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Overview. Details on each Border Patrol (BP) arrest has been compiled from case-by-case records obtained
from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at
Syracuse University through a long series of individual FOIA requests. The data tool tracks each Border
Patrol arrest by when it occurred, where it occurred, and how the Border Patrol disposed of each case.
Information on the age, citizenship, gender, and marital status of each person, and whether he or she
was apprehended as part of a family group or as an unaccompanied child, is included.
Also included are whether the individual was referred for criminal prosecution.
Information is included for each Border Patrol sector both along the southwest border with Mexico as
well as the northern border with Canada and BP coastal sectors.
Coverage. The data cover all Border Patrol apprehensions under Title 8. Expulsions under Title 42 which began March 20, 2020, under an order by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on public health grounds as a result of the COVID pandemic are also covered. You can display Title 8 or Title 42 separately, or combine all cases;
What Is Counted: Counts are of apprehensions. These overstate the number of individuals apprehended because a significant proportion of individuals may make multiple attempts to cross the border between ports of entry and be re-apprehended. How many times an individual has been previously apprehended, and the length of time in months since the last apprehension can also be displayed for Title 42 encounters. TRAC has requested that case-by-case records of Title 8 apprehensions be organized in a way that similarly allow identifying apprehensions involving the same individual, but this information has yet to be provided.
Using the Data Tool: Dimensions and Definitions
Filtering the data using the three data tables. Select a different factor or dimension to display
in each of the three tables. The tables are inter-connected so that the data filter from left to right.
After selecting a factor to display in the left most table, select a particular row category to drill in
on by clicking on that row's label in the left-most table. The middle table will then display the
details for that particular selection from the left table on the dimension you had chosen to display
for the middle table. In other words, if you click on a category in the left table it displays only
cases within that class in the middle table. Click on a category in the middle table to display only
cases within that selection in the right table. To help you keep track, your selection is displayed
at the top of the table to the right.
Sorting the tabular data displayed. By clicking on the column headings in a table, you can sort
the tabular data displayed. Clicking on the table column heading for the name of the dimension,
sorts each tabular row in alphabetical order. Clicking a second time, sorts in reverse alphabetical
order. Clicking on the column heading "Total" reverses the default sort order of largest to
smallest to display from the smallest to the largest value.
Selecting what is displayed in the time series graph. The data in the graph updates to reflect
the category in the table you selected when clicking on its row label. The title shown above the
graph indicates the selection criteria you have chosen. Mouse-over any bar in the graph to view
the value being plotted.
There are also two additional controls you can use to change what the graph displays.
Monthly versus FY toggle. By default, the time series graph displays data for each month.
To instead display bars for each fiscal year, choose the "by Fiscal Year" option to the left
of the graph.
Number/percent toggle. By default, the number of cases is displayed in the graph. To
instead display the value as a percent of the total for your current selection, choose the
"Percent" option to the right of the graph. (Note: 100 percent will be displayed if the total
("All") was the category you have currently selected.)
Data dimensions. To change the set of categories displayed in a table, select a different factor or
dimension from the pull-down menu above each table. The following factors can be selected:
Fiscal Year. This is the fiscal year when the Border Patrol apprehended the
individual. The federal government's fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.
So, for example, FY 2015 will record apprehensions from October 1, 2014 through
September 30, 2015.
Month and Year. This is the calendar month and year when the individual was apprehended by the Border Patrol.
Sector. The Border Patrol sector in which the arrest occurred. For geographic coverage
see
southwest sector map (page 15/96) as well as
a list
of "stations" within each sector along both the northern and southern borders.
Child/Family Group. Identifies which apprehensions were of unaccompanied children,
children in family units, parents in family units, and of all other adults.
Arrest Method. Indicates whether the individual was arrested at the border, by an interior
patrol, by an anti-smuggling team, or through a check of passengers at interior traffic
check points, or through broader transportation checks of passengers on cross-country
buses, trains, or planes passing within 100 miles of the border that agents now routinely
check. A few individuals are also arrested by some other agency and then turned over to
the Border Patrol. No specifics about the arrest method were provided for Title 42 expulsions.
BP Disposition. The recorded type of disposition by the Border Patrol of the arrested
individual expulsion (Title 42), expedited removal, expedited removal involving credible fear, reinstatement
of a prior removal, reinstatement involving reasonable fear, a notice to appear (NTA) when individual is referred to the Immigration Court for a full hearing while still
detained, a NTA when an individual who has been released is referred to the
Immigration Court, or a voluntary return when an individual agrees to be voluntarily
returned to their home country. A few individuals are turned over to other law
enforcement agencies (LEAs) or are recorded as simply released or paroled. Most Title 42 expulsions are immediate; a "delayed" Title 42 expulsion according to CBP means that either another agency was involved or the process was delayed before expulsion could be achieved.
Special Initiatives. Tracks which individuals were assigned to various "Consequence
Delivery System" categories, including referral for criminal prosecution. These included "Operation Streamline" where individuals are
referred for criminal misdemeanor prosecution for illegal entry (later renamed Criminal
Consequence Initiative (CCI). "Straight Prosecution" where individuals are referred for criminal felony
prosecutions, the "Alien Transfer Exit Program (ATEP)" where the Border Patrol deports
Mexican nationals through geographic areas different from that of their entry location,
and its "Operation Against Smugglers Initiative on Safety and Security (OASISS)." When multiple types of consequences are used, the most serious (e.g., criminal prosecution) is assigned.
Custody Transferred ICE. Indicates whether the individual was transferred to ICE's
Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) which manages detention facilities licensed to hold
detainees for longer term custody, or to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) which has the responsibility for processing unaccompanied children.
Citizenship. The recorded citizenship of the individual.
Gender. The recorded gender of the individual.
Age Group. The recorded age of the individual at the time he or she was arrested by the
Border Patrol grouped intro broader ranges.
Age (Ungrouped). The exact recorded age of the individual at the time he or she was
arrested by the Border Patrol
Marital Status. The recorded marital status of the individual at the time of the arrest.
Time in U.S. The length of time between when the individual was recorded as last
entering the U.S. and the date of the Border Patrol apprehension. Given the nature of BP's role, almost everyone was apprehended within days of their entry..
Entry Status. The category recorded corresponding to individual's status when last
entering the country. For BP apprehensions, this is usually being "present without admission" (PWA). But other statuses occur such as whether the individual was a legal
permanent resident, a non-immigrant, an immigrant, a smuggler, or a visitor.
Additional TRAC Immigration Enforcement Data and Tools
To access additional data using other TRAC immigration enforcement tools, go to this
directory of data tools.
Footnotes
For discussion by General Accountability Office see "Actions Needed to Improve Oversight of Post-Apprehension Consequences (GAO-17-66)".
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