I-Team: Return to the Border – Changes over the past 18 months
CALEXICO, CA (KESQ) - Encounters in the El Centro Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol have dropped from more than 50,500 in fiscal year 2023 to under 2,000 in the current fiscal year. The reduction in local encounters south of the Coachella Valley comes as nationwide Border Patrol staffing reached a record high of more than 21,000 agents.
The El Centro Sector, which covers the Valley, previously played a key role in a nationwide crackdown on undocumented immigrants. That multi-city effort was directed by former Sector Chief Gregory Bovino during his time as Commander at Large. Following Bovino's removal from that role and subsequent retirement, the sector has focused its resources directly on border enforcement, utilizing new secondary fencing and upgraded surveillance technology.
Check Out Part 1 of John White's Report
Assistant Chief of the El Centro Sector, David Kim, gave News Channel 3's John White a tour of the border area and addressed questions about whether the involvement in operations across the country was a distraction.
Bovino led nationwide operations in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, where Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were shot and killed. The operations ultimately led to Bovino's removal from the role and his retirement from the U.S. Border Patrol.
“I don't think there's ever been any, you know, secret that El Centro sector border patrol has was heavily involved in all of that during that mission set,” Kim said. He added that the sector's primary directive has shifted back to local border security.
“During Chief Bovino's tenure, obviously every chief's going to have their own style, and you know the way they conduct business. However, here at the time we had a different mission set that we were engaged in and now our focus is back on the border.”
Border Patrol agents rely on updated infrastructure and surveillance systems to monitor the region, including new secondary fencing and a technology hub mounted on the Calexico water tower in the Imperial Valley. Agents recently used the border wall system's technology to track a group near the All-American Canal.
“We had some of our technology that's part of this border wall system pick up a group of aliens that had crossed illegally in this area, made their way to the canal, got to the north side of the canal bank and you know our agents were able to pick it up using that technology and we were able to make the apprehension as you can see really close to the border,” Kim said.
Patrolling in the sector also presents physical hazards, including the New River, which is considered one of the most polluted rivers in the world. Kim recalled falling into the river while attempting to make an arrest earlier in his career as an agent. “Smelled just like an outhouse, basically and yeah, I did have to do a hospital visit over that just to make sure that they did some blood testing and make sure that I didn't contract anything down here,” Kim said.
Federal border operations have drawn criticism from local law enforcement leaders, including Andy Mills, retired Palm Springs Police Chief, who spoke out regarding the nationwide enforcement tactics used in Minneapolis.
“When you have systemic failure, I mean incident after incident. If that was a local police chief, we'd be gone and rightfully,” Mills said.
Kim responded to the critique by pointing to legal standards regarding law enforcement discretion.
“Well, I mean, everybody's going to have their own opinion. Every situation, as we discussed earlier, every officer is going to react to any given situation differently. The courts have seen that many, many times over the years and give officers and agents wide latitude on how they perceive and the actions that they take,” Kim said.
The Migration Policy Institute estimates that more than 150,000 unauthorized immigrants live in Riverside County, with many residing in the Coachella Valley. When asked about long-term residents, Kim emphasized legal accountability while noting that local daily enforcement routines remain consistent.
“Well, I mean, at the end of the day, they made a choice whether it was 10 minutes ago if they crossed the border or 20 years ago if they crossed the border. The issue is accountability,” Kim said. He added that residents should not expect drastic changes in local enforcement methods: “there really is no need for alarm. There's nothing going on out there that we haven't done in the past. This is operations normal.”
Check Out John White Reporting at the Border Last Year:
