By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
When it comes to catching to immigrants who illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico last year, only about half were caught, according to a Homeland Security report.
Homeland Security previously said about 81% of the people who entered the U.S. illegally were captured, Tribune news services report.
But during the 2015 fiscal year, that number was 54%.
The 98-page report from May was not publicly released by Homeland Security, but the Associated Press obtained a copy.
The report found that 170,000 snuck in without being captured, compared to 210,000 in 2014 and 1.7 million in 2005.
The decline in illegal entries comes as the U.S. increased border security spending, which is now $14 billion a year.
“This is the first solid evidence we have that the border buildup of the last 20 years has indeed made some significant difference in deterring and reducing illegal entries across the southern border,” said Edward Alden, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
