The U.S. Border Patrol made 59,276 apprehensions along the southwest border during September 2001, a 39 percent decrease when compared to September 2000. Voluntary returns conducted by Border Patrol agents decreased by 41 percent to 55,907. For fiscal year 2001, apprehensions were down 25 percent and voluntary returns were down 26 percent when compared to fiscal year 2000.

Data Source: PAS G-23.8 & G-23.18

• Normally, apprehensions reach a yearly low in December followed by a strong seasonal increase in January. Seasonal highs tend to be reached in early spring. Apprehensions decrease but remain relatively high through the summer months and then start their autumn decline in September, which continues through the Christmas and New Year holidays.

• Southwest border apprehensions for September through December 2000 showed the expected seasonal pattern of decrease, while apprehensions from January through March showed the expected seasonal rise. September 2001 apprehensions showed an unusually large decrease when compared the August 2001. While this decrease followed a seasonal trend, it was also due partly to a decline in attempted entries associated with the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Overall fiscal year 2001 apprehensions decreased by 25 percent or 407,962, when compared to the previous year.

• In FY 2000, Central American apprehensions on the southwest border reached 23,092, a decrease of 6,023 when compared to the previous year. For FY 2001, southwest border Central American apprehensions reached 22,515 a decrease of 2 percent compared to FY 2000. Of the 22,515 Central Americans apprehended in FY 2001, 39 percent were Honduran, 38 percent were El Salvadoran, 20 percent were Guatemalan, and 3 percent were Nicaraguan.