Coast guard and immigration authorities in the United States have arrested 6,430 Dominicans so far this year. This is a 116% increase over the figures for 2003. Apart from the 4,329 illegal travelers stopped and returned by the US Coast Guard, there were another 2,101 people stopped at various airports and frontier posts along the Mexican-United States border. If the non-official migration continues at its present rate, this year will constitute a new record for the number of detained travelers. There were a record 6,273 people stopped in 1996, a number that by all appearances will soon be bested. In spite of the amplified vigilance and new security measures imposed in the aftermath of the 9-11 tragedy, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, as well as the US Coast Guard, is estimating that at least 2,300 Dominicans managed to enter the US illegally. This number represents about 54% of the boatpeople stopped between October 2003 and May 2004. None of these figures includes the small craft that are stopped by the Dominican Navy, those missing at sea or those who get lost and return to Dominican shores. Just last week a small craft was picked up after spending 10 days disabled on the open sea.