activity at the border. The fall in apprehensions may be due to a slowing U.S. economy drawing fewer immigrants.
The only city to see an increase in apprehensions was San Diego, which led authorities to believe that the established network of human smugglers in Tijuana is enticing to immigrants.
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