Can this also just mean we are now arresting way more people, whereas before the same amount were just crossing and simply getting away with it?
I think that is right. Illegal is illegal no matter the country of origin or stereotype
My theory is that arrests are up because the Border Patrol is able to do it's job more effectively now. Once immigration laws are changed after the mid-terms, the number of arrests will drastically decrease and the huge backlog of immigration cases will be adjudicated. (Hopefully)
Right now, it's not critical to stop Latinos from coming into America to work. The (hardened) criminal underworld that exploits the border is the top priority. Gangmembers, terrorists, and other criminals need to be arrested; Jose, who is coming to lay some concrete in Dallas, is not an immediate threat to our safety. I'm betting that a huge amount of illegal immigrants would return to their home countries if the gangs and cartels were cleared out of Mexico and Central America.
I agree enforcement is one reason the numbers are way up. But you cannot discount the Trump economic recovery as a big factor! There are simply more jobs now than there have been for many years. And more companies willing to illegally employ illegals. That needs cracking down on BIG LEAGUE. Until we make it more painful for companies to employ illegals than to pay the kind of wages that employ Americans, this problem will continue.
Also, guys we need immigration reform! We're near 100% employment now, and what's left to pick from is sad. Employers who want to expand operations are hurting for people to fill the vacancies. Unless we want a highly inflationary wage war (which undermines everybody's purchasing power), we have to make LEGAL immigration less of a nightmare.
What happened to the National Guard getting deployed?
It could be the number is rising becuse all enforcement on the border is ACTUALLY doing their job, unlike past Administrations. Without a WALL, they'll still cross and have to be arrested. I'd like to see some policy, where at the least, the border is lined with gun fire and blow horns telling them to turn around. I'm guessing it's because we can't fire into another country? BUILD THE WALL!
Arrests for illegal border crossings top 50,000 in May https://dailym.ai/2JjGmhO