SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Migrants who are trying to unlawfully cross the border have all but abandoned the Jacumba area east of San Diego, a place that up until a few months ago was the busiest in Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector.
According to Mexico’s National Institute of Migration (INM), crossings in the area are down 90% from December when hundreds of migrants were entering the U.S. on a daily basis.
David Pérez Tejada, head of INM in Baja California, said the drop in crossings can be attributed to increased patrols on the Mexican side of the border, which are preventing most migrants from entering the U.S. through the Jacumba area 75 miles east of San Diego.
“We have accomplished favorable results, seen a drastic decrease compared to the numbers from December to now,” he said.
U.S. Border Patrol in San Diego would not confirm the figure, although a spokesperson said “crossings in the area have slowed down significantly since they set up camp on the south side.”
According to Pérez Tejada, many crossings are now west of Jacumba in Campo, California, and in the rocky terrain above the desert floor near a Sempra Energy windmill facility.
He also said the urban center between Tijuana and San Diego is once again being used to get migrants into the U.S. unlawfully.
And, after a brief slowdown, the coast and the beach are again busy with migrants who are trying to get north of the border on a boat or by swimming around the barrier that sticks out into the ocean.
Meanwhile, Border Patrol buses continue to drop off migrants at the Iris Avenue trolley station in San Ysidro after being processed.
While the agency is not releasing official numbers, a source told NewsNation affiliate Border Report the number is up to 800 migrants per day who are being released.