WESLACO – National Guardsmen on the U.S.-Mexico border is not a new idea.

Troops were sent by other presidents three times before and in 2006 to handle a surge.

CHANNEL 5 NEWS wanted to know how the levels of apprehensions and staffing looked during these deployments.

Illegal immigration ebbs and flows through the southwest border.

Former President Bush, President Obama, Governor Rick Perry, and now President Trump responded with the deployment of the National Guard in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018.

Over that span of time, the number of apprehensions appears to be going down, not up.

The following loos at the differences in the level of activity:

- In 2006, Border Patrol reported a total of 1,089,092 apprehensions.

- In 2010, Obama sent the National Guard when apprehensions that year totaled about 463,382.

- In 2014, during the surge of Central Americans, apprehensions were slightly higher at 486,651.

- This year, so far, the numbers stand at about *177,021 through March.

Meanwhile, staffing at the U.S. Border Patrol was going up:

- In 2006, about 12,349 agents were on staff nationwide.

- In 2010, it almost doubled at 20,558 agents.

- In 2014, a slight increase of up to 20,863.

- As of 2017, the men and women in green number 19,437 across the U.S.

*Previous version incorrectly read 112,000.