The DHS in the Obama Years: A Self-Evaluation
Secretary of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson released a memo yesterday on DHS successes during the Obama years. The immigration section focuses on border enforcement and apprehension numbers:
“There is still much work to be done to fix our broken immigration system. Spanning the Clinton, Bush, and Obama Administrations, our government has invested more in border security than at any point in the history of this Nation. Today’s Border Patrol is itself one of the largest agencies of our government, with a budget of $3.5 billion and a total of 21,600 personnel. The Border Patrol has never had a larger or more sophisticated inventory of technology and equipment to carry out its mission. Sixteen years ago, we had only 8,600 agents dedicated to the southern border and just 77 miles of fence. Today, there are over 17,000 agents and over 700 miles of fence in the areas where our Border Patrol professionals have determined it would be most effective. And, over this period, we have more than doubled the unmanned aerial systems, surveillance capabilities, thermal imaging capabilities, water vessels, and underground sensors on the southern border.”
There is a relatively short discussion of one of the Obama administration’s major achievements:
“In 2012, we developed the Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. DACA has provided temporary relief from deportation to the young people brought to our country as children. More than 750,000 young people have qualified for relief under DACA. These young people are contributing to the only country they know by working, studying, paying taxes, and giving back to their communities.”
In a letter to members of Congress, Johnson stated that information shared by applicants in the DACA process generally should not be used in immigration enforcement activities, a fear among many immigrants with the incoming Trump administration.
Much of the memo focused on the DHS record on national security matters. Click here for a summary of the memo.
KJ