By the Numbers
2007 Immigration Enforcement Review

As the legislative year comes to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to point out some of the immigration reform highlights of 2007. Unfortunately, the Democrat-led Congress has failed to move forward with immigration reform, including the bipartisan SAVE Act—which would strengthen border security, interior enforcement, and require worker verification.

Thankfully in the Dallas area, local law enforcement agencies have been very successful in the detaining, prosecuting and deporting illegal aliens who have committed crimes in the United States. The Criminal Alien Program (CAP) and Detention and Removal Office (DRO) have been working closely with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to make the 32nd District of Texas a safer place.

• In the Dallas area, ICE removed 13,190 illegal aliens under the Criminal Alien Program in 2007. This number is up from 7,601 removals in 2005 and 8,239 removals in 2006. I applaud their collaboration and encourage them to continue their hard work.

• Nationwide, the DHS has reported that overall ICE has removed approximately 240,000 illegal aliens.

• Operation Community Shield, the federal-state-local partnership of law enforcement officials has proven to be extremely effective in cracking down on violent international gang members—many of whom are illegal aliens. Since the program’s inception, agents have made close to 8,000 arrests. In 2007, results were up 134% over FY 2006 and 533% over FY 2005. During a seven day surge, law enforcement officials arrested 121 people in the Dallas area alone.

• U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) exceeded the goal of 145 miles of fencing at the border for 2007. The Department of Homeland Security is dedicated to completing 284 of the 670 miles of pedestrian and vehicular fencing by the end of 2008.

• According to DHS, the 10-fingerprint collection from international visitors has been implemented at Washington Dulles International Airport. This biometric scanning device will be in place at 275 other ports of entry by the end of 2008. Near Puerto Rico alone, the US-VISIT/Coast Guard partnership on 10-print biometric collection has resulted in 95 prosecutions and a 53% reduction in migrant flow. I am pleased to see progress in this crucial program so that we can track who is entering and exiting the country and, therefore, account for visa overstays.

• The Department of Homeland Security reported that the U.S. Coast Guard seized more than 350,000 pounds of cocaine at sea this year, worth an estimated value of more than $4.7 billion. CBP also seized more than 3.2 million pounds of narcotics at and between ports of entry.

The enforcement progress over the past year is very encouraging. I attribute this success to the hard working and dedicated law enforcement officials who are making our streets safer. In the coming year, I will continue to work on securing the border and keeping America safe. I am eager to see more legislative progress on immigration in 2008, and I will continue to pressure the Democrat leadership to address the issue of illegal immigration. If you have any questions, please contact me or my Legislative Assistant Evan Shoop at 202.225.2231 or email her at evan.shoop@mail.house.gov.
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