Border Check

by David Zimmerle

It’s 11 a.m. on Tuesday and heading north on Interstate 5 just outside of San Clemente, there’s a definite slow in traffic. Nothing terrible has happened along this major corridor to facilitate gridlock, and just ahead, one can see the large metal overhang above the highway. This slow down can only mean one thing—the checkpoint is up and agents from the San Clemente border patrol checkpoint are physically on the watch.

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, whether the checkpoint is manned or not, agents are always watching. This particular flow of traffic, in what is formally known as the Western Corridor of the San Diego Sector Area of Responsibility for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, is on high alert.

For most of us, our interactions at the checkpoint are minimal. Most drivers are usually waived through, leaving us to only bemoan the traffic delay. And Border Patrol agents remained tight-lipped when asked what they look for when stopping vehicles and questioning drivers or referring vehicles to a secondary inspection.

The San Clemente station is responsible for far more than just manning the traffic checkpoint. The constant threats to our homeland security are numerous but illegal immigration, the smuggling of both humans and narcotics, and terrorism top the list.

“I love this job because there’s never a typical day here,â€