CBP shuts down San Diego-area immigration processing facility after 'unprecedented' drop in apprehensions | Law Enforcement Today

OTAY MESA, CA - U.S Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has shut down a migrant processing facility near San Diego after seeing an "unprecedented drop in apprehensions" CBP stated that the temporary facility opened in January 2023 under the Biden administration and had a capacity of around 500.

According to Fox News, CBP said that the primary purpose of the temporary facility was to "safely and expeditiously process individuals in U.S. Border Patrol custody." 

Hilton Beckham, the CBP's Assistant Commissioner of Public Affairs, said in a statement, "Due to the unprecedented drop in apprehensions of illegal aliens as a result of the President's recent executive actions, CBP is reducing the number of temporary, soft-sided processing facilities where illegal aliens have been held in specific locations along the southwest border."

He added, "CBP recently closed soft-sided processing facilities in Texas and Arizona, and CBP has now closed yet another soft-sided processing facility in San Diego. The U.S. Border Patrol has full capability to manage the detention of apprehended aliens in USBP's permanent facilities."

Beckham continued, "Manpower and other resources dedicated to temporary processing facilities will be redirected toward other priorities and will speed CBP's process in gaining operational control over the southwest border." 

At the time of its opening, the CBP said the Otay Mesa facility was "weatherproof" and "climate-controlled" and was "expected to provide ample areas for eating, sleeping, and personal hygiene." It added, "the temporary 130,786-square-foot facility will provide additional processing capacity for Border Patrol's San Diego Sector."

According to a press release, CBP said it "plans to close SSFs in Donna, North Eagle Pass, and Laredo, Texas as well as in Yuma and Tucson, Arizona. SFFs in San Diego, California and El Paso, Texas currently remain open. USBP is able to detain aliens in its permanent facilities while maintaining custody standards and legal obligations."

CBS News reported that the number of migrants illegally crossing the U.S. southern border during Trump's first full month in office plunged to a level not seen in at least 25 years. In February, Border Patrol recorded about 8,450 apprehensions of migrants who illegally crossed the border. On some days during a record spike in illegal crossings under the Biden administration, Border Patrol recorded more than 8,000 apprehensions in a single day.

While monthly data before fiscal year 2000 is not publicly available, the last time Border Patrol averaged roughly 8,000 apprehensions per month over a year was in fiscal year 1968, according to historical statistics. The Trump administration has credited their sweeping, government-wide immigration crackdown for the dramatic decrease in unlawful crossings. 

The Trump administration is allegedly considering adding another layer to its restrictions at the border, making plans to invoke a public health law known as Title 42 to summarily expel migrants on the grounds that they could spread diseases like tuberculosis.