With the recent release of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) FY 2016 statistics report, DHS immigration enforcement efforts showed an increase in prioritizing apprehension of convicted criminals and threats to public safety.
DHS saw a 19 percent increase in arrests compared to the previous fiscal year while the U.S. Border patrol saw a 23 percent increase. The U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement saw an 8 percent decrease in arrests compared to the prior year.
The report said that 91 percent of the overall arrests were deemed as Priority 1, or individuals that pose a significant threat to national security, individuals that were arrested attempting to unlawfully enter the country, and the most serious categories of convicted criminals and gang-affiliated individuals. It was also noted that while Border Patrol apprehensions have recently increased, they remain only a fraction of what was routinely observed from 1980 to 2008.
“Overall, 98 percent of all initial immigration enforcement actions and over 99 percent of all removals and returns in FY 2016 aligned with the immigration enforcement priorities that I established in November 2014,” U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said. “Significantly, an increasing percentage of those deported from the interior were convicted of serious crimes – over 90 percent in 2016 as compared to 51 percent in 2009.”
Among migrant statistics, the department saw an overall decrease in illegal entries by Mexican nationals with an increase of illegal entries by Central American migrants who have asserted they attempted to enter the United States out of fear of persecution in their home countries.