Mar 22, 2020; San Diego, California, USA; A border patrol agent sits in a vehicle along the border wall separating Tijuana, Mexico and the Outlets at the Border mall in San Diego. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY NETWORK
San Diego, California – Border drama hit fever pitch in San Diego this weekend as Tom Homan—President Trump’s hand-picked ‘Border Czar’—rolled into town alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection boss Rodney Scott. Their mission? To parade what they dubbed as major crackdowns in immigration enforcement during the administration’s rookie year, with a flashy presser staged on Spooners Mesa, just yards from the international divide.
Homan, never one to mince words, declared, “We’ve hammered sex trafficking. Fentanyl smuggling? Way down. Known terrorists sneaking over? Practically vanished.” The tough talk came minus the receipts, but the Department of Homeland Security’s site does back him up, showing this year’s border busts tanking.
Scott, meanwhile, touted the White House’s tariff blitz, boasting it had raked in a jaw-dropping $23 billion—though he also skipped out on hard evidence. “Protecting Americans’ wallets is just as vital as stopping border jumpers,” Scott said with conviction.
But here’s the headline-grabber: The Department of Interior dropped a bombshell this week, declaring a stretch from San Ysidro to Otay as a new “national defense area.” Translation? It’s now Navy turf, thanks to a fresh directive, beefing up military might amid sky-high claims of illegal crossings.
Scott wasn’t shy about the transformation: “This move lets our military flex not just for combat, but for border power—shoutout to the Department of War for having our backs,” he said.
Amid the show of force, Border Patrol stood sentinel as the bigwigs toured, catching the attention of activists. Pedro Rios, who heads the American Friends Service Committee and pushes for immigrant rights, fired back, “For us, this isn’t a win—it’s a worrying low point.”
Rios warned that anyone stepping into this new military zone risks double trouble: not only civil immigration penalties, but criminal trespass—just like sneaking onto a military installation.
These fortified border zones aren’t new—New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas have already seen them roll out, though Homan and Scott ducked giving any arrest figures. Rios promised his group wouldn’t sit out the drama, pledging vigilant watch over the military presence now ramping up in San Diego’s backyard.
