Thread: Both sides of the border see less violence near San Diego

Both sides of the border see less violence near San Diego

By Leslie Berestein
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

August 31, 2008

THE BORDER – A charred hole near one man's front door and several lingering coughs are about all that's left to remind residents of Tijuana's Colonia Libertad of a time late last year when las bombas were coming across the border fence.

This is how locals refer to the tear gas canisters and pepper spray launched against smugglers by the Border Patrol, which operates just on the other side of the fence from this working-class neighborhood. For decades, the area has been considered a hub for human and drug smuggling traffic.


NELVIN C. CEPEDA / Union-Tribune
José Arias MartÃ*nez, 75, has lived more than half his life in a small wooden house near the border. During times of greater smuggling activity, he would sell carnitas in the hills.

On the U.S. side, just east of the San Ysidro port of entry, agents had grown weary of attacks by smuggling organizations. In spite of two layers of fence, smugglers and their young foot guides were hurling rocks and gasoline bombs to distract agents, even setting up booby traps.

The agency has since attempted to counter smuggling operations that work out of Colonia Libertad by straightening and raising the height of the secondary border fence, installing spirals of razor-studded concertina wire at the top and dedicating more agents to the area.

It has been relatively quiet for months now, people on both sides of the fence say. Violent attacks against agents have dropped off sharply, while Colonia Libertad residents say the coyotes who regularly ate breakfast at a small restaurant near the fence don't gather there as often.

“I think they have gone somewhere else,â€

If you follow the link you can also see pictures of the old 10 foot high solid metal fence and the new 12 foot wire mesh fence with razor wire on top, with a border patrol road in between. (At San Diego)

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexi ... lonia.html

Here's another map of the area between the San Ysidro POE and the Otay Mesa POE

http://tinyurl.com/6yge9g

California's Border
Imperial Beach Station - 5.5 miles border
Chula Vista Station - 7.8 miles "'
El Cajon Station - 12.7 miles ""
Campo Station - 32.5 miles ""
Boulevard Station - 8 miles ""
El Centro Station - 34 miles border
Calexico Station- 37.1 miles ""

INLAND
Brown Field Station -
Murrieta Station -
San Clemente Station -
Indio Station
Riverside Station

-------San Diego Border Patrol Sector Apprehensions--------
------OCT---NOV---DEC---JAN----FEB---MAR---APR----MAY---JUN---JUL----AUG----SEP
FY2008--9801--9163--7773-12877-15092-18870-20569-16019-12396-13129
FY2007--9494--7764--6591-12489-12997-18044-17999-16136-13283-12941-13312-11410
FY2006-10145--7730--6531-13959-17160-18361-14736-13888-10597--8683-10009-10305
FY2005--6702--5428--4632---9390-10864-12750-16534-15114-10921-10010-11798-12761
FY2004-10426--7996--5849-13405-13252-17532-15962-14976-11548---9530--9716--8416
FY2003--7339--5379--4280-10177-10958-11158---9082-10680--9271-10207-11217-11767
FY2002--4530--3178--3183--7716---9172-12832-11712-11222---9251--9340-10115--8430
FY2001--8002--5556--5270-11558-12085-13510-12597-11270---8467--7580---8297--5883
FY2000--9046--7620--5978-15363-20204-18279-16751-16615-13186-10630---9356--8653
FY1999-11269--9040--8401-16597-21846-29716-19024-16578-13770-11824-12845-11357
---Length 66 miles long--2,229 BP agents--37.1 miles P--9.6 miles S--5.21 VB