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Facility will house migrants, serve as control center for enforcement
By Michael Howard
An artist rendering of the new Dulzura Border Patrol facility slated to open in September 2024. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Border Patrol
January 20, 2024 (Dulzura, CA) – A new $74 million U.S. Border Patrol station has begun construction and is slated to open in Dulzura next year, spokesperson Michael Scappechio said in an emailed statement this week.
“This new station will provide CBP law enforcement personnel with much-needed facilities, technologies, and other infrastructure carefully designed to meet the demands and challenges of an ever-evolving border environment,” Scappechio wrote.
The station will be used to process and house migrants short-term, as well as serve as a control center for border patrol enforcement activities. The facility sits on an approximately 9-acre plot of land and will include a helipad for air support, fuel stations, and dog kennels.
Its location in the southeast region of San Diego is key to the U.S. efforts to manage migrants seeking asylum and illegal immigration in the region. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reported it encountered 18,952 migrants along the San Diego border region in December 2023, an increase of 28% from the previous year of just 13,624. For the year, San Diego Border Patrol encounters rose 24% from 176,290 in 2022 to 230,941 in 2023.
Dulzura sits about 10-miles from the U.S.-Mexico border and is just north of Marron Valley, a common entry point for migrants, where the Tijuana river snakes in and out of the two countries and provides water and foliage for the journey.
“A significant portion of the [border patrol’s] encounters occurred within the station’s area of operation,” Scappechio pointed out.
But even this new facility may not be enough to manage the influx of migrants. East County Magazine reported last year that there was a lack of humanitarian aid and care for migrants camped out in desert towns along the border. In Jacumba Springs, for example, migrants camped out under the shelter of bushes and were not provided water or facilities as the desert heat scorched the region. Border Patrol were forced to send buses to transport people to the nearest processing stations.
“CBP officers and agents prioritize the health and safety of all those they encounter by providing appropriate medical care and humanitarian assistance as needed and by routinely coordinating with emergency medical services to assist individuals in need,” noted Scappechio.
The new facility will bring approximately 400 Border Patrol officers and personnel to the small city, which had a population listed as 769 in the 2021 US Census.
In a 2017 Jamul – Dulzura Community Planning Group meeting, the Border Patrol’s Brown Station Community Liaison Officer Ryan Magnuson stated the facility would generate additional daily traffic of approximately 50 people arriving and leaving the property in three 10-hour shifts each day. During the meeting local residents voiced concern about this increase, notably resident Mr. Sirimanne who said wildlife had disappeared already, which he attributed to traffic that already existed.
In response to the community’s concern about traffic, Scappechio notes improvements will be made to accommodate for the increased cars.
“Highway 94 will be widened near the station main entrance to accommodate a center turn lane, allowing for smoother traffic flow,” he said. “A deceleration lane and acceleration lane will also be added to allow for safe entry and exit from the main entrance,” he added.
Other concerns brought about by the community have been addressed too, he related, saying the facility will have its own water treatment facility, which is currently under construction now.
Asked how the Border Patrol, and this new facility, will address the humanitarian crisis seen along the border, Scappechio listed a series of actions the agency has made in response. Actions include prioritizing the most vulnerable migrants and transporting them from inclement weather first, constructing soft-sided outfitting facilities to process migrants, and increasing the number of data entry specialists, Border Patrol processing coordinators, contract security officers, medical professionals, and childcare and other service providers who operate at CBP processing facilities.
“The agency continues to surge personnel, transportation, processing, and humanitarian resources to the most active and arduous areas throughout San Diego’s border region where migrants are callously placed by for-profit smuggling organizations, often without proper preparation,” he commented.
Scappechio is quick to note the ever changing migrant circumstances are driven by the coyotes guiding illegal immigrants across the border.
“Shifts in migration patterns or increases in irregular migration are affected by shifts in the behavior of for-profit smuggling organizations and by global events,” he said.
But whatever the circumstance, the Border Patrol strives to meet the demand.
“CBP is leveraging all available resources and partnerships to efficiently vet and process migrants consistent with law,” he says.
SOURCES
May, K. (2024, January 3). New Border Patrol Facility [Personal communication].
Mejias-Pascoe, S. (2023). How a new 400-person Border Patrol station could transform a historic San Diego town. https://inewsource.org/2023/12/14/new-border-patrol-station-san-diego-historic-town-dulzura/
Person, R. (2023a). IN U.S. BORDER TOWN - STEADY STREAM OF MIGRANTS CONTINUES. East County Magazine. https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/us-border-town-steady-stream-migrants-continues
Person, R. (2023b). JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS COMMUNITY STUNNED BY ARRIVAL OF HUNDREDS OF MIGRANTS - SEEKS DONATIONS. East County Magazine. https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/jacumba-hot-springs-community-stunned-arrival-hundreds-migrants-seeks-donations
Point2. (2021). Dulrura, CA Demographics. Point2. https://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/CA/Dulzura-Demographics.html#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20population%20of%20Dulzura%3F&text=There%20are%20769%20residents%20in,males%20and%2056.44%25%20are%20females.
Scappechio, M. (2024, January 5). ** Interview Request ** [Personal communication].
U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2024). Immigration Enforcement and Legal Processes Montly Tables—September 2023. https://www.dhs.gov/ohss/topics/immigration/enforcement-and-legal-processes-monthly-tables
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