For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 23, 2007

Fact Sheet: A Record of Achievement on Border Security and Worksite Enforcement
Bush Administration Has Increased Border Security And Cracked Down On Employers Who Knowingly Hire Illegal Aliens

White House News

      In Focus: Immigration

Three Key Points About The Bush Administration's Border Security And Worksite Enforcement Achievements

1. Since The President Took Office In 2001, The Administration Has More Than Doubled Funding For Border Security – From $4.6 Billion In 2001 To $10.4 Billion In 2007.
   
   
2. As A Result Of This Investment And Other Deterrence Factors, The Number Of People Apprehended For Illegally Crossing Our Southern Border Is Down By Nearly 27 Percent In 2007 From This Point In 2006.
   
   
3. Immigration And Customs Enforcement (ICE) Has Replaced The Old System Of Administrative Hearings And Fines With A Much Tougher Combination Of Criminal Prosecutions And Asset Forfeitures – A Much More Aggressive Approach Toward Cracking Down On Employers Who Knowingly Hire Illegal Aliens. This has resulted in a significant increase in arrests for criminal violations brought in worksite enforcement actions.

Increased Border Security Is Helping Deter Illegal Immigration

The Administration Has Expanded The Border Patrol From Approximately 9,000 Agents In 2001 To More Than 13,000 Agents Today. By the end of 2008, there will be a total of more than 18,000 agents, doubling the size of the Border Patrol under the President's leadership.

In Addition To Increasing Manpower, The Administration Is Improving Infrastructure And Technology At The Border. Today, there are in place:

• Thousands of ground sensors;
• Hundreds of day and night cameras;
• 86 miles of primary fencing, part of 370 miles planned by the end of calendar year 2008;
• Over 350 miles of improved patrol roads;
• 78 miles of permanent vehicle barrier;
• 4 Ground Surveillance Radars (GSR); and
• 1 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) in Southern AZ with another coming on line in July of this year.

As Upgrades Are Completed At The Border, National Guard Members Are Supporting The Border Patrol In Texas, California, Arizona, And New Mexico Under Operation Jump Start. As the Administration continues building up the Border Patrol, Operation Jump Start is providing complementary manpower on the border, allowing the Border Patrol to move more than 560 agents from support roles into frontline positions.

• Since The Launch Of Operation Jump Start In June 2006, National Guard Members Have Assisted The Border Patrol In Apprehending More Than 72,000 Illegal Immigrants And Seizing More Than 195,000 Pounds Of Illegal Drugs.

The Administration Has Effectively Ended The Practice Of "Catch And Release" For Every Non-Mexican Apprehended At Our Borders.

• The Administration Has Added Thousands Of New Beds At Detention Centers Across The Country. Since the President took office, the Administration has provided funding for 7,798 new beds to accommodate apprehended illegal immigrants – a 40 percent increase over 2001.

• The Administration Has Expedited The Legal Process To Reduce The Time Non-Mexican Illegal Aliens Remain In Detention Awaiting Deportation By About Half.

The Administration Is Holding Employers Accountable For The Workers They Hire

Arrests For Criminal Violations Brought In Worksite Enforcement Actions – The Most Effective Means Of Enforcement And Best Measure Of ICE's New Approach – Have Increased Significantly. These criminal arrests have increased from 24 in FY 1999 to a record 716 in FY 2006 – a nearly 2900 percent increase. There have been 588 criminal arrests since the beginning of FY 2007.

During The First Half Of FY 2007, ICE Obtained Criminal Fines, Restitutions, And Civil Judgments In Worksite Enforcement Investigations Against Egregious Violators In Excess Of $29 Million.

In April 2006, ICE Carried Out The Largest Single Worksite Enforcement Action Ever Taken Against An Employer. Seven current and former managers of an international logistics service provider were charged with harboring aliens and document fraud, and 1,187 unlawfully employed illegal aliens were arrested.

In Today's News: "Suspected Illegals Arrested In Raid"

Springfield [MO] News-Leader: More Than 100 Poultry Workers Accused Of ID Theft. "More than 100 employees at a large poultry processing plant in Butterfield were arrested Tuesday based on allegations they used stolen identities to work in the country illegally. Armed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents rounded up all employees during the morning shift Tuesday … and checked them one by one." (Wes Johnson, "Suspected Illegals Arrested In Raid," Springfield [MO] News-Leader, 5/23/07)

• ICE Special Agent Pete Baird: "These Worksite Enforcement Actions Help Reduce The Job Magnet That Encourages Aliens To Enter The Country Illegally."

The Joplin [MO] Globe: "The Arrests Were The Latest Action In An Ongoing Investigation." "According to the immigration agency, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri already has charged five people who previously had been arrested, convicted or pleaded guilty in separate cases to Social Security fraud, making a false claim of U.S. citizenship, aggravated identity theft and/or being an illegal immigrant in possession of a firearm." (Melissa Dunson, "Raid At Poultry Plant Results In More Than 100 Arrests," The Joplin [MO] Globe, 5/23/07)

The Associated Press: "Federal Agents Have Conducted Several Mass Arrests Since The April 2006 Raids … At 40 Sites Nationwide." "Nearly 3,000 suspected illegal workers have been arrested in dozens of states in all." ("100 Suspected Illegal Workers Arrested In Mo.," The Associated Press, 5/23/07)

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