SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — County Supervisor Jim Desmond says San Diego is the new epicenter for migrants and illegal immigration.
Desmond’s office reported that on Tuesday alone, Border Patrol agents apprehended 2,000 unlawful border crossers within the San Diego Sector, including 206 Chinese nationals.
Desmond says the recent surge in unlawful crossings has “propelled San Diego to the unfortunate position of leading all nine southern border sectors in April, a trend unseen since the 1990s.”
Desmond also said that since the current fiscal year began on Oct. 1, 2023, the San Diego Sector “has witnessed a staggering 214,855 apprehensions, representing individuals from over 75 countries across the globe.”
Border Patrol in San Diego confirms it is now the busiest sector along the southern border.
A CBP spokesperson says “we are averaging over 1,000 illegal entries every day, we did have one day this week in which we apprehended over 2,000 subjects.”
As for the monthly figures, CBP normally releases those numbers on the following month, so statistics for April won’t be made public until the middle of May.
In March, according to CBP statistics, there were 33,784 apprehensions in the San Diego Sector. And since Oct. 1, 2023, when current the fiscal year began, there have been 185,469.
By comparison, the Tucson Sector has recorded 342,002 apprehensions this fiscal year.
Moreover, Desmond says there have been more than 30,000 migrant drop-offs in the past two months alone in the San Diego region.
“Human smugglers have identified California, particularly the San Diego border sector, as
the path of least resistance for illegal immigration,” Desmond said in a news release issued by his office Thursday. “Border Patrol has inadvertently become the ‘Uber’ for migrants entering San Diego County, and the County is the travel agent.”
Desmond is also critical of California’s status as a “sanctuary state,” saying it “prohibits law
enforcement from cooperating with immigration officials, hindering our ability to address
these issues effectively.”
Border Report is seeking comment from CBP officials about Desmond’s news release and will update this article when we hear back.
