According to a report released earlier this month by the Congressional Research Service, the number of individuals caught by Customs and Border Patrol multiple times in 2011 attempting to enter this country illegally was at the lowest point since the beginning of the collection of data on repeat entrants in 2000. That is, statistics show that those deported back to Mexico and elsewhere after getting caught crossing into this country without documentation are decreasingly likely to attempt to re-cross the border multiple times. In addition, this report shows that not only did the number of apprehensions made by the Border Patrol in 2011 hit a decade low, but the vast majority of apprehensions were of unique individuals, as opposed to individuals apprehended multiple times.
The report cites a variety of reasons why prospective immigrants are increasingly choosing not to make multiple attempts at illegally entering the U.S. Most importantly, the study attributes the steadily dropping number of apprehensions to the success of the CBP’s overarching National Strategic Plan, originally launched in 1994. This plan has involved a gradual buildup of personnel, equipment, technology and infrastructure along the U.S. borders, especially focusing on areas most frequented by drug smugglers and undocumented immigrants. In addition, since 2011, the U.S. has increased its efforts at fighting crime and terrorism at its borders, which has further limited the ability of individuals to cross into this country illegally.
Another reason for the drop in recidivism among deported individuals reported by the Congressional Research Service is the increasing effort to impose border “enforcement with consequences.” Whereas the majority of undocumented immigrants were once simply deposited back on the other side of the border, often on the same day of their apprehension, today the Department of Homeland Security is increasingly prosecuting these individuals and holding them for extended periods of time.
Finally, the report shows that the fees paid today by prospective migrants to coyotes or human smugglers that aid them in getting into this country are the highest they have ever been. Whereas in the 1980s, one could pay a coyote as little as five or six hundred dollars, the typical fees today are in excess of $2,500. This makes reentry for some simply cost prohibitive.
Although these statistics would more convincingly prove that CBP strategies have been successful in curbing the illegal immigration into this country if they also showed how many individuals successfully cross into the U.S. without proper authorization, the report argues that accurate figures on this simply do not exist.
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