Only 54 Percent of Illegal Aliens Who Crossed U.S.-Mexico Border Were Caught

Approximately half of those who illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border were not caught by authorities, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security report the Associated Press uncovered late Thursday.

Only 54 percent of illegal entrants were apprehended in fiscal 2015. That number was down from the estimated 81 percent capture rate Homeland Security has cited in public reports, indicating the federal agency may be trying to inflate its effectiveness to voters.

The May report will not be issued in its 98-page entirety to the press or public.

“DHS does not believe it is in the public interest to release, and it would be irresponsible to make policy or other judgments on the basis of analysis that is incomplete and remains a work in progress,” DHS spokeswoman Marsha Catron told AP.

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