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

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.

https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/arrests-illegal-aliens-federal-borderlands-increased-nearly-4000-under-trumpzinke