The U.S. Border Patrol made 96,869 apprehensions along the southwest border during February 2003, a 1 percent increase when compared to February 2002. Voluntary returns conducted by Border Patrol agents decreased by 2 percent from a year ago to 90,949.

Data Source: PAS G-23.8 & G-23.18

 

• Normally, apprehensions reach a yearly low in December followed by a strong seasonal increase in January. Seasonal highs tend to be reached in early spring. Apprehensions decrease but remain relatively high through the summer months and then start their autumn decline in September, which continues through the Christmas and New Year holidays.

   

 

• Seasonally adjusted apprehensions decreased 66 percent between January 2000 and October 2001. Since reaching their lowest level in October 2001, seasonally adjusted apprehensions have increased 10 percent as of February 2003, but have decreased the past 4 months.

   

 

• In FY 2002, Central American apprehensions on the southwest border reached 21,750, a decrease of 765 when compared to the previous year. For the first five months of fiscal YEAR 2004, southwest border Central American apprehensions reached 10,224, an increase of 71 percent compared to the first five months of fiscal year 2002. Of the 10,224 Central Americans apprehended in FY 2003, 45 percent were Honduran, 29 percent were El Salvadoran, 23 percent were Guatemalan, and 2 percent were Nicaraguan.

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