For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary, Dept of Homeland Security
September 21, 2004
New Approach to Border Security Shows Results in Just Six Months
Fact Sheet: Arizona Border Control Initiative
Six months after launching an innovative multi-agency enforcement
initiative at the Arizona Border, the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) can point to sure and steady progress toward stemming illegal
immigration into the Southwest United States, Asa Hutchinson, Under
Secretary for Border and Transportation Security (BTS), announced
today.
Since DHS kicked off the Arizona Border Control (ABC) initiative
March 16, 2004, agents have made more than 351,700 illegal immigrant
apprehensions at the Arizona border -- evidence of substantial progress
at securing the border against illegal incursions. Prosecutions of
human smuggling organizations, another key indicator, have increased by
68 percent. Migrant desert rescues have more than doubled, potentially
saving 697 lives. In addition, narcotics seizures have risen from
165,057 lbs. in 2003 to 359,604 lbs. during the same period in 2004.
"While we recognize and applaud the efforts of the Government of
Mexico to stem the flow of illegal migration and protect lives in
border areas, we must strengthen the rule of law in the Sonoran
Desert," Under Secretary Hutchinson said. "BTS initiatives are
impairing the ability of the smuggling organizations to operate, saving
many lives and restoring control to the Arizona border."
As part of the ABC initiative, DHS has dedicated additional
technology and tools to border security. Unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs) were incorporated to increase border surveillance of illegal
activities. Two additional helicopters have been permanently
reassigned to boost air capability along the 375-mile border.
Moreover, the Air and Marine Operations division of U.S. Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE) provides additional air surveillance,
interdiction and law enforcement support.
Additional personnel and training are also a critical part of the
initiative. Two hundred permanent personnel have been added to the
Tucson Sector of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) Border
Patrol, bringing the sector's manpower to nearly 1,900 agents. Thirty
of these Border Patrol agents are undergoing special operations
training in the use of high-tech resources.
The ABC initiative consists of targeted, intelligence-based
operations. DHS has already developed two companion initiatives to
supplement the ABC approach. Through Operation ICE Storm, ICE is
dismantling the organized criminal outfits that have made human
smuggling a profitable but extremely violent business venture.
Operation ICE Storm has led to the seizure of $5.3 million in criminal
currency and 130 weapons. In June 2004, DHS launched the Los Angeles
Area Initiative, another intelligence-driven effort, working with the
Transportation Security Administration (TSA), to deter human smuggling
at the Los Angeles International Airport, a key transportation hub used
by criminal organizations to move smuggled migrants to destinations
across the United States.
International cooperation is particularly important to the success
of the ABC. A new joint program with the Government of Mexico is
streamlining the deportation process. The Interior Repatriation
Program disrupts the cycle of human smuggling by returning illegal
migrants to their hometowns in the interior of Mexico City on a
voluntary basis. As of September 19, 2004 this pilot program had
repatriated more than 12,000 Mexican nationals who entered the U.S.
illegally.
In addition, DHS launched the Expedited Removal Program to hasten
the removal of illegal immigrants who are caught while attempting to
enter the United States by fraudulent means or while attempting to
elude CBP Border Patrol agents. This new procedure applies to those
caught within 100 miles of the Mexican or Canadian borders, and only if
they are apprehended within their first 14 days in the U.S.
The ABC initiative is a key component of DHS's priority mission of
detecting, disrupting and deterring all cross-border illicit smuggling
and trafficking -- including people, money, drugs, weapons and other
contraband. The ABC brings together the expertise and resources of
various DHS agencies, in coordination with other federal, local, state
and tribal law enforcement agencies, to more effectively secure the
Southwest border.
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