In criticizing a proposed border wall, Sen. Dianne Feinstein tweeted Thursday that illegal border crossings are down historically.
Feinstein's running for reelection this year against former state Senate leader Kevin de León.
We decided to verify her claim. Are illegal border crossings really at their lowest recorded level since the 1990s?
Yes, and there may be a 'Trump effect'.
First, we reached out to Ashley Schapitl with Sen. Feinstein's press office.
"In 1994, the U.S. Border Patrol reported more than one million apprehensions," said Schapitl. "In contrast, Border Patrol reported 310,531 apprehensions in 2017. This is the lowest level on record."
Border Patrol reported 1,031,668 illegal alien apprehensions nationwide in 1994. Compared to the 2017 number, that's almost a 70 percent drop.
Randy Capps is the Director of Research for U.S. Programs with the Migration Policy Institute in Washington D.C. He said last year's numbers are actually the lowest on an annual basis since 1971.
And that's in part because of what he calls the "Trump effect" -- the initial shock of Trump winning the election combined with his strong executive orders on immigration. Moreover, The Washington Post notes the drop in arrests is "among the sharpest year-to-year changes on record."
But, the number of apprehensions have actually spiked in recent months.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection saw an overall 37 percent increase in total apprehensions between February and March 2017. Capps said apprehensions typically increase in the spring, before decreasing in the summer when it gets hotter.
"The general sense of what she says is accurate," said Capps.
He notes that he doesn't think this year's numbers will look like last year's, but would still end up being about two-thirds below historical peaks.
Bottom line, Sen. Feinstein's claim is verified.
VERIFY: Sources
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, tweet from April 12, 2018
Ashley Schapitl, Sen. Dianne Feinstein's spokeswoman
Randy Capps, Director of Research, U.S. Programs, Migration Policy Institute
U.S. Border Patrol, "Nationwide Illegal Alien Apprehensions Fiscal Years 1925-2017," accessed April 13, 2018
The Washington Post, "Arrests along Mexico border drop sharply under Trump, new statistics show," December 5, 2017
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, "Southwest Border Migration FY 2018," accessed April 13, 2018
