Southern California has become the new epicenter of illegal immigration, according to officials, as the success of Texas’ border security mission Operation Lone Star has pushed human trafficking efforts by Mexican cartels further west.
According to San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, San Diego has become the hub for migrants and illegal immigration. He expresses concern over the increasing number of illegal border crossers entering California.
Two weeks ago, Desmond reiterated his claim when the county faced a situation of being inundated with thousands of illegal border crossers. These individuals were being abandoned on street corners following the closure of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing center by the Biden administration.
Last week, Border Patrol agents in the CBP San Diego Sector apprehended 2,000 illegal border crossers in just one day, according to Desmond. This included 206 Chinese nationals.
According to a report by The Center Square, California has seen a significant increase in the number of Chinese nationals illegally entering the United States. In fiscal 2021, 263 Chinese individuals were apprehended in California. However, by February 2024, this number had skyrocketed to 22,098.
According to FBI Director Christopher Wray and other national security experts, China and the Chinese Communist Party are considered to be one of the greatest national security threats to the United States.
According to a report by The Center Square, California has experienced a rise in illegal border crossings and the smuggling of illicit drugs from Mexico. This increase can be attributed to the implementation of Operation Lone Star by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, which has effectively closed off major illegal crossing points in Texas.
Texas has always been a hotspot for scouts and coyotes, individuals involved in facilitating the illegal movement of people and drugs across the border into the United States. With a border length of 1,254 miles, Texas shares the longest stretch of border with Mexico. In contrast, California’s border is the smallest, spanning just 137 miles, which is fairly evenly divided between the CBP El Centro and San Diego sectors.
The San Diego Sector is poised to experience a surge in illegal entries this month, surpassing all other CBP southwest border sectors. This increase in unauthorized crossings will be the highest recorded since the 1990s, despite the relatively shorter distance of the border.
According to Desmond, the San Diego Sector has experienced an astonishing 214,855 apprehensions since October 1. These individuals come from more than 75 countries worldwide.
According to an exclusive report by The Center Square, the number of illegal border crossers in California increased from nearly 300,000 in fiscal 2022 to over 500,000 in fiscal 2023.
According to a report from The Center Square, San Diego Sector agents apprehended 230,941 illegal foreign nationals and reported at least 97,520 gotaways along the southwest border in fiscal 2023. This makes it the fifth-highest number of illegal entries recorded by the agents.
In contrast, Arizona witnessed an estimated 775,000 illegal border crossings, while Texas reported an astounding 1.9 million in the fiscal year 2023.
According to Desmond, Border Patrol agents have been instructed to deliver a staggering number of 30,000 illegal border crossers in the past two months exclusively in San Diego County.
According to County Supervisor Jim Desmond, due to the different approach taken by California Gov. Gavin Newsom compared to Texas, human smugglers have targeted California, especially the San Diego border sector, as the easiest route for illegal immigration. Desmond emphasizes that Border Patrol has unintentionally become the “Uber” for migrants entering San Diego County, while the County itself is acting as the travel agent.
Law enforcement officials have explained that cartels have maintained operational control over the border for a long time. The Sinaloa Cartel, in particular, has dominion over the illicit fentanyl industry and controls access into California. When cracking down on cartel-related crimes, authorities can track the seized fentanyl back to operations in California. In a recent undercover operation in Polk County, Florida, the amount of fentanyl confiscated was so significant that it could have killed one-third of Florida’s population. The alleged drug traffickers, who had driven from California, were apprehended in Florida. Authorities have stated that the illegally imported fentanyl was connected to the Sinaloa Cartel, which operates in Mexico.
According to a report by The Center Square, CBP San Diego Sector officers made a significant seizure this month. In just two weeks, they confiscated a quantity of fentanyl that could potentially cause harm to 54 million individuals. To put it into perspective, this amount of fentanyl is enough to eliminate the entire west coast.
Earlier this month, leaders in San Diego urged state and federal authorities to take action and close the border. They gathered for a news conference on the beach in Carlsbad, in close proximity to the point where individuals crossing the border illegally had landed their boats. It was reported by OKC Fox News 25 that these boats carried groups of seemingly single military-age men, who swiftly disembarked and made their way into local neighborhoods in broad daylight.
According to Desmond, there has been a significant surge in maritime human smuggling, with a staggering 139% increase since 2020. He further reveals that three to four boats are arriving every week, but the concerning fact is that none of the individuals on board these boats are properly vetted. As a result, authorities are completely in the dark about their identities, origins, and destinations.
According to him, the crisis is being facilitated by the policies in California. He pointed out that the state provides free health care to illegal immigrants and the County of San Diego offers free legal defense to those who are in the country illegally, regardless of the crime they have committed. Moreover, being a sanctuary state, law enforcement officers are prohibited from collaborating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This means that even if individuals were arrested by the Carlsbad Police Department, they would not be able to transfer them to ICE or Border Patrol.
According to him, there is a noticeable shift in illegal border crossing activity to San Diego due to increased security measures implemented in other states.
