DATE: February 17, 1998
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT: ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND DRUG SMUGGLING
SUMMARY: Recommendation(s):
2) Authorize the County's Washington representative to convey the County's support for HR 805 or other similar legislation and to oppose funding cuts to any border enforcement programs.
Fiscal Impact: Background:
In order to better understand the current problems at the border, the Chief Administrative Officer and I personally toured the area by helicopter with the California National Guard. It was clear from our eight hour tour, including a daylight and night flight over the area and briefing with California National Guard personnel, that although much progress has been made, the need still exists to strengthen enforcement efforts at the border to stop illegal immigration and drug smuggling activities.
Progress Has Been Made
Several road improvement projects have resulted in safer and faster travel in the border area for emergency response vehicles. For example, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Border Patrol, and the U.S. Military Joint Task Force 6 improved the Otay Truck Trail, extending it from Brown Field to the Marron Valley Truck Trail. In addition, the Minnewawa Truck Trail was improved, two new roads were developed on Otay Mountain, 22 helispots were created, and three bulldozer spur roads were improved.
The California National Guard's work to complete the fence along the border has also progressed at a rapid pace. As of February 9, 1998, 34 of 44 scheduled miles of primary fence have been completed.
In addition, total apprehensions by the Border Patrol in the San Diego sector, which covers the border from the ocean to the Imperial County line, have dropped from 565,581 in FY 1992 to 283,899 in FY 1997. The monthly apprehension rate dropped from an average of 47,131 per month to 18,609 in January of 1998.
Clearly, progress has been made.
A Problem Still Exists
Unfortunately, the progress which has been made in the area from Imperial Beach to Otay Mountain has not yet succeeded in the eastern border region because Operation Gatekeeper keeps pushing the illegal immigrant and drug smuggling traffic east, rather than stopping it at the border.
Border Patrol apprehensions by the El Cajon Station are 54 percent higher in 1997 than in 1994. And, the Boulevard and Campo Stations experienced a whopping 1,866 percent increase over the same period of time!
In addition, a February 4, 1998, report from a news wire service reported that "according to a report filed...by the customs employees union, intelligence sources estimate that 5 to 7 tons of illegal drugs are smuggled through the U.S. - Mexico border each day."
Valuable Resources Have Been Cut
Despite the evidence that the fight against illegal immigration and drug smuggling has not yet been won, valuable resources are being cut.
"Operation Linebacker" in the Cleveland National Forest, for example, is no longer funded. The 20 law enforcement officers of Operation Linebacker detained more than 16,000 illegal immigrants and turned them over to the Border Patrol last year. In addition, fire prevention and resource protection personnel, which are currently funded well below 1997 levels, disposed of more than 14,000 tons of trash and put out more than 1,400 campfires which burned more than 260 acres. And, due to environmental damage and physical danger, two wilderness areas are no longer visited by the public.
In addition, cuts have been made to the number of personnel that were once responsible for staffing the scopes that helped to deter illegal immigration and drug smuggling. California National Guard resources such as Team Wolf and Team Shadow have been extremely useful for their primary mission of drug interdiction, as well as to other peripheral operations and should be augmented.
Support Must Be Given To Federal Efforts
Rather than cutting critical resources, the presence of law enforcement officers on the border should be augmented. HR 805, for example, authorizes the Secretary of Defense to assign forces to assist in monitoring and patrolling our borders to stop the ever increasing flow of illegal aliens and illegal narcotics. It also establishes a training program for troops being deployed on our borders that would ensure that these personnel receive the proper training in border security procedures. This legislation and other similar legislation deserve the support of this Board of Supervisors.
Our Board's tough stance on illegal immigration is clear. These actions are consistent with Board of Supervisors policy M-59, as well as the County's legislative policy and guidelines. I respectfully urge your support to once again call on the Federal government to do its job to stop the drug smuggling and illegal immigration where it starts -- at the border!
Respectfully Submitted,
DIANNE JACOB
The Board of Supervisors has a lengthy history of strong support for efforts to enforce the U.S. / Mexico border and to stop illegal immigration and its impacts. In the last five years alone, the Board has taken more than 12 actions related to illegal immigration. It is clear that although much progress has been made, the need still exists to strengthen enforcement efforts at the border to prevent illegal immigration and drug smuggling.
SUPERVISOR JACOB:
1) Direct the CAO to draft a letter for signature by the Chair to President Clinton requesting appropriate action to:
a) Request additional Border Patrol forces in the East County border region.
b) Support the deployment of California National Guard or other appropriate agency personnel to utilize scopes in the border region to detect fires, deter illegal immigration, and/or aid in drug interdiction efforts.
c) Request redeployment of Cleveland National Forest law enforcement personnel, and augmentation of Cleveland National Forest fire prevention and resource protection personnel.
There is no direct fiscal impact as a result of this request.
The Board of Supervisors has a lengthy history of strong support for efforts to enforce the U.S. / Mexico border and to stop illegal immigration and its impacts. In the last five years alone, the Board has taken more than 12 actions related to illegal immigration.
Supervisor, Second District
