The Grid: Arrests of Illegal Border Crossers Plunge

(July 1) -- While President Barack Obama and his critics argue over how to fix America's broken immigration system, there's a sign that the flow of people trying to sneak across the U.S.-Mexico border has slowed dramatically.

The U.S. Border Patrol made about 541,000 arrests along the southern border in fiscal year 2009, which ended Sept. 30. That's down from 705,000 the previous year and 859,000 the year before that. Arrests peaked in fiscal year 2000, when 1.6 million illegal border crossers were nabbed. The graph below shows how much arrests have dropped since then.

No one knows exactly how many border crossers avoid getting caught, but experts consider the Border Patrol's arrest figures a general indicator of the trend in illegal immigration. In a report citing examples of improved border security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection noted that apprehensions fell 51 percent in the El Paso, Texas, area last year and 24 percent around Tucson, Ariz.

The agency also hired 15 percent more Border Patrol officers in 2009, pushing the total above 20,000 -- more than twice as many as a decade ago. In his immigration policy speech today, Obama said there are "more federal boots on the ground" along the southern border than ever. There are also more fences and other barriers.

Along with stronger security, the weak economy has helped reduce illegal border crossings, according to researchers. It's not just harder to get across the border now; it's harder to find work. A recent study by the Migration Policy Institute found illegal immigrants have been hit especially hard by the recession.

Source: US Border Patrol