Human Smuggling Market Value: $10 Billion
The Human Smuggling market is estimated to be $10 billion.
Source: Julie Watson, AP, “Coyotes brazenly ply their trade,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, April 24, 2006.
20,000 Ethiopian and Somali men smuggled each year
According to the International Organization for Migration, up to 20,000 Ethiopian and Somali men are smuggled from the horn of Africa to South Africa for economic reasons each year. The men pay up to $2,000 to smugglers for the journey.
Source: Lisa Schlein, “Study: Smuggled Migrants From Horn And East Africa Abused,” VOA News, June 23, 2009.
Malaysia Smuggling stats
In 2008, 416 people were caught either being smuggled into or out of Malaysia, according to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.
Source: AFP, “Human smuggling replaces piracy threat off Malaysia,” Asiaone, June 1, 2009.
338 smugglers and 1,441 guns seized by US on border
Since the United States increased its enforcement of the border, authorities have seized 338 smugglers and 1,441 guns between June 2008 and May 2009.
The campaign has also lead to 51 convictions.
Source: AFP, “US nabs hundreds of smugglers, guns on Mexican border”, Google News, May 20, 2009.
$3000 to $5000 fee to human smugglers in Mexico
According to an article in the New York Times, illegal immigrants in Mexico are currently paying between $3,000 to $5,000 to be smuggled from Mexico to Los Angeles.
Also, the article reports that of the 32 immigrants in the United States from Mexico, more than half of them are considered illegal immigrants.
Source: Julia Preston, “Mexican Data Show Migration to U.S. in Decline,” New York Times, May 14, 2009.
First quarter arrest figures for US Border Patrol
164,733 illegal immigrants were arrested by the US Border Patrol during the time period of January to March 2009. In the same time period in 2008, 227,000 people were arrested.
The US Border Patrol currently employs more than 18,000 agents who work the border between Mexico and the United States.
Source: Moises Mendoza, “Schemes to cross border getting bolder,” Houston Chronicle, May 6, 2009.
Australian Prime Minister: Human Smugglers “scum of the earth”
Australia Prime Minister Kevin Rudd strongly expressed his feeling regarding human smugglers.
“People smugglers are engaged in the world’s most evil trade and they should all rot in jail because they represent the absolute scum of the earth,” Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told reporters.
Rudd was speaking to reporters after a boat carrying Afghan refugees exploded and killed three and injuring 40.
11.9 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States
According to the Pew Hispanic Center, there are an estimated 11.9 million illegal immigrants living in the United States in 2008. 8.3 million undocumented immigrants were in the US labor workforce in 2008.
California has the highest number of illegal immigrants living within the state with 2.7 million.
Source: “A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States,” Pew Hispanic Center, April 14, 2009.
California figure: Teresa Watanabe, “Illegal immigration slowdown in California,” Los Angeles Times, April 15, 2009.
Smugglers using boat to transport people and drugs into US
Mexican smugglers are increasingly using boats to bring in people and drugs as US officials step up their land borders. According to the Los Angeles Times, more than 310 people were arrested on boats between October 2007 and March 2009. The figure is a three-fold increase from the previous time frame. During the same time period, 29 tones of marijuana was seized on boats, a ten-fold increase.
People who wish to be smuggled into the United States have been reported to pay up to $4,000 to the boat smugglers.
Source: Richard Marosi, “Thwarted on land, they’re smuggling by sea,” Los Angeles Times, March 29, 2009.
Drug cartels taking over human smuggling routes
Drug cartels are increasingly become key players in the human smuggling market on the border between the US and Mexico. According to US officials, the drug cartels have muscled their way into the trade, often taking over routes and operations from formerly independent smugglers. On the border within the state of Arizona alone, the estimated market in human smuggling is $2 billion. Federal laws are preventing border agents, drug enforcement agents, and ATF agents from working together. The article in the LA Times mentions that if border agents cannot arrest smugglers for drug smuggling, as they do not have the authority that is needed from the DEA.
Source: Josh Meyer, “Drug cartels raise the stakes on human smuggling,” Los Angeles Times, March 23, 2009.
