DHS Report: Almost 702,000 Visa Overstays in FY 2017

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released its FY 2017 Entry/Exit Overstay Report, which says that 701,900 foreign nationals overstayed their visa. The Washington Examiner notes the amount is greater than the number (526,901) who crossed the southwest border illegally that year.

In FY 2017, 52.7 million people who came to the United States as temporary workers and families, students, exchange visitors, temporary visitors for pleasure, temporary visitors for business, and other nonimmigrant classes of admission. For 1.33 percent, or 701,900, DHS could find no identifiable evidence of a departure.

Those who had student or exchange visitor visas had the highest overstay rate. Of the 1,662,369 in that category, 4.15 percent (68,983) stayed beyond authorization. Foreign nationals from Visa Waiver countries overstayed at a rate of 0.51 percent (131,065) while non-Visa Waiver countries had a 1.91 percent rate (301,716). The overstay rates for foreign nationals Mexico and Canada who traveled through air and sea ports were 1.63 percent (47,537) and 1.01 percent (93,073), respectively.

The federal government has not implemented a nationwide automated biometric data system to track whether foreign nationals leave the country despite a mandate dating back to 1996.

Read the DHS release.