Volume 6
DHS on Southwest Border Security &
Immigration Enforcement Priorities
Border Patrol agent places a Mexican National under arrest
for transporting drugs into the U.S.
In connection with the latest monthly release of
numbers of apprehensions on the southwest border, Secretary Johnson made the following statement:
July-Aug 2016 Edition
Those priorities, revised as part of the President’s
executive actions in November 2014, more sharply
focus our limited enforcement resources on public safety and border security. And, those priorities
are reflected in actual results. Today, over 99%
of those in immigration detention fit within one of
these enforcement priorities; and around 85% are
within the top priority for removal. In 2009 just 35%
of those deported by ICE were convicted criminals;
today that percentage is 60%.
We also continue to crack down on the transnational criminal organizations involved in the smuggling
and exploitation of migrants. Last week, 41 individuals linked to transnational criminal organizations
responsible for smuggling hundreds of migrants
through South and Central America into the United
States were arrested, with our support, by foreign
partners in two separate multinational operations.
“In June 2016, apprehensions by the Border Patrol on our southwest border – an indicator of total
attempts to cross the border illegally – decreased
from the levels we saw in May and April. Year to
date, apprehensions are somewhat higher than in
FY 2015, but significantly lower than FY 2014 and
FY 2013:
Apprehensions by the Border Patrol
Jeh C. Johnson, DHS Secretary
We must enforce our immigration laws, and we are
doing so consistent with our enforcement priorities.
These arrests were part of the ongoing “Operation
Citadel” – a multi-country effort, supported by DHS
Joint Task Force-Investigations. Likewise, DHS recently launched “Operation All In,” coordinated by
our Joint Task Force-West, which targets individuals involved in smuggling along our southwest bor62