Arrests of illegal immigrants trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border have fallen to levels not seen since the early 1970s.
With one month left in fiscal year 2011, the Border Patrol has apprehended nearly 305,000 illegal border crossers across the Southwest border. That puts the final year total on pace to be the lowest since 1972, when 321,000 apprehensions were made.
By comparison, the agency made 852,500 to 1.6 million apprehensions each year from 1983 to 2007 along the Southwest border before the sharp downturn in the last four years.
The precipitous decline is the latest measure to suggest illegal immigration, especially from Mexico, has fallen substantially.
By the numbers: Border buildup
Agents:
18,415 Border Patrol agents on the U.S.-Mexico border today.
3,555 Border Patrol agents on the U.S.-Mexico border in 1992.
Barriers:
649 miles of border fences and vehicle barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border today.
143 miles of border fences and vehicle barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border in 2006.
Budget:
$11.4 billion budget for Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Homeland Security agency responsible for border security, in fiscal year 2010
$6 billion budget for Customs and Border Protection fiscal year 2004
