SAN YSIDRO, Calif. (KGTV) — It’s been nearly 10 months since San Diego got a new Chief Patrol Agent for the U.S. Border Patrol San Diego Sector.
ABC 10News anchor Melissa Mecija first spoke to San Diego native Justin De La Torre back in December, weeks after he took over.
He talks about how the agency is doing now.
“It’s been going really well for us operationally,” De La Torre said. “We're seeing the lowest levels of illegal entries that we've seen in decades.”
It is much quieter compared to a few years ago, when migrant surges were a common sight at the border by San Ysidro.
De La Torre broke it down by the numbers when it comes to illegal entries.
“Last year we were close to 50,000 apprehensions. We're almost at the end of the fiscal year here for FY 26, so at 9,000 apprehensions, that's a really low number,” De La Torre said.
He said cartels are charging $10,000 or more to smuggle people into the United States.
As far as drugs, Customs and Border Protection statistics show they are on track to seize slightly more illegal narcotics this year compared to last.
“Our agents are out on patrol throughout the entirety of the 60 miles of land border that we have from the Pacific Ocean out to the San Diego County line out in Jacumba,” De La Torre said.
As far as maritime numbers, De La Torre said it is down about 35% from last year, but he said the success rate on detecting maritime smuggling events is the highest they have seen since they started tracking.
However, the criticism of the Department of Homeland Security has not gone away.
ABC 10News asked De La Torre’s response to public perception when it comes to apprehensions by Border Patrol and other agencies within DHS.
“I think it starts with recognizing the fact that the United States has over one million people a year that lawfully immigrate. These are what you would call people who are immigrants,” De La Torre said. “If you illegally entered the country yesterday or 10 years ago, that does not make you an immigrant. That makes you someone who trespassed in the United States.”
When asked about the methods being used when it comes to apprehensions and the detention of unintendented targets, De La Torre spoke specifically about the process within the Border Patrol.
“We use what we call targeted enforcement as one method, and that's where we use our investigative capabilities to identify people who are living in the United States illegally. When we discover that information, we will go through a methodical process to identify them and arrest them in a way that's most tactically advantageous to our agents,” De La Torre said, saying they arrest people in the safest way possible.
“People aren't always compliant with being arrested. People run. People fight. It's not always a pretty scene, but that's what our agents are trained to do. They have some of the best law enforcement training our country has to offer," he added.
Despite any disapproval, De La Torre is steadfast in his message that protecting the border protects you.
As a San Diego native, he said he is to help protect his hometown.
“San Diego is where I where I grew up. It means a lot to me to be able to provide for the security of our community here,” De La Torre said.
