Securing our Borders Before Status for Undocumented Immigrants: Problem Solved?

Contributed by Kim Tremblay, Associate Attorney

Last week, a group of senators from both parties announced a plan for comprehensive immigration reform.  The tentative plan states that the United States’ borders will have to be secured before undocumented immigrants are permitted to pursue permanent residency and embark on a path to citizenship.

This week, Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) published its statistics for fiscal year 2012.  The highlights include that attempted illegal border crossings have been dramatically reduced in the last few years.  In 2012, CBP thwarted 365,000 illegal border crossings.  This figure represents a 78% decrease since 2000 and a 50% decrease since 2008.  Of course, these figures represent only the number of people who were caught crossing the border, not the actual number of people who illegally crossed into the country.  Individuals may be using more successful strategies to avoid detection.

However, a significant force behind a likely overall decrease in crossings is probably the increase in resources devoted to border security.  Indeed “Under this administration, DHS has dedicated historic levels of personnel, technology, and resources to the Southwest border. CBP has more than doubled the size of the U.S. Border Patrol since 2004.”[1]  CBP’s budget last years was $11.7 billion, representing a 64% increase since 2006.[2]  

How much more secure should our borders be?  The dramatic decrease in illegal crossings illustrates that it is already difficult to enter the country illegally and that our borders are secure enough.  Americans need to think seriously about whether expending more tax dollars on border security will be worth the return on the investment at this point.    

  

For more information: 

See “Bipartisan Framework for Comprehensive Immigration Reform”

Senators Schumer, McCain, Durbin, Graham, Menendez, Rubio, Bennet, and Flake

CBP’s Fiscal Year in Review: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/national/02012013_3.xml

AILA, Border Security: Moving Beyond Past Benchmarks (1/30/13)

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[1] CBP’s Fiscal Year in Review: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/national/02012013_3.xml.

[2] AILA, Border Security: Moving Beyond Past Benchmarks, 1 (1/30/13).

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