Thread: April Sets FY2016 Alien Apprehension Record, Surges Past FY2014 Numbers

Brittany M. Hughes | 5 hours ago
214 comments

The recent surge of illegal aliens flooding across the Southwest U.S. border continues undeterred as U.S. Customs and Border Protection set a new FY2016 apprehension record in April, catching a grand total of 38,135 illegal aliens over the 30-day period – an average of about 1,271 per day.

April’s apprehension total is 1,121 aliens higher than those reported in December, which until last month was the record-holder for apprehensions so far in FY2016.

As the number of unaccompanied minors streaming into the United States from Mexico continues to skyrocket past FY2014 numbers, border agents report apprehending another 5,198 unaccompanied minors at the U.S. Mexico border in April, bringing the total number of UACs apprehended since Oct. 1 to an alarming 32,952.

So far, the total number of this year’s UAC apprehensions reflects an alarming 74 percent increase over FY2014 levels, when an unprecedented number of family units and unaccompanied children surged into the United States, quickly overwhelming border patrol stations and raising serious questions into the Obama administration’s immigration enforcement policies. The agency had only reported 26,341 unaccompanied minor apprehensions by this point in FY2014.

CBP reports 509 of the unaccompanied children apprehended so far this year were from countries other than Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

The agency also reports it caught another 5,615 family units at the U.S.-Mexico border in April alone (about 187 per day), bringing the total number of family units apprehended so far in FY21016 to 37,732. That number is up 122 percent from FY2015 levels, and up four percent from FY2014.

Of those family units apprehended this year, nearly 2,000 were from countries other than Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Subtracting family units and unaccompanied minors leaves more than 27,300 adult individuals who were caught illegally crossing into the United States during the month of April.

So far in FY2016, CBP reports having made 223,900 apprehensions at the Southwest U.S. border.

http://www.mrctv.org/blog/border-app...fy2014-numbers

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Monday, May 23, 2016

The number of illegal immigrants crossing the southwestern border surged in April, reaching the highest point in nearly two years as Central American families and children traveling alone continued to test the Obama administration’s border controls.

More than 38,000 illegal immigrants were caught in April, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in new figures released Monday — the highest since July 2014, which was near the peak of the last surge that exposed massive holes in border and immigration policy.

The number of illegal immigrant children caught while traveling alone — known as unaccompanied alien children, or UAC — reached 5,219. And the number of family members caught traveling together reached 5,616.

But perhaps more worrisome is the spike in other illegal immigrants, who topped 27,000 for the first time in nearly two months, signaling that the problems at the border are not simply children and families fleeing violence back home, but also include the regular type of illegal immigrant traveling to the U.S. for work, and enticed by the promises of lax enforcement.

As bad as the new surge is, it’s still lower than the peak month of June of 2014, when more than 27,000 unaccompanied children and family “units” were caught.

In a statement, CBP acknowledged the new surge this year, but said efforts are being made to try to get a handle on the situation.

“We continue to work aggressively to address the underlying causes of this migration, to deter future increases, to further secure our border and ensure safe, orderly processing, and to support broader regional efforts to provide avenues for protection of vulnerable populations in Central America,” the border agency said.

The surge is not just growing — it’s also spreading. Western Texas and Arizona have seen massive increases in the number of illegal immigrant children and families.

Yuma County, Arizona, Sheriff Leon N. Wilmot said there are both push and pull factors drawing the surge of migrants into western Arizona.

“They’re coming across, they’re turning themselves in, and basically a lot of it has to do with the fact they’re obtaining the assistance with regards to when they’re released,” he said.

He also said that migrants are looking for safer spaces to cross on the Mexican side of the border, and for whatever reason, the cartels are less violent in the region just south of Yuma than they are elsewhere.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson thought he had the surge licked last year, as numbers dropped. Overall, fiscal year 2015 saw the lowest number of illegal immigrants caught since the 1970s. The Border Patrol uses apprehensions as a yardstick for overall traffic, and believes fewer apprehensions means fewer people are trying to cross in the first place.

But apprehensions began to rise late last year, and Mr. Johnson has been forced to confront the issue again.

He’s already approved a series of raids designed to round up and deport Central Americans who came in the surge. An initial round of raids in January netted about 120 illegal immigrants — less than one-tenth of a percent of the total surge.

A new round of raids has been approved, and authorities hope it will send a signal to those in Central America not to try the crossing.

To drive the point home, Mr. Johnson last week traveled to El Salvador and Honduras — which along with Guatemala account for much of the new surge — to insist people won’t be allowed in.

“Our borders are not open to illegal or ‘irregular’ migration,” Mr. Johnson said.

Jessica Vaughan, policy studies director at the Center for Immigration Studies, said it will take more than Mr. Johnson’s words to get the message across.

“With the current catch-and-release policies still in place, and almost no enforcement happening, almost no one being sent home, there are still huge incentives for people in Central America to do whatever they can to get here, because they know they’re going to be allowed to stay here for the foreseeable future,” she said.

The chief of the Border Patrol’s labor union has testified to Congress that his agents are being told to quickly release illegal immigrants who don’t meet President Obama’s enforcement priorities. That means that migrants dripping wet from just having swum the Rio Grande get released, as long as they insist they were here before 2014 — the cutoff date Mr. Obama has set for triggering deportation.

But immigrant-rights advocates argue that too many people are still being deported, even under Mr. Obama’s relaxed standards.

Activists rallied outside the Capitol last week, demanding the president halt the next round of raids, and that he allow illegal immigrant families more chances to make their case in court — helped by taxpayer-funded lawyers.

The activists said the raids could even dampen Hispanic turnout for Democratic candidates in November’s election, if Latino voters punish Mr. Obama.

Ms. Vaughan, though, said surging illegal immigration could be just as big of a political liability for Democrats, underscoring the struggles of Mr. Obama’s immigration agencies.

“This is the new normal now, and they’re fine with that,” she said.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...rge-highest-l/