Overview
- CBP officials said migrant encounters in the San Diego sector are about 92–93% below last year’s peaks, framing the region as far more secure than a year ago.
- The Interior Department transferred about 740 acres in San Diego and Imperial counties to the Navy to establish a National Defense Area that enables trespass detentions by military personnel, with troops including Camp Pendleton Marines already supporting barrier operations and razor wire installation.
- Leaders said fewer crossings allow a pivot to city operations, with Border Patrol joining ICE for arrests and what Commissioner Rodney Scott called unprecedented prosecution levels.
- The administration is expanding surveillance with billions for enforcement technology, including $2.7 billion to grow license-plate readers nationwide and plans to embed sensors into border barriers.
- Advocates and monitors flagged humanitarian and civil liberties concerns, citing reports of increased migrant deaths, detentions of people already in asylum cases, the cancellation of temporary protected status, and administration claims of more than 500,000 deportations.