At a Senate Judiciary hearing on DHS oversight this morning, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen reported that while overall illegal immigration is down, it has been increasing substantially in the last three months:
She’s reporting that in the last three months, October through December, there’s been a 30% increase in unaccompanied children crossing the border illegally and a 68% increase in family units doing the same. That seems like a lot.
Overall illegal immigration, as she pointed out in her testimony, is down:
Overall, apprehensions at the southern border have decreased, which leads us to believe that fewer people are attempting illegal entry. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2016, there were 408,870 apprehensions at the Southern Border; in FY 2017, there were 303,916. That’s a decrease of nearly 26 percent and it represents the lowest level in 45 years.
But…
However, make no mistake: that is nearly one thousand illegal immigrants coming across our border every day.
Even at that rate, between a quarter and half a million illegals are crossing the border every year. And that doesn’t count the visa overstays which make up 40% over illegal immigration.
Republicans better figure out how to secure the border this year. If they can’t do that then I don’t think it will ever get done.