Found at Border - Mexicans, 'Other Than Mexicans,' Criminals, Gang Members, More Mexicans

In San Diego alone, Border Patrol agents stop almost 400 illegal border crossers daily.

They cross the U.S. border in the cover of darkness and in broad daylight. The vast majority of those apprehended are from Mexico, so the Department of Homeland Security classifies the others detained as ‘Other Than Mexican.’ Last year, OTMs came from 148 of the 193 countries in the world, with several coming from what Homeland Security terms “special interest” countries -- countries considered a great threat.

In the past six months, agents along the Southwest border caught 15 people from Iran, 35 from Pakistan, 12 from Jordan, two from Syria and five from Lebanon.

Many violent criminals also cross the border. One agent proclaimed that he had caught someone “who was number 17 on Mexico's most wanted list.” A top priority for the Federal Bureau of Investigation is to stop the influx of a notoriously brutal gang called the MS-13 - the Mara Salvatrucha - a group linked to violence across California and 32 other U.S. states.

The goal of agents is to catch those crossing and those who help the crossers. In the last six months, nearly 1,200 people from China were caught trying to enter the U.S. illegally. Agents said Chinese nationals pay smugglers up to $30,000 for passage to the U.S.