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New data shows that prosecutions resulting from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) apprehensions along the southwest border increased this spring.
According to TRAC Immigration, records for May 2018 show that a total of 9,216 new federal prosecutions were brought as a result of referrals from CBP in the five federal judicial districts along the southwest border. That was an 11.1 percent increase from the 8,298 comparable prosecutions recorded during April–and a 44.7 percent increase over March figures.
The upward trend follows U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ April 6, 2018 announcement of a zero-tolerance policy for those who “illegally cross over our border.”
While the policy has resulted in increased criminal prosecutions, zero-tolerance does not accurately describe the reality on the ground, said TRAC (Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse), a data research organization based at Syracuse University. In May 2018, a generous estimate indicates criminal prosecutions were used in only about one-third of total Border Patrol apprehensions.
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