The U.S.-Mexico border in Yuma County remains relatively quiet in the days since Trump took office and issued several executive orders on immigration.
That's according to Yuma Sector Border Patrol Chief Justin De La Torre, who I spoke with on Wednesday.
"Right now, we are using all available agents that we have to ensure we have the most robust border security deployment at our disposal available out in the field," De La Torre said. "We're assessing areas where we need to increase infrastructure including barrier systems... to prevent smuggling organizations from moving people or contraband through."
The Yuma Sector chief says agents here are arresting about 40 people a day for illegal entry, including migrants from Mexico, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras and other countries.
Yuma Sector agents are holding these individuals at sector headquarters, returning Mexican nationals and referring others to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). That agency "manages all aspects of the immigration enforcement process including the identification, arrest, detention and removal of aliens who are subject to removal or are unlawfully present in the U.S."
De La Torre referred specifics on Trump's immigration executive orders to the White House.
"We're looking at all available resources to ensure smuggling activity is stopped in between ports of entry and on the highways," he said. "I do anticipate additional resources coming to our area and what that does is it frees up our agents to patrol and have a better rate of interdiction."
A Border Patrol checkpoint went up on Interstate 8 west of Yuma on Tuesday and Wednesday in a location used previously but not in recent months. De La Torre said that checkpoint is being staffed by agents with the El Centro Sector.
A Yuma Sector checkpoint on I-8 near Telegraph Pass has not been open for months after a man crashed his vehicle into it. De La Torre said Yuma Sector agents operate a checkpoint near Blythe, Calif.
Chief De La Torre recently met with officials from the Mexican Consulate in Yuma.
In a post on their Facebook page, Yuma consulate officials wrote in Spanish "As part of #preventiveprotection efforts, we met with Justin De la Torre, Chief of the Yuma Sector of the Border Patrol. We discussed the migratory flow on this border and the coordination between both institutions in order to ensure dignified treatment for our compatriots, as well as to ensure respect for their rights."
—-
Stay tuned to KAWC to hear from Yuma Sector Border Patrol Chief Justin De La Torre.
