(StraightShooterNews.com) – The former mayor of Calexico, a small town 120 miles east of San Diego, mocked the Border Patrol’s recent plan to build a “laughable” border wall in El Centro Sector.
Former mayor Raul Ureña ridiculed the idea that building a second border barrier would stop drug dealers from trafficking fentanyl.
El Centro Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino revealed that 25% of all fentanyl entering the U.S. passes through his jurisdiction, which includes 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 expressed.
He firmly stated, “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.”
However, a CBP source informed Border Report that Bovino is moving forward with this project without formal approval from higher-ups or the federal government.
The structure itself is improvised, made of leftover materials and does not stand straight. Instead, it lies are a 45-degree angle and lacks a permanent foundation.
Although it has been ongoing for years, its construction has intensified recently.
Ureña blasted the project and downplayed its impact on drug and migrant flow, saying, “It’s laughable if they really believe it’s going to stop fentanyl or any kind of migration.”
“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,” he added.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson shared Ureña’s viewpoint and confirmed that 90% of fentanyl enters through ports of entry, not between border fences.
Recent data up to June shows that of 14,500 pounds of fentanyl seized along the Southwest border this fiscal year, 4,400 pounds were intercepted by CBP’s Office of Field Operations in San Diego, which oversees California ports including Calexico.
Only 450 pounds were seized by Border Patrol agents in the El Centro Sector.
Ureña also disapproved of the barrier’s construction without local community consultation.
He described the barrier as not only visually displeasing but also a source of increased noise and potential violence, impacting the daily lives of nearby residents.
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