Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents apprehend an undocumented migrant they were surveilling in Herndon, Va., Jan. 15, 2025.
San Diego, CA – For the first time since President Donald Trump took office, officials from both the U.S. Border Patrol and the Department of Defense addressed questions about their joint operations to secure the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego. The agencies emphasized a significant drop in migrant apprehensions and reinforced the administration’s deterrence message.
“Let me be perfectly clear: the border is closed. If you cross illegally here in San Diego sector, you will face consequences,” said San Diego Sector’s Acting Chief Jeffrey Stalnaker. “We will leverage all legal authorities and take every reasonable step to ensure illegal aliens are placed in detention and removed from the country.”
According to Border Patrol, the San Diego Sector covers 60 miles, just 3% of the total southwest border, but was the busiest sector in the country last fiscal year with more than 324,000 apprehensions. This fiscal year, however, apprehensions have dropped drastically—down 70% to just over 43,000.
At this time last year, the sector averaged 1,200 to 1,400 apprehensions daily. That figure has now plummeted to approximately 30 to 40 per day. This sharp decline allowed officials to close a temporary migrant processing facility in Otay Mesa.
“Since the numbers are lower, we’re able to now handle that amount of activity at our border patrol stations,” Stalnaker explained.
Approximately 750 military personnel have been deployed to San Diego since Trump’s declaration of a national emergency on his first day in office. These forces have reinforced 30-foot border walls with concertina wire, covering six miles between Otay Mesa and San Ysidro, with plans to extend to 20 miles.
“Nothing that’s designed to kill or maim,” Lt. Col. Tyrone Barrion said of the jagged wire. “The idea of deterrence is that they don’t want to deal with the time or hassle with moving or touching the wire and therefore they would be deterred to go somewhere else, rather than here.”
Military personnel are also monitoring Border Patrol surveillance cameras 24/7. When asked about the message concertina wire sends, Barrion responded carefully.
“That’s a heavy question,” he said. “We in the U.S. military are responsible for following the orders and directions of the commander in chief. … It’s not my position to make opinions. It’s my position to follow the directions of my commander in chief.”
Critics question the need for continued military involvement and resources at the border, given that migrant encounters have been declining since mid-2024. Border Patrol officials defended the operation as a “whole government approach.”
“I think it’s important for every nation to have a secure border,” said San Diego Sector Special Operations Supervisor Eric Lavergne. “It’s one team, one fight, right? We all want to protect America. We all want to protect the border. So working together, I believe, is the best way.”
Lavergne acknowledged that the military has been stationed at the border before but noted that “maybe the scale is new for everyone to see.”
Officials reiterated the administration’s firm stance against illegal crossings while maintaining that lawful immigration remains an option.
“Do not put your life in danger trying to cross illegally,” Lavergne warned. “If you want to come to the United States, we’re for migration, but apply in your country, go to the ports of entry. Do not cross in between. Do not break the law to get here.”
When asked about the apparent contradiction between promoting migration and limiting legal avenues, Lavergne defended the administration’s policy.
“The government wants consequences for those who cross illegally. But they still want those who are coming correctly, following the laws,” he said. “You can still apply at the embassy in your country. It’s going to take time … but that’s still the correct method.”
Officials did not provide an estimated timeline for how long military personnel would remain stationed at the border. “I have not been notified of an end date,” Stalnaker stated.
