Immigration Enforcement Actions: 2009

Department of Homeland Security

PDF Document: http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/stat ... r_2009.pdf

Document Intro:

IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS: 2009

EACH YEAR, THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS) UNDERTAKES IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS involving hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals (for definitions of immigration enforcement ACTION TERMS, SEE BOX 1).
THESE ACTIONS INCLUDE THE ARREST, DETENTION, RETURN, AND REMOVAL FROM THE United States of foreign nationals who violate U.S. immigration law.
Violations include failing to ABIDE BY THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ADMISSION OR ENGAGING IN A VARIETY OF CRIMES SUCH AS VIOLENT CRIMES, DOCUMENT AND BENEfiT FRAUD, TERRORIST ACTIVITY, AND DRUG SMUGGLING.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ENFORCEMENT OF IMMIGRATION LAW WITHIN DHS RESTS WITH U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION (CBP) AND U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT (ICE). CBP IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INSPECTION of all arriving persons and conveyances at ports of entry and the deterrence or apprehension of illegal IMMIGRANTS BETWEEN PORTS OF ENTRY. ICE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ENFORCING IMMIGRATION LAWS THROUGHOUT the United States.

This Office of Immigration Statistics Annual Report presents information on the apprehension, detention, return, and removal of foreign nationals during 2009. 1 Key findings in this report include the following:

• DHS APPREHENDED 613,000 FOREIGN NATIONALS; 86 percent were natives of Mexico.

• THE NUMBER OF FOREIGN NATIONALS APPREHENDED BY CBP ’S BORDER PATROL DECREASED 23 PERCENT BETWEEN 2008 AND 2009.

• ICE DETAINED APPROXIMATELY 383,000 FOREIGN NATIONALS. • 393,000 FOREIGN NATIONALS 2 were removed from the United States—the seventh consecutive record high. The leading countries of origin of those removed were Mexico (72 percent), Guatemala (7 percent), AND HONDURAS (7 PERCENT).

• EXPEDITED REMOVALS ACCOUNTED FOR 106,600 OR 27 percent of all removals.

• DHS REMOVED 128,000 KNOWN CRIMINAL ALIENS 3 from the United States.

• 580,000 FOREIGN NATIONALS WERE RETURNED TO THEIR home countries without a removal order.

ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM ACTIVITIES Inspections

CBP OFFICERS DETERMINE THE ADMISSIBILITY OF ALIENS WHO are applying for admission to the United States at desig- nated ports of entry. CBP Officers may permit INADMISSIBLE ALIENS THE OPPORTUNITY TO RETURN TO THEIR COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN RATHER THAN BEING PLACED IN REMOVAL proceedings. Alternatively, they can refer aliens to immi- gration judges for removal proceedings or, where appropriate, process them for expedited removal. An expedited removal order carries the same penalties as a REMOVAL ORDER ISSUED BY AN IMMIGRATION JUDGE. Border Patrol

The primary mission of CBP’s Border Patrol is to secure APPROXIMATELY 7,000 MILES OF INTERNATIONAL LAND BORDER WITH CANADA AND MEXICO AND 2,600 MILES OF COASTAL BORDER OF THE UNITED STATES. ITS MAJOR OBJECTIVES ARE TO deter, detect, and interdict the illicit entry of aliens, ter- RORISTS, TERRORIST WEAPONS, AND OTHER CONTRABAND INTO THE United States. Border Patrol operations are divided into geographic regions referred to as sectors.