Arrested on Entry

The US-Mexico border has historically served as the staging ground for some of the most visible and contentious strategies to stop people from illegally migrating to the United States. These include border blockade strategies; construction of an actual fence and attempts to create a “virtual” fence consisting of towers, cameras, and remote sensors; use of the National Guard to support the Border Patrol; and — the focus of this article — prosecution of persons apprehended trying to cross the border illegally.


The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the agency charged with enforcing immigration laws and securing the country’s borders, introduced “Operation Streamline” in 2005 along a five-mile high-traffic stretch of the Southwest border. The program has since expanded to include portions of five out of nine Southwest Border Patrol sectors.


“Operation Streamline” targets illegal border-crossers for criminal prosecution prior to placing them in civil removal (deportation) proceedings. The program’s “zero tolerance” policy contrasts with traditional practices of placing unauthorized border-crossers in civil deportation proceedings and permitting many to depart the country voluntarily.


Arrested on Entry.


Source: Migration Information Source (Migration Policy Institute)