Arrests of illegal immigrants climb in Central and South Texas
Officials hail success of fugitive squad teams, but critics say numbers don’t tell full story.
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Juan Castillo

Immigration enforcement teams who target criminals and fugitives increased their arrests of illegal immigrants more than sevenfold in Central and South Texas during the past fiscal year, the majority in metropolitan areas including Austin and San Antonio.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials who announced the figures last week also said that for the first time since records have been kept, the nation’s fugitive immigrant population is on the decline. Arrests across the country almost doubled as the agency stepped up crackdowns and deployed more enforcement teams.

The agency classifies as “fugitivesâ€