BOSTON – This week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced its end-of-year immigration enforcement numbers, the results of a year-long return to enforcing the law, upholding the integrity of our lawful immigration system, and keeping America safe. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2017, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported 310,531 apprehensions nationwide, 449 of which were in Swanton Sector and 30 in Houlton Sector.
While 2017 marked a successful year in border security efforts, reducing illegal cross-border migration, increasing interior enforcement, and dismantling transnational criminal enterprises, multiple challenges still remain in providing immigration officials with the tools needed to keep criminals off the streets, eliminate the pull factors for illegal immigration, and remove aliens who have violated our immigration laws from the country. The previously announced Trump Administration’s immigration priorities would address these challenges by enhancing border security, implementing a merit-based immigration system, and closing loopholes that encourage illegal immigration.
international border with Canada.
In FY17, overall U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded the lowest level of illegal cross-border migration on record, as measured by apprehensions along the border and inadmissible encounters at the U.S. ports of entry. While, the total number of apprehensions in Swanton and Houlton Sectors increased, apprehensions of individuals present without admission from Canada (PWAC) were down. There were 165 PWAC apprehensions in Swanton Sector and 11 in Houlton Sector.
“The men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol work tirelessly day in and day out to protect or borders and our communities, and I commend their hard work successfully carrying out the border security mission over the last year,” said Swanton Sector Chief Patrol Agent John C. Pfeifer.
“The work our agents have successfully carried out in FY17 intercepting those who have violated our immigration laws is to be commended and we will remain vigilant as we move forward in the years to come,” said Houlton Chief Patrol Agent Daniel R. Hiebert.
Air and Marine agents worked in partnership with other law enforcement agencies to affect 14 apprehensions and 213 criminal arrests in New England. Air and Marine Operations enforcement operations contributed to over 37,000 apprehensions and nearly 2,600 arrests nationwide.
In addition to the 310,531 apprehensions by U.S. Border Patrol agents nationwide, there were 216,370 inadmissible cases by CBP officers in FY17, representing a 21.2 percent decline at ports of entry over the previous year. CBP officers in the Boston Field Office, covering all of New England, intercepted 4,788 inadmissible aliens. While this is an increase from FY16, the total number of arriving passengers also increased from last year.
“CBP officers at the ports of entry throughout New England are committed to enforcing the border security laws of our nation, which includes a significant focus on counterterrorism, while also facilitating international trade and travel,” said Director of Field Operations for Boston, William A. Ferrara.
Fiscal Year 2017 Border Security Report
For more on Customs and Border Protection’s mission at our nation’s ports of entry with CBP officers and along U.S. borders with Border Patrol agents, please visit the Border Security section of the CBP website.