SAN DIEGO, CA - In the evolving landscape along the U.S.-Mexico border, there has been an increase in the use of unconventional methods by individuals attempting to cross into San Diego illegally, including jet skis, surfboards, and small boats. According to Border Patrol Agent Gerardo Gutierrez, there has been a significant surge in arrests, with 600 apprehensions in and around the ocean this fiscal year.
Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection reveals a substantial increase in apprehensions in the San Diego Sector, totaling 120,000 from October 2023 to the end of January 2024.
This surge reflects a trend of diversification in illegal crossing methods, with individuals from 126 countries, including notable numbers from Colombia (24,000), Mexico (15,000), and Ecuador (2,000), as well as Central America, Venezuela, Turkey, Senegal, Mali, Nigeria, Russia, Romania, and Afghanistan.
The challenges at the border extend beyond the diversification of crossing methods. Pacific Ocean drownings have sharply risen, particularly after the completion of a 30-foot steel barrier in San Diego by the Trump administration in 2019. A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA, reports an alarming increase in migrant drownings, with 33 deaths reported during the Biden administration, from 2020 to 2023, compared to only one in the four years preceding the barrier project.
Medical researchers, including Anna Lussier, a University of California at San Diego medical student, have highlighted a potential correlation between the border wall expansion and fatalities. The study emphasizes a fivefold jump in traumatic injuries, often resulting from illegal immigrants falling from greater heights when attempting to descend the structure.
Such incidents have triggered increased medical attention, imposing additional burdens on healthcare systems.
Despite the formidable barrier in San Diego, smuggling organizations on the Mexican side are adapting their tactics. They use power tools to cut through the fence, create breaches, and use makeshift ladders to facilitate migrant crossings.
Jet skis and small boats are also employed to outmaneuver authorities, making dangerous landings on U.S. beaches north of the border. Border Patrol agents are grappling with these evolving challenges, making 1,000 to 1,500 daily arrests in recent weeks, making San Diego the second-busiest crossing point along the U.S.-Mexico border after southern Arizona.
An examination of the economic costs associated with these challenges reveals a significant strain on local emergency medical services and healthcare systems. Illegal immigrants arriving in the area’s hospitals and trauma wards often require costly, long-term care, exacerbating the strain on resources and triggering millions in unreimbursed costs. Some experts advocate for federal support to address these escalating financial burdens.
Anna Lussier, a University of California at San Diego medical student who is one of the JAMA reports authors, said she took interest in the incidents while treating migrants with falling injuries in a trauma unit. She also spoke with lifeguards along Imperial Beach who have witnessed drownings and migrants tossed into the surf by callous smugglers.
Lussier said it was too early to draw conclusions about a correlation between border wall expansion and fatalities, and research is ongoing. “The one thing we can say is drownings have increased,” she said.
Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection reveals a substantial increase in apprehensions in the San Diego Sector, totaling 120,000 from October 2023 to the end of January 2024.
This surge reflects a trend of diversification in illegal crossing methods, with individuals from 126 countries, including notable numbers from Colombia (24,000), Mexico (15,000), and Ecuador (2,000), as well as Central America, Venezuela, Turkey, Senegal, Mali, Nigeria, Russia, Romania, and Afghanistan.
The challenges at the border extend beyond the diversification of crossing methods. Pacific Ocean drownings have sharply risen, particularly after the completion of a 30-foot steel barrier in San Diego by the Trump administration in 2019. A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA, reports an alarming increase in migrant drownings, with 33 deaths reported during the Biden administration, from 2020 to 2023, compared to only one in the four years preceding the barrier project.
Medical researchers, including Anna Lussier, a University of California at San Diego medical student, have highlighted a potential correlation between the border wall expansion and fatalities. The study emphasizes a fivefold jump in traumatic injuries, often resulting from illegal immigrants falling from greater heights when attempting to descend the structure.
Such incidents have triggered increased medical attention, imposing additional burdens on healthcare systems.
Despite the formidable barrier in San Diego, smuggling organizations on the Mexican side are adapting their tactics. They use power tools to cut through the fence, create breaches, and use makeshift ladders to facilitate migrant crossings.
Jet skis and small boats are also employed to outmaneuver authorities, making dangerous landings on U.S. beaches north of the border. Border Patrol agents are grappling with these evolving challenges, making 1,000 to 1,500 daily arrests in recent weeks, making San Diego the second-busiest crossing point along the U.S.-Mexico border after southern Arizona.
An examination of the economic costs associated with these challenges reveals a significant strain on local emergency medical services and healthcare systems. Illegal immigrants arriving in the area’s hospitals and trauma wards often require costly, long-term care, exacerbating the strain on resources and triggering millions in unreimbursed costs. Some experts advocate for federal support to address these escalating financial burdens.
Anna Lussier, a University of California at San Diego medical student who is one of the JAMA reports authors, said she took interest in the incidents while treating migrants with falling injuries in a trauma unit. She also spoke with lifeguards along Imperial Beach who have witnessed drownings and migrants tossed into the surf by callous smugglers.
Lussier said it was too early to draw conclusions about a correlation between border wall expansion and fatalities, and research is ongoing. “The one thing we can say is drownings have increased,” she said.
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