DHS Annual Report on Enforcement Actions: 86% of apprehended foreign nationals from Mexico

Immigration Enforcement Actions: 2009

Each year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) undertakes immigration enforcement actions involving hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals (for definitions of immigration enforcement action terms, see Box 1). These actions include the arrest, detention, return, and removal from the United States of foreign nationals who violate U.S. immigration law. Violations include failing to abide by the terms and conditions of admission or engaging in a variety of crimes such as violent crimes, document and benefit fraud, terrorist activity, and drug smuggling. Primary responsibility for the enforcement of immigration law within DHS rests with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). CBP is responsible for the inspection of all arriving persons and conveyances at ports of entry and the deterrence or apprehension of illegal immigrants between ports of entry. ICE is responsible for enforcing immigration laws throughout the United States.

This Office of Immigration Statistics Annual Report presents information on the apprehension, detention, return, and removal of foreign nationals during 2009.1 Key findings in this report include the following:

• DHS apprehended 613,000 foreign nationals; 86 per-cent were natives of Mexico.

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