Border patrol arrests along the U.S.-Mexico border are down for the fifth straight year.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that the 17 percent drop in arrests between 2009 and 2010 shows that increased enforcements is slowing illegal immigration down.
Napolitano said that the increased enforcement under President Obama–which includes bringing the number of Border Patrol agents to an all-time high of 20,500 agents–is the biggest reason for the decrease in border arrests.
The economy may also be playing a role–the weaker American economy has been enticing fewer to cross the border.
Enrique Morones, an activist who supports looser immigration policies, said the economy is the main reason for the five-year decline in arrests.
“If there are fewer jobs available, fewer people come,” said Morones, president of Border Angels, which provides water to migrants crossing the border.