Feds say number of illegal immigrants caught has declined by about 10,000 each month since peaking at 71,000 in March.

GABRIELA RICO

Border Patrol agents in the Tucson sector are seeing a sharp drop in the number of illegal immigrants caught here this month, after an initial surge in apprehensions during the first half of the Arizona Border Control initiative, federal authorities say.
After peaking at 71,000 apprehensions in March, the numbers have been declining by about 10,000 each month, said Andy Adame, spokesman for the U.S. Border Patrol's Tucson sector.

"The numbers usually go up until July. It's very unusual to start seeing a decline this early," he said. "Although we anticipated a drop-off in apprehensions, we're surprised that they dropped so quickly."

Apprehensions are still up for the year, compared to this time last year.

In April, agents caught 64,000 people, in May 53,000 and in the first 28 days of June there were 39,000, he said.

Along the entire Southwestern border, apprehensions began a similar decline in April, according to a recent Department of Homeland Security report.

Gloria Chavez, spokeswoman for the Border Patrol in Washington, D.C., said it's difficult to say with certainty whether the earlier rise in apprehensions was a result of more people trying to enter the United States or more agents catching them.

"There could be many factors," she said. "Our strong economy, the success of ABC, more personnel, more technology ... we don't know if more people are trying (to cross)."

Locally, Adame credited the recent decline to more manpower along the border and an increase in the number of experienced agents.

"We have about 200 more agents than we had last year," he said. "And the experience level is an average of three to four years, which means they know the area better."

Remote areas, such as the Huachuca and Chiricahua mountains, are manned by up to 10 agents where previously only one or two were assigned, Adame said.

"These efforts are mitigating the flow of people," he said. "This is very good news for us."

South of the border, Grupo Beta, a Mexican government agency that monitors immigrants, is seeing the same trend.

In March, the agency counted 56,057 people crossing into the United States from Sasabe, said Carlos Zozaya Moreno, head of the group. In April, 34,287, in May 30,936 and in the first half of June, 14,610.

The agency does not arrest people for leaving the country, but tries to discourage them, Zozaya said.

Although the Sasabe traffic is not dropping as quickly as apprehensions in Arizona, he said there is a noticeable slowdown.

"I don't know, maybe they heard that the border was sealed," Zozaya said.