Huge Increase of Illegal Alien Apprehensions, Unaccompanied Minors Up 78% Over 2015

The Associated Press
The Associated Press

Total apprehensions of illegal aliens crossing the southwest border are up in March by twenty-eight percent above February. Of the overall total of 33,335 total captures on the southwest border in March, over 4,200 were unaccompanied alien children (UACs).

In all, the Southwest Border sectors saw a 78 percent increase in UAC apprehensions between FY 2015 and FY 2016.

The Yuma Sector saw the largest increase with a 405 percent reported change from FY 2015. In FY 2015 the number of UACs in this sector was reported at 297, in FY 2016 it was at 1,500.

The Del Rio and El Centro Sectors saw a 92 percent, and 84 percent change respectively. UACs went from 706 in FY 2015 to 1,353 in FY 2016 in Del Rio, and from 271 to 498 in El Centro during this time period.

The Rio Grande Sector was up 81 percent, 9,076 reported in FY 2015, and 16,411 in FY 2016.

The Big Bend Sector reported 194 UACs in FY 2015, and 636 in FY 2016.

The sectors in El Paso and Laredo went from 536 to 1,669, and 1,153 to 1,466 UACs during these periods.

The Tuscon Sector reported 2,876 UACs in FY 2015, and 3,481 in FY 2016. The San Diego Sector had 507 in FY 2015, and 740 the following fiscal year.

Border patrol agents working in the southwest region also apprehended 4,448 individuals who were traveling in what is classified as family units. A “Family Unit” represents individuals with at least one child under the age of eighteen years old who is accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

As it relates to total Family Unit apprehensions, a 131 percent change was reported when comparing FY 2016 with FY 2015 numbers, going from 13,913 to 32,117 in just one year.

The above figures come from reports just released by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service.

Breitbart News reported on May 2 that the influx of UACs cost the U.S. more than $16,000 per child.

The article also reported that the Obama administration is predicting that 75,000 unaccompanied minors will be illegally crossing the nation’s border at Mexico in FY 2017. The number of apprehended UACs has grown from 8,000 in 2008, to 69,000 in 2014. There was a brief slowdown but then the number of UACs almost doubled in 2016 compared to 2015.

The May 2 article also discusses findings by the Center for Immigration Studies that projects that the costs in FY 2017 will reach $17,613 per unaccompanied alien child. The federal government is requesting $1.226 billion for funding the Unaccompanied Children (UC) program in FY 2017.

Lana Shadwick is a writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She has served as a prosecutor and associate judge. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2

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