Can We Control the Border?
A Look at Recent Efforts in San Diego, El Paso and Nogales

Introduction

The Clinton Administration has embraced a strategy of rigorous border control to help reduce the problem of illegal immigration.

That this approach can work was demonstrated in 1993 by an innovative operation in El Paso, where Border Patrol agents began standing watch right on the border to deter illegal crossers from even trying to enter the United States.*

This strategy of trying to deter illegal crossings before they happen, rather than attempting to catch illegal immigrants after they enter the country, resulted in a major drop in the number of illegal crossings in El Paso, which had been the second most popular border crossing point for illegal immigrants.

In our 1993 report on El Paso's Operation Hold the Line (at first named Operation Blockade), we asked whether this effort could be maintained over the long term and whether it could be replicated elsewhere on the border. In October of last year, a new campaign, dubbed Operation Gatekeeper, was begun in San Diego, the other major illegal crossing point on the southern border, in an effort to replicate the success in El Paso.

But deterrence appears to have been less effective in San Diego. This has raised many questions:

• What is the difference between these two major border control efforts?
• With increased deterrence at El Paso and San Diego, there has been an increase in illegal crossings elsewhere along the border — does this mean the overall objective of border control is illusory?
• Was the border control mess inherited by the Clinton Administration the result of inattention by its predecessors?
• Is the overall border control effort now on track?
• And, perhaps most importantly, what effect will the new strategies have on the number of illegal immigrants settling permanently in the U.S. each year, estimated by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) at more than 300,000?

To observe the effect of the San Diego operation, to evaluate the continuing impact of Operation Hold the Line in El Paso, and generally to answer some of the questions posed above, we revisited the southwest border late last year, with stops in El Paso, Tucson, Nogales, and San Diego.

Our observations are that the El Paso operation continues to show success, while in San Diego, there is real potential in the recent Border Patrol efforts, though that potential has yet to be fully realized. The characteristics of the border and its attraction to potential illegal immigrants differ from one sector to the next, but the recent efforts have demonstrated that the border can be controlled.

For many reasons, the goal of total deterrence remains elusive, even at El Paso. The results in San Diego, as seen in the apprehensions statistics, are generally much less impressive than in El Paso, but they suggest nonetheless that illegal crossings can be deterred in that sector. This is evident from the Border Patrol's success at reducing, and keeping down, the level of crossings at Imperial Beach, the westernmost portion of the border at San Diego, which had been the favorite crossing point for illegal immigrants.

The Tucson sector, and the area around the border town of Nogales, Ariz., in particular, remains an area where the Border Patrol is unprepared to cope with increased pressure and establish effective deterrence. For that reason it has borne the brunt of the shifting patterns in illegal crossings and the recent increase in attempted illegal entry.

Rather than relax the effort to deter illegal border crossings — whether because of the greater effectiveness already achieved or out of resignation that some aliens will continue to slip through — the accomplishments already in place need to be consolidated and expanded. The effort at El Paso requires reinforcement; the San Diego operation needs a more coordinated approach; and the Nogales initiative is just beginning. Having proven that controlling the border is possible, the effort now should be to build on these achievements and close the remaining holes.

Would-be illegal immigrants and alien smugglers (coyotes) are a greater challenge to the Border Patrol than ever before, because of the increased capability of the smugglers to monitor and take advantage of weaknesses in border security and internal enforcement. Fortunately, the Border Patrol is now beginning to meet this challenge with upgraded technology to detect and identify illegal crossers. The availability and use of resources are of critical importance, but have not been adequate. And greater disincentives to illegal immigration are needed all along the route, at the start of the trek in the home country, at the border, on the routes leading inland from the border, and at the workplace in the United States.

Deterring illegal immigration is not, however, the responsibility of the Border Patrol alone. It also involves cooperative international efforts, enhanced enforcement of the law, and assured removal from the country of those who violate our frontier and laws. This effort would be significantly enhanced by effective laws and a national consensus that would deny illegal immigrants the benefits they seek, especially employment, and channel any demonstrable need for foreign workers into legal entry procedures.