Criminal immigration enforcement by the two largest investigative agencies in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has increased to levels comparable to the highest seen during the Bush administration, reports Syracuse University's TRAC. In April there were 7,822 new prosecutions referred by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), compared with 7,090 prosecutions in March. The total of 14,912 is the highest two-month total since September and October of 2008, when the combined figure was 16,127.
In addition, there were 2,119 new criminal prosecutions referred by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in April, following a March figure of 2,026. The combined two-month total of 4,145 is the highest recorded since the creation of the agency in 2005. This surpasses previous highs of 3,777 in July and August of 2008 and 3,787 in July and August of 2009. The data were obtained by TRAC under the Freedom of Information Act from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys.
