Department of Homeland Security-led effort makes 5,000th smuggler arrest in less than 6 months

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has reported that it has seen a 500 percent increase in smuggler arrests.

The Biden Administration's "Counter Human Smuggler" campaign has made more than 5,000 arrests since launching in April 2022, DHS announced.

The Counter Human Smuggler campaign focuses on disrupting key aspects of their criminal operations, including their territory, activities, financial assets, and ability to travel and conduct commerce.

In addition to the arrests, 5,549 disruptions of human smuggler infrastructure have also been carried out.

Officials claim that increased law enforcement efforts have caused human smuggling organizations to change their tactics and shift their routes -- even going as far as moving their stash houses to locations where they hold people being smuggled or stash illicit weapons further away from the border.