Report: Immigration Arrests Half Of All Federal Arrests

A report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that half of all arrests by federal officials were immigration arrests. The report showed the number of immigration arrests rose from 84,749 in 2009 to 85,458 in 2012. The report shows that these arrests were largely concentrated around the U.S.-Mexico border, with 60 percent of all federal arrests in 2012 occurring in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

Factors Behind Increase In Immigration Arrests

The BJS report states that the rate of immigration arrests has increased nearly tenfold in the last two decades. The charges in these immigration arrests include “illegal entry, illegal reentry, alien smuggling, and visa fraud.” Some of the increases in immigration arrests stem from a stronger interpretation of immigration law. An immigration attorney stated an example of a woman who brings her child into the country illegally can be accused of “alien smuggling”, which carries a more serious penalty.

More Immigration Arrests Lead to More Convictions

The increase in immigration arrests has also led to a rise in the number of immigration convictions. The last two decades have seen a steep increase in both immigration arrests and convictions. In 1992, the number of convictions for unlawful entry was 690. In 2012, that number increased to more than 19,000. Unlawful reentry convictions accounted for 48 percent of the increase in the total number of federal convictions in those twenty years.

Policy Changes And Immigration Arrests

Some of the increase in immigration arrests can be tied to changes in immigration enforcement policies. Mark Fleming, national litigation coordinator for the National Immigrant Justice Center, told reporters that that current immigration law takes offenses that were “traditionally treated as (nonviolent) civil offenses” and turned them “into a matter of criminal justice.” Mr. Fleming relates the increase in immigration arrests to the “War on Drugs” of past decades, which led to “rampant increases in (arrests) for possession.”

Immigration Arrests and Homeland Security

A statement from the Department of Homeland Security supported the need for increased immigration arrests. The statement said that the immigration arrests and prosecutions seek “to demonstrate…serious consequences” for illegal immigrants “who violate our nation’s laws with respect to our borders.” The statement describes border security as “a national security issue” and states the Department’s mission regarding illegal immigration as “the removal of criminals and threats to national security and public safety.”

Source: Newsweek

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