CRIME/IMMIGRATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration ramped up arrests of people suspected of being in the U.S. illegally in 2017, but the number of deportations fell below even the lowest level recorded during the Obama administration, the government said Tuesday [12-5-17].
That is partly because the number of people caught crossing the border illegally plummeted to the lowest level since 1971, meaning there were fewer people to deport, the government said. Another factor: undocumented immigrants arrested inside the U.S. were caught in a growing backlog of cases at the immigration courts, slowing deportations…
The major reason for the drop in deportations is a sharp decline in border crossings. In fiscal year 2017, the number of people the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency apprehended trying to cross into the U.S. illegally fell 25%. The number arriving at ports without permission to enter fell by nearly as much.
These declines occurred immediately after Donald Trump took office, suggesting his tough talk on illegal immigration dissuaded many foreigners from trying to enter the country. Officials said the lowest monthly total of southwest border apprehensions on record was registered in April, at just over 11,000. The numbers have ticked up since then but remain well below previous years.”
-Laura Meckler, “Under Trump, Deportations Drop as Fewer Attempt Illegal Border Crossing,” The Wall Street Journal online, Dec. 5, 2017 11:36am