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Homeland Security 5 Year Anniversary 2003 - 2008, One Team, One Mission Securing the Homeland

Fact Sheet: Securing Our Nation’s Borders

Release Date: 06/29/06 00:00:00

Through the Secure Border Initiative (SBI) and other efforts, DHS is strengthening security along our northern and southern borders through the integrated use of increased manpower and infrastructure, cutting-edge technology, enhanced immigration enforcement, and cooperation with our state, local, and international partners.

Expanding Infrastructure and Building a Virtual Fence

The Administration is constructing new fencing and barriers, and improving and expanding existing infrastructure.  DHS is also using 21st century technology to increase the effectiveness of operations.  The use of radiation detectors, sensors, cameras, and biometric information dramatically increase the likelihood of apprehending criminal or terrorist elements attempting to enter the U.S.  

  • Expanding Infrastructure Along the Border:  Where it makes sense, DHS is erecting fencing and barriers to improve security along the border.  The President’s $1.9 billion supplemental request includes $500 million for additional infrastructure including more barriers, lighting, roads, fencing, communications equipment, and new stations and bases along the border.  Infrastructure enhancement is already underway in many areas.  In San Diego, for example, Secretary Chertoff has authorized the expansion and completion of a 14-mile Border Infrastructure System.

  • Building a Virtual Fence:  Through SBInet and other efforts, DHS is procuring and deploying a virtual fence along the borders comprised of detection equipment, sensors, cameras, and other high-tech tools.  This improved technology will be integrated with new investments in infrastructure and will greatly increase the apprehension capabilities of the Border Patrol.  


  • Bringing Technology to Bear on the Northern Border:  Since 9/11, more than $122 million in technology has been deployed to the Northern Border, including $8.7 million in tactical communications, $60 million in Radiation Portal Monitors, and $40 million in other large-scale non-intrusive equipment.  Future deployments include $150 million for RPMs and large-scale non-intrusive equipment.  In addition, $200 million has been spent to enhance the truck arrival and cargo entry processes along the northern border.    

Increasing Manpower and Assets Along the Borders

Since President Bush has taken office, the size and budget of the Border Patrol has increased dramatically and additional agents are being trained and assigned to the northern and southern borders.  

  • Increasing the Number of Agents:  By the end of 2008, the number of Border Patrol agents are expected to double since the President took office.  Border security funding has also increased 66%.
    - Agents When the President Took Office: 9,096
    - Agents Today: Approximately 11,600 (a 27% increase)
    - Agents By December 31, 2008: 18,319 (an expected 101% increase)

  • Tripling the Number of Border Patrol Agents Along the Northern Border and Doubling the Number of Inspectors:  The number of agents along the northern border has almost tripled from 340 agents in 2001 to 980 agents today.  Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has also more than doubled the number of inspectors from 1,615 to 3,391.  This increase in manpower improves CBP’s ability to detect, apprehend, and deter illegal aliens, criminal elements, and terrorist threats along the border with Canada.  

  • Moving Agents From Administrative Positions to the Field:  With National Guard support, nearly 600 Border Patrol agents along the southern border will be moved from non-law enforcement jobs and be made available for border operations, apprehensions, and interdictions.

  • Deploying New Aerial and Ground Vehicles:  As part of the supplemental recently approved by Congress, DHS will purchase more than a dozen new helicopters, over 650 new vehicles, and two new UAVs for use along the border.  In one year, a single DHS Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) alone was responsible for the apprehension of 2,300 illegal migrants and 4 tons of marijuana.  

  • Increasing the Number of Air and Marine Branches Along the Northern Border:  Before September 11, 2001, there were no CBP Air and Marine branches along the northern border.  Since that time, two have opened in Bellingham, WA and Plattsburgh, NY. A third air wing in Great Falls, MT will be operational by the end of this fiscal year.  Preparations are also underway to open two additional air branches in Michigan and North Dakota.

  • Thousands of Coast Guardsmen are Protecting the Northern Border:  Coast Guard districts in the Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes have 3,500 active duty military personnel, 19 cutters, and 38 small boat stations serving along northern border waterways.

  • Utilizing Biometric Identification Technology Across our Borders:  US-VISIT biometric verification technology has been deployed at 154 land ports of entry and has screened roughly 4 million visitors entering the country.  

Enhancing Immigration Enforcement

Since President Bush took office, millions of illegal aliens have been apprehended and returned, funding for interior enforcement has grown dramatically, and the policy of “catch and release” is being replaced with “catch and return.”  

  • Getting Results:  Since President Bush took office, agents have apprehended and sent home more than 6 million people entering the country illegally – including more than 400,000 with criminal records.  

  • Increasing Funding and Personnel for Interior Enforcement:  Since President Bush took office, the number of immigration investigators has grown 25% and funding for interior enforcement has risen 42%.  President Bush’s FY07 budget requests funds to increase the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) fugitive ops teams from the current number of 32 to 70.    

  • Expanding Expedited Removal:  Expedited removal substantially reduces the amount of time an illegal migrant spends in processing before being returned to their home country.  Prior to the Secure Border Initiative, the average length of stay in ICE detention was approximately 90 days for all removals, and could be as high as 32 days for those in expedited removal.  Today, the average length of stay for those in expedited removal along the southern border is approximately 20 days.  Secretary Chertoff has expanded the practice of expedited removal to all our nation’s borders - northern, southern, and coastal.    

  • Ending “Catch and Release”:  The President's FY07 budget proposes increasing the number of beds in detention facilities to 27,500 by the end of FY07.  $257 million has been approved which will add 4,000 beds this year alone.    

Launching Joint Operations

In conjunction with federal, state, and local partners, and as part of the broader border security strategy, DHS has launched major operations to target violent street gangs and other criminal elements within our communities.  

  • Operation Community Shield:  Launched in March 2005, Community Shield targets violent gangs across the country that pose a threat to our communities and present concerns for national security.  Since its inception, Operation Community Shield has resulted in the arrest of more than 3,100 gang members from more than 300 different gangs.

- Operation Return to Sender:  In the largest operation of its kind in US history, ICE agents and officers apprehended approximately 2,200 criminal aliens, illegal alien gang members, fugitive aliens, and other immigration status violators as part of a nationwide interior immigration enforcement effort.  Roughly half of the individuals arrested had criminal records, and roughly 370 were members or associates of violent street gangs, including Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13).  

  • Carrying Out the Largest Worksite Enforcement Action In US History:  In just one major nationwide operation, ICE arrested more than 1,200 illegal alien employees and 7 company managers in IFCO plants across 26 states

  • Building Identity and Document Fraud Task Forces:  Led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the task forces build on existing partnerships to bring investigators together from a variety of agencies with expertise in different aspects of document and benefit fraud. These agents partner with U.S. Attorney’s Offices to formulate a comprehensive approach in targeting criminal organizations behind these schemes as well as the ineligible beneficiaries of such fraud. The Document and Benefit Fraud Task Forces are located in Atlanta, Ga.; Boston, Mass.; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colo.; Detroit, Mich.; Los Angeles, Calif.; New York, N.Y.; Newark, N.J.; Philadelphia, Pa.; and St. Paul, Minn. The task forces build upon the success of an existing document and benefit fraud task force in the Washington, D.C./northern Virginia area.

Supporting State and Local Partners

By providing additional funding and training, the Administration is strengthening its partnerships and coordination with state and local authorities.  

  • Providing $65 Million in State and Local Assistance:  DHS is working with state and local partners to expand targeted immigration enforcement activities.  $50 million is being requested for the expansion of training for these authorities.   ICE will provide training for up to 1,500 local law enforcement officers to bolster border security efforts.  $15 million will also be provided for Operation Stonegarden, which can be used by border states for operational overtime, National Guard deployments, and other border security related activities.    

Deploying the National Guard to Provide Support

The National Guard will support and assist DHS’ security efforts, particularly with the Border Patrol as their new agents are trained and added.  

  • Coordinating with Governors:  The Administration is coordinating with governors for the deployment of up to 6,000 National Guardsmen to the southern border.
  • Role of the Guard:   National Guard units will assist DHS by operating surveillance systems, analyzing intelligence, installing fences and vehicle barriers, building patrol roads, and providing training.  Apprehensions and detention operations will be conducted by DHS.
  • Duration of the Guard’s Deployment:  The initial National Guard deployment would last for a period of up to two years and will be reduced in the second year as new Border Patrol agents and new technologies come online.  

Overcoming Significant Obstacles Blocking Immigration Enforcement

Several major obstacles are blocking DHS’ efforts to apprehend and return illegal migrants.  The Department is working with Congress and through legal avenues to overcome them.

  • Aiding Employers in Detecting Social Security Number Fraud:  Each year, hundreds of thousands of Social Security numbers are reported by the Social Security Administration (SSA) as registering a “no-match”.  DHS has issued a proposed regulation that describes an employer’s current obligations under the immigration laws, and its options for avoiding liability, after receiving a no-match letter from either SSA or DHS.  But this is only part of the solution.  We also need to give our Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents a better way to determine which employers are habitually using or providing fraudulent Social Security information.  One way to do that is by giving our agents sufficient access to “no match” data.  DHS is working closely with Congress on the passage of meaningful legislation that will improve our ability to find potential immigration fraud.  The Department will also permit I-9 records to be kept electronically, which will enable employers and investigators to more accurately investigate potential problems.  


  • Working to End the “Orantes” Injunction:  Currently, El Salvadorans account for the largest number of apprehended illegal migrants, with the exception of Mexico.  This outdated injunction is a major obstacle in DHS’ effort to implement a policy of “catch and return”, and DHS is seeking to address this issue through the courts and in proposed legislation.  

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June 29, 2006

This page was last reviewed/modified on 06/29/06 00:00:00.