[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 29, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E548]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       EIGHT IN TEN APPREHENDED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS NOT PROSECUTED

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                            HON. LAMAR SMITH

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 29, 2011

  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, according to recent figures 
calculated by my Texas colleague John Culberson, an illegal immigrant 
apprehended by Border Patrol agents during the last fiscal year had an 
eight in ten chance of never being prosecuted.
  Specifically, in Fiscal Year 2010, nearly 450,000 illegal immigrants 
were apprehended by the Border Patrol. Of this amount, only about 
73,000 were prosecuted, roughly 16 percent. This means that 84 percent 
of illegal immigrants taken into custody were never prosecuted!
  And while the Obama administration claims the border is more secure 
than ever, a recent Government Accountability Office report found that 
efforts by Border Patrol to stop illegal crossings were ``poor.'' In 
fact, it is estimated that there are three successful illegal crossings 
for every one thwarted. That means more than a million illegal 
immigrants enter the U.S. each year.
  The border is never going to be secure until we enforce all of our 
immigration laws and turn off the jobs magnet that encourages illegal 
immigration. Allowing millions to evade our laws is unfair and hurts 
American workers and taxpayers.

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