I would call that a 25
percent efficiency rate. Then I go down to the border and I talk to the officers and the
agents down there. This includes Border Patrol and ICE. I ask: So you are stopping about 25 percent? Their answer that comes back to me as the most consistent is: No. Ten
percent has to come first. I have had estimates by ICE officers who operate near the border who
will say they think it is closer to 2 to 3 percent. Now, I don't know
that that is the right number, and I don't want to assert here, Mr. Speaker, into this Record that I think we are only stopping 2 to 3
percent of those who attempt to get across the border. I am suggesting
that that is certainly a number that is plausible. It comes from the
people who should know the most, and if the Border Patrol on the border
says 10 percent has to come first, they might be thinking that 2 to 3
percent sounds all right. I am not even focused on those numbers of 2
to 3, up to 10 percent. I will take it to a 25 percent number and say
that could be an inflated number, but it is still an awful number to
consider for return on investment if you are going to spend $13.4
billion a year every single year and get 25 percent efficiency on $6.7
million a mile.
Keywords matched
ICE officers Border Patrol