Enforcement Data

Below are representations of data showing the use of force by officers and assaults on officers at the borders, as well as enforcement of laws on those crossing the border.

Force and Assaults (Southern)

This graph plots the number of incidents involving assaults on a CBP officer and incidents in which an officer used force, both during a given month and year. It reveals that the use of force is typically more frequent than assaults on officers across the board, but the overall prevalence of violent encounters increased year-over-year.

Ratio of Encounters to Crossings

This chart illustrates that encounters between law enforcement and those crossing the border that involve some violation of a US statute have increased relative to sheer number of border crossings, and this is particularly true in New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. It’s notable that California does not have as high of an encounter-to-crossing ratio, suggesting perhaps a difference in enforcement tactics.

Distribution Pie Chart

This chart illustrates that a high portion of violent encounters on the border involving law enforcement are initiated by CBP officers and do not provoke retaliation (assault only).