U.S./Mexico border fence falls well short of completion

San Diego – The U.S./Mexico border fence which has been under construction since 2006 falls well short of expectations. The government was supposed to build an 18-foot tall fence across the southern border; however on a recent trip to the border this writer found the fence-building process incomplete.

A short 45 minute drive east of San Diego is Campo, California. This is considered the front line for U.S. Border Patrol and the Border Patrol Auxiliary. The area is a virtual hotbed for illegal entry into the United States.

On any given night Mexican hopefuls and drug runners take their chances in this rugged terrain, heat and face numerous border patrol agents to sneak into the country.

Popular areas that they pass through include the ‘shooting range,’ Shangri-La,’ and the round hill known as ‘Boundary Peak.’

Once across the border, the illegal crossers have committed a crime. At this point it’s an all out hunt for the many in search of a better life. Mike Schmid, or Smitty, of the Border Auxiliary says, “The big green a white trucks aren’t real stealthy. With all their lights and loud vehicles many of the illegals simply spread out making it difficult to catch them all.”

This is where Smitty’s group comes into play. They are able to move quietly, and hide more easily in order to catch the ones who ‘think they got away.’

The group uses special infra-red cameras and night scopes to track the illegals crossing the border.

“Most people think we are only after the Mexican nationals, but the truth is there are many terrorists that are able to cross our porous borders,” Smitty claims.

This makes it even more imperative that the border fence is completed. “Not only do we have to worry about drug dealers, illegals, but it is the terrorists that are crossing into this country,” Smitty says.

“They know how easy it is to walk across the border,” he continued. “Plus they have a similar brown skin and can be easily misidentified as Mexican.”

It is this reason many border patrol agents and auxiliary members work the grueling late night hours, often getting no sleep, just to stop illegal entry into the U.S. They don’t want to risk missing a potential bad guy.

American citizens need to grateful to the many guys like Smitty, because their motto is “not on my watch tonight.”

For more stories; www.examiner.com/x-10317-San-Diego-County-Political-Buzz-Examiner