2008. This is the largest expansion in the agency's history.4 The third element of our strategy is technology. Twenty-first-century tools are needed at the border, which means more than just fencing and barriers. It means high-tech solutions as well, such as unmanned aerial systems and ground-based radar, including systems that allow the Border Patrol to map exactly where migrants are entering so that they can direct their teams to intercept. Technology will never be a substitute for the experience and intuition of well-trained Border Patrol agents, but it helps them be more effective in a challenging border environment.
Are these efforts having an impact on illegal immigration? Perhaps the best statistical measure can be found in the number of apprehensions at the border. Since 2005, Border Patrol apprehensions of illegal migrants attempting to cross the border dropped a full 40 percent, suggesting that fewer people are attempting to enter the country. In 2008, apprehensions dropped 17 percent.5 Coupled with other third party indicators, including a significant reduction in remittances to Mexico and Latin America, as well as fewer people in traditional staging areas at the border, we are confident that this reflects a significant change in past trends. Further validation can be found in an independent Pew Hispanic Center study, which in October 2008 noted that “from 2005 to 2008, the inflow of immigrants who are undocumented fell below that of immigrants who are legal permanent residents. That reverses a trend that began a decade ago. The turnaround appears to have occurred in 2007.”6 The Pew study found that in 2007, for the first time in years, there was no increase in the net illegal population in the United States. These are encouraging signs for those responsible for protecting the border, suggesting that the policies instituted by the Bush administration can have a positive impact on border security.
Interior Enforcement
Moving away from the borders, we also have to look at the issue of enforcing the law in the interior. Only by promoting a legal workforce can we reduce the incentives for people to enter the country illegally. As we know, what brings the vast majority of illegal migrants into the United States is the prospect of jobs. When businesses hire illegal immigrants it works against our policy of controlling the border. It also encourages more people to break the law and exposes workers to potential abuse by their employers. Thus, interior enforcement remains a major part of our strategy. Worse, we know that some proportion of the people who enter the United States illegally do not come here to do legitimate work; they come to commit crimes. Our first priority is to identify those in the country illegally who are criminals or gang members and arrest them. To this end, we have expanded both our anti-gang initiatives and our fugitive operations teams.
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