Raw Data: Southwest Border Apprehensions

Donald Trump celebrated the spirit of Easter today by railing againt the “big flows” of immigrants crossing over illegally from Mexico. “Getting more dangerous,” he tweeted ominously. “They laugh at our dumb immigration laws.”

Perhaps. But in case you’re interested in some baseline data to work from, here it is. Border apprehensions are generally taken as a proxy for changes in illegal immigration, under the assumption that more people getting caught means more people trying to cross. Here is ICE data for Southwest border apprehensions:

You may decide for yourself if this seems like a dire situation.

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And the essential ingredient that makes all this possible? Readers like you.

It’s reader support that enables Mother Jones to devote the time and resources to report the facts that are too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient for other news outlets to uncover. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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