Thread: TX Third year of fewer illegal immigrants caught

Third year of fewer illegal immigrants caught
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June 16, 2009 - 1:03 PM

McALLEN, Texas (AP) - The number of Border Patrol apprehensions nationwide has dropped for a third consecutive year, according to new government data.

The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Immigration Statistics reports that the U.S. Border Patrol - charged with catching illegal immigrants near the nation's boundaries - had 724,000 apprehensions in 2008. That's down from nearly 1.2 million in 2005.

Ninety-seven percent of those apprehensions were on the southwest border with Mexico ,and 91 percent of those caught were Mexican.

http://www.valleymorningstar.com/news/b ... atrol.html

Since they don't have much to do on the border, they can get to work at the local grocery stores.

DHS Immigration Statistics

http://www.dhs.gov/ximgtn/statistics/

DEMOGRAPHICS
Ninety-seven percent of apprehensions by the Border Patrol in 2008 occurred at the southwest border (see Table 1). Nearly 84 percent of persons apprehended were male. Seventy-one percent were between the ages of 18 and 34 years. Persons apprehended during 2005 through 2007 were similar in age, gender, and border location.

The vast majority (91 percent) of persons apprehended in 2008 were Mexican nationals. The next leading country of origin was Honduras (2.7 percent), followed by Guatemala (2.3 percent) and El Salvador (1.8 percent). Between 2005 and 2008, the percentage of persons apprehended who were from Honduras, El Salvador, and Brazil declined substantially. These decreases reflect the end of “catch and release,â€

Sorry, but I'm always suspicious when I hear these stories about fewer apprehensions of illegal aliens. Because there are fewer getting caught, doesn't necessarily mean fewer are sneaking in. In fact, it could mean more are getting in. Maybe more pro-open border types infiltrating Border Patrol, especially at the management levels (affirmative action quotas and all), maybe more human traffickers, maybe better fake IDs, maybe new underground tunnels, maybe more intimidation by drug gangs.....

I think these reports are used by the open borders crowd to try to convince us the problem is going away. I just don't buy it.