Arrests at border hit 46-yr. low

THE NUMBER of arrests made at the U.S.-Mexico border dropped to its lowest level since 1971, Homeland Security figures show.

During the government’s 2017 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, U.S. border agents made 310,531 arrests, down 24 % from the previous year.

Illegal migration was at its lowest level immediately following President Trump’s election. A Homeland Security official suggested that Trump’s hard-line stance on immigration has deterred would-be border crossers.

“We have clearly seen the successful results of the President’s commitment to supporting the frontline officers and agents of (the Department of Homeland Security) as they enforce the law and secure our borders,” acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke said in a statement.

Arrests of foreigners living illegally in the U.S. have gone up under Trump. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers made 110,568 arrests between his inauguration and the end of the fiscal year, marking a 42% increase over the same period a year earlier, the figures show.

Homeland Security spokesman Tyler Houlton said the numbers reflect the president’s “security-focused agenda.

“This is what enforcing the law as Congress adopted looks like,” he said.

Trump has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration, and promised to deport or incarcerate “probably 2 million” foreigners with criminal records.

Still, officers expelled about 6% fewer people from the U.S. during the government’s 2017 fiscal year, partly because the drop in illegal border crossings left the agency with fewer cases of people to deport.

The report also notes that border patrol agents arrested 20,131 criminal aliens, and another 10,908 individuals who were wanted by law enforcement authorities. Also Tuesday, the Senate voted, 62 to 37, to confirm Kirstjen Nielsen as Homeland Security secretary.