The latest DHS report shows an unprecedented decline in illegal border crossing traffic resulting in the lowest number of border apprehensions in the last five years. Total border apprehensions decreased by 40% from 31,578 in January to only 18,762 in February.
Notably there was a significant drop in unaccompanied minors (UAC) and family units, which have been surging across the border since 2014. The number of UACs apprehended dropped from 4,417 in January to 1,922 in February. Only 3,124 family units were apprehended in February down from 9,300 in January.
In the report DHS Secretary John Kelly attributed this dramatic decline to Pres. Trump’s immigration policies. "Since the administration's implementation of Executive Orders to enforce immigration laws, apprehensions and inadmissible activity is trending toward the lowest monthly total in at least the last five years," Kelly said in a statement.
In January Pres. Trump signed an executive order that ended Pres. Obama’s catch-and-release policy allowing Border Patrol to promptly remove any illegal alien immediately found to be inadmissible. Under Pres. Obama once apprehended an illegal alien could file an asylum claim and were released into the country while they waited for their court date. Most of those apprehended never showed up for their court hearings.
You can read the full report here.
