Two recent articles appear to provide wildly and widely varying figures for the number of illegal alien apprehensions.  In a May 16, 2006, article, Washington Post reporters Sylvia Moreno and Ann Scott Tyson reported that 1.2 million apprehensions were made in 2005.  An accompanying chart displayed these figures by the nine Border Patrol sectors.  The source of these numbers, per the article, was the U.S. Border Patrol.

In a May 20, 2006, Associated Press story by Lara Jakes Jordan, “Skinner’s report said 36 percent of the 774,112 illegal aliens apprehended in the United States in the past three years were released because there were not enough beds or funds available to hold them…”  Ms. Jordan was reporting on a 52-page report issued by Richard L. Skinner, Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

I’m e-mailing Mr. Skinner, DHS’s Public Affairs Office, and the three reporters asking that they provide the public – through “The Forum” at Understanding Government — an explanation for this apparent discrepancy, and to furnish accurate volumes.  Clearly, if over one million illegal aliens are being apprehended yearly at our nine southern border sectors, or nearly 3,300 daily, that’s a big, big problem, rife with massive operational and funding issues about which the U.S. public needs to become well informed.

Thanks in advance to these reporters and public servants for providing Understanding Government – and the public in turn — accurate and meaningful numbers surrounding the important and emotional issue of immigration.

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