Once again, simply looking at the data, rather than the rhetoric paints a distinctly different picture than what you may expect.
Here is some real data. It comes from these sources:
https://www.cbp.gov/trade/priority-issues/pr/statistics
https://www.tsa.gov/tags/year-review
https://www.dea.gov/resource-center/statistics.shtml#arrests
Is unauthorized immigration rising?
NO!. In fact unauthorized immigration has fallen by 20% since 2007.
So, is the Southern Border problem increasing while the other countries are decreasing, creating this decreasing trend?
NO!
In fact the numbers from other countries have actually been increasing (from 5.3 million to 5.5 million, while those coming through Mexico have decreased from 6.9 million to 4.9 million (A decrease of 40%)
Unauthorized immigration from Mexico now accounts for LESS THAN 50% of all unauthorized immigration.
The next question is: Has there been a spike in Border apprehensions during the past 3 years?
Here is the data:
Conclusion:
1. Border apprehensions peaked in 2000 with almost 1.7 million apprehensions
2. Apprehensions decreased since then with a low of 337 thousand in the first year of the Trump administration.
3. Apprehensions under Obama were, on average 22% HIGHER under Obama than under Trump.
Next:
Has the Trump Administration increased the Border Patrol in order to clamp down on illegal immigration?
Here is the data:
Conclusions:
1. In the 8 years prior to the beginning of the Obama Administration we averaged 10,067 border patrol agents per year. This increased to 17,716 during the Obama Administration (an INCREASE of over 75%).
2. In the 3 years of the Trump Administration, we averaged 16,746 border patrol agents per year (a DECREASE of 6%).
Ok, so what about deportations? Are we stronger now than before?
Here is the data:
Conclusions:
1. Deportations in the 7 years prior to the Obama Administration averaged 236,000. Under the Obama Administration that INCREASED to 390,000 (an INCREASE of 65%).
2. Deportations under the Trump Administration DECREASED on average to 318,000 (a DECREASE of 23%)
What about Refugees? Are we accepting more or less today?
Here is the data:
Conclusions:
1. Under the Trump Administration we have accepted 24% FEWER refugees than under the Obama Administration, but the total has been less than 70,000 per year over that entire period.
The final conclusions from this data are pretty clear:
1. There is no data to support any claim that the system is being overrun with new immigrants coming from the South. The numbers are clear, unauthorized immigration is actually decreasing from the levels of 10 years ago.
2. For the first time, less than half of unauthorized immigrants are coming from Mexico.
3. The Trump Administration is deporting less people than the Obama Administration did.
4. The Trump Administration is staffing the border with LESS people than the Obama Administration did.
5. The Trump Administration is apprehending LESS people than the Obama Administration did.