Yes, and most of them were Mexicans, who are processed after apprehension, then taken to the port of entry nearest to where they were apprehended, and sent acoss the border into Mexico, to try again the next day, and the next day, until they get past the Border Patrol, and escape into the interior of the Country.
Don't even think about telling me I don't know what I am talking about, I have seen it with my own eyes, and am repeatedly told about it by Border Patrol agents.
I do not say this to defeat notions of increasing border enforcement, but your observation is why stopping or ending illegal immigration is impractical. More than 3000 Cubans try to get in the US every year despite far more adverse conditions than anyone is imagining on the border. That is a very small number I know but when we look at the US mexican border with truck traffic and everything else, it is not going to be sealed.
People make these kind of extreme border arguments all over the world-- Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria.
Borders cannot be sealed. Canada let in a number of terrorist threats and they are hardly the problem Mexico is.
Increasing border enforcement is fine but thinking we could ever seal the border is absurd.
More importantly, Bush has done considerable efforts to increase border enforcement within his authority.