CALEXICO, California. (Border Report) — The former mayor of Calexico says “it’s laughable” that the Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector is building a second border barrier to prevent the flow of fentanyl in this small border town 120 miles east of San Diego.
El Centro Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino recently told on NewsNation that 25% of all the fentanyl coming into the U.S. is coming through the El Centro Sector, including the city of Calexico.
“We have to do it fast and we have to do it hard, because, guess what, the bad guys on the south side, they do it fast and hard,” Bovino told NewsNation’s Ali Bradley. “We’re going to take it to ’em, this is our border here, this is taxpayer border, and we’re going to take our piece of Border.”
Bovino believes installing a secondary fence will help stop the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.
A CBP source tells Border Report that Bovino is acting on his own in building this barrier, without approval from his supervisors or the federal government.
The secondary fence being installed by Bovino and his agents is a 45-degree-angle structure constructed out of left over materials from the former wall and has no permanent foundation.
Its construction has been ongoing for years, but has picked up in recent months.
“It’s laughable if they really believe it’s going to stop fentanyl or any kind of migration,” said Raul Ureña, former Calexico mayor. “Most of the drugs smuggled into this country are smuggled through ports of entry and not over the border fence itself — especially with fentanyl, a secondary border wall is not going to physically stop it.”
Indirectly, U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson agreed with Ureña, saying 90 percent of fentanyl does come through ports of entry and not in between.
According to the latest available CPB data, as of June, 14,500 pounds of fentanyl has been seized along the Southwest border so far this fiscal year, which started Oct. 1. Of that, 4,400 pounds, about 30%, was seized by CBP’s Office of Field Operations in San Diego, which handles all California ports of entry, including those in Calexico. U.S. Border Patrol agents in the El Centro Sector have seized 450 pounds of that fentanyl this fiscal year, data shows.
Ureña is also critical of the barrier because it’s getting built without any input from residents, many of whom live within a few feet of it.
“It’s ugly, not a beautiful view of the world at all, more walls mean more noise, that means more violence, that means more Border Patrol agents driving up and down the streets creating a lot of hazards for our border community.”
He went on to say any resources should be spent in other areas to improve the quality of life in the region.
“This is going to be another failed attempt in the war against drugs,” Ureña said. “Building walls hasn’t worked in the last 30 years, it has only made the drug trade and our border regions more violent. That money should be spent in real issues in the the border region like climate change, lack of jobs, education, diplomatic relations with Mexico to ensure there are more jobs and prosperity along the border.”
Border Report reached out to CBP to comment on Bovino’s actions in building the secondary barrier in Calexico or its practical use, but it has yet to respond.
