http://www.thedailyaztec.com/news/2005/ ... 4156.shtml

Agents strive to secure border
Almost 30,000 arrests have been made in San Diego sector in 2005 alone, even though there are only 10,000 sworn officers nationwide
By Lydia Osolinsky, Senior Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, March 15, 2005


Media Credit: Derrick Tuskan, Senior Staff Writer
This fence, crossed by many undocumented immigrants, marks the border between Mexico and America.



Media Credit: Derrick Tuskan, Senior Staff Photographer
Agent Michael Bermudez says it´s routine for officers to patrol alone.


"A lot of fingers get lost on that fence," senior patrol agent Michael Bermudez, of the U.S. Border Patrol, said with both hands on the wheel.

Bermudez drives along the rocky terrain on the San Diego side of the U.S.-Mexico border. The fence he is referring to - often jumped by undocumented immigrants attempting to cross illegally - is the primary structure separating the two countries.

With personnel far below capacity, Border Patrol agents continue to chip away at what they call an everyday battle. Already this year, there have been almost 30,000 arrests made in the San Diego sector alone.

"It's 24 hours a day," Bermudez said of the border traffic.

Nationwide, the Border Patrol has approximately 10,000 sworn officers - almost four times fewer than the number of police officers in New York City alone.

Although President Bush signed a bill last year promising 2,000 additional agents each year, his Homeland Security budget proposal submitted to Congress last month only allotted funds for an additional 210.

After Sept. 11, the Border Patrol began operating under the Department of Homeland Security and has been equipped with new vehicles and weapons, including a pepper launcher, which allows agents to stun their target without inflicting major injuries. Though agents say the new equipment is helpful, they site limited personnel as a shortfall major disadvantage.

"We always need people," Bermudez said. "Without personnel, technology and infrastructure are not going to have an impact."

Agents often encounter situations in which they are grossly outnumbered. "Bailouts," when truckloads of illegal immigrants run in separate directions to avoid being caught by the Border Patrol, take advantage of the small numbers of agents. According to Bermudez, it is routine for agents to patrol alone.

The San Diego sector was at one time the most heavily trafficked area of the border. According to Border Patrol numbers, approximately 1.2 million people were arrested prior to 1993 for entering the United States illegally; almost half of these were apprehended in the San Diego sector.

In 1994, legislators put into effect Operation Gatekeeper, a border policy that placed agents in strategic areas, forcing illegal immigration into surrounding mountainous and desert terrain.

The human rights organization American Friends Service Committee strongly opposes the strategy, calling it a "horrendous mistake" with ongoing effects, but the Border Patrol hails the operation as a necessary tool in securing the border and protecting the country from terrorism.

According to Bermudez, on especially heavy days in 1996, the Chula Vista sector he patrolled made thousands of arrests in a 24-hour period. Now, he said, that number might vary from zero to 30, depending on the season.

But Christian Ramirez, director of the AFSC in San Diego, doesn't view the decrease in arrests as a gage of success. Having lived near the border, he said he has seen a decrease in foot traffic and crime, but doesn't believe Operation Gatekeeper has made it completely disappear. Though San Diego's problems seem to be under control, he said they have simply been shifted to Arizona.

"The reality is that if you travel about 200 miles to the east, you see how chaotic the border has become," Ramirez said.

A March 4 article in The Arizona Republic reported the arrest of 1,500 undocumented immigrants in the area during a two-week period last month, with as many as 360 arrests made in a single day.

The body count in Arizona has also risen, sparking debate over whether the Border Patrol and its operations should be held responsible for immigrant deaths.

"We are paying with the lives of migrants for the relative tranquility that we receive here in San Diego," Ramirez said.

The AFSC and other human rights organizations estimate more than 3,000 deaths have occurred during the 10 years Operation Gatekeeper has been in effect. According to the Border Patrol - which has fielded criticism since the operation's inception - the blame is misplaced.

"We tell them not to cross in certain areas, but they do it anyway," Bermudez said. "We didn't force them to. We didn't put a gun to their head."

In 1997, the Border Patrol instituted a safety initiative aimed at curtailing the death rate. In 2002, there were 187 rescues reported, compared with 24 deaths that same year.

The department also uses education efforts in hopes of preventing more migrant losses. Agents distribute pamphlets and broadcast public service announcements in Mexico that stress crossing the border may cost Mexican citizens their lives.

But opponents say undocumented immigrants are fully aware of the risks, therefore such strategies will have only minor effects on immigration. Instead, they say, efforts should be taken to change the economic situation that has created the problem.

"The mission of the U.S. government is not to stop the flow, but to make it appear that the border is under control," Ramirez said.

The American economy has become reliant on the cheap labor illegal immigration provides, fueling the service industry, he said.

"No matter how many Operation Gatekeepers you launch, no matter how many Border Patrol agents you send to the U.S.-Mexico border, the flow will continue to come."