Thread: Border Patrol says apprehensions decline along border

Border Patrol says apprehensions decline along border
Times wire report
Article Launched: 08/25/2008 10:48:39 AM MDT


LAS CRUCES - The U.S. Border Patrol says apprehensions along the El Paso sector of the U.S.-Mexico border have decreased 16 percent since last year.
Border Patrol officials say 27,100 apprehensions were reported as of Aug. 1 for the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, putting the agency on track to record its lowest number of apprehensions since fiscal year 2000.

The El Paso sector includes all of New Mexico and part of West Texas.

National Guard soldiers had been protecting the border, but they left July 15. They did not conduct apprehensions, but reported illegal crossings and other activities to Border Patrol agents.

Border Patrol spokesman Doug Mosier said he thinks the decrease isn't tied to the National Guard's departure.

"We have been seeing a trend, or a general decline of apprehensions or activity, in strategic areas along the border, and that includes Las Cruces, over the past several months," he said. He added the decline has continued even after the Guard left.

Sylvia Brenner, heritage educator for the Pancho Villa State Park in Columbus, across the border from Palomas, Mexico, said the town typically saw a steady stream of suspected illegal border-crossers, but that is no longer the case.

"They're not anywhere at all," she said. "Nobody has seen any. It's kind of unusual. ... The smugglers are not bringing them through here because we still have a tremendous amount of Border Patrol."

And the Border Patrol is continuing to expand. Sixty new Border

Patrol agents are expected to be stationed in Las Cruces before the end of the year.
The federal agency is identifying land for a temporary facility until a new station can be built and a pair of temporary buildings will be installed at the agency's main facility in Las Cruces for the new agents, Mosier said.

A Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 25, north of Las Cruces, is being expanded to include more lanes, booths and onramps, he said.




http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_10298311

Southwest Border Patrol Sector Apprehensions
Fiscal Year----2005---------2006---------2007-------2008 (ends 9/30)
El Paso-------122,624-----122,256----- 75,464----- 27,100(07/31)

-------El Paso Border Patrol Sector Apprehensions--------
----------OCT---NOV---DEC---JAN----FEB---MAR---APR----MAY---JUN---JUL----AUG----SEP
FY2008--3605--2648--2014--3470--3945--3129--2808--2034--1811--1634
FY2007--6183--5098--4189--6570--7482-10537--8957--6741--5632--5109--4969--3997
FY2006-11027--8191 5668-11941-14457-18668-15238-12239--7664--6970--5027--5166
FY2005--7472--5801--4464--9898-13033-13249-15274-11041--8445-11568-12099-10335
FY2004--6451--5244--4030--8768-10584-13483-12632-10343--8432--8654--8321--7457
FY2003--6545--5303--4008--9255-10000--8883--7359--8120--6998--7618--7538--7189
FY2002--4441--3483--3784--8185--9393-11309-11783--9972--6931--8044--9018==7811
FY2001--6095--5401--4683-10862-12369-15311-12738-11343--8035--8607--9945--7468
FY2000--6386--5203--4651-14914-15049-16018-12883-10645--7637--7533--8106--6671
FY1999--8136--5931--5294-11503-12946-14648-10723--9665--8147--8266--8307--7291
---Length 268 miles---2,457 BP agents---27 miles--93 miles Ped. planned, 60 mi W. TX, 33 mi. NM