Arrests of Illegal Aliens on Federal Borderlands Increased by Nearly 4,000% under Trump/Zinke Surge Operations

From The Department of the Interior:

WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke today announced that in the first six months of a pilot program to provide an increased Interior law enforcement presence on identified Interior lands along the US-Mexico border, arrests of illegal aliens entering the United States increased by nearly 4,000 percent.

In May of 2018, Secretary Zinke directed a Border Support Surge initiative, which coordinated law enforcement officers from the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Border Patrol to execute high level operations to patrol and protect the border with Mexico. The team saw immediate results. This increased posture provides greater situational awareness on illegal activities within public lands and parks, and allows for greater collaboration and information sharing between U.S. Border Patrol and Interior to minimize criminal activity in these areas. Interior is home to about 4,000 federal law enforcement officers and this is the first time the force has been used in this capacity.

"First off, I applaud all our law enforcement for their tireless work keeping the American people safe and securing the border. President Trump made a promise to the American people that his administration will do everything we can to secure the southern border and protect our people, and that is exactly what Interior's law enforcement professionals are doing," said Secretary Zinke. "The fact that we were able to increase arrests by almost 4,000 percent is undeniable proof that there's a big problem. Under the previous administration, Interior's borderlands were basically an open door for illegal activity; and, what few law enforcement officers were down there were left unprotected and without the resources and backup needed to keep communities and themselves safe."

Zinke continued, "The first six months of the border surge proved that there is a huge problem with illegal crossings on Interior lands and that a prolonged and more robust operation is needed until the wall is completed. We will increase our presence on the border in targeted regions and provide additional assistance to teams deploying in response to the oncoming caravan."

During the first six months of the border surge, Interior law enforcement officers tallied:

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