SAN DIEGO – “Let me be perfectly clear: The border is closed. Anyone who illegally crosses into the San Diego sector will face consequences,” warned Jeffrey Stalnaker, Acting Chief of the San Diego Sector Border Patrol, this Friday morning.
During a press conference held in front of the border wall in the San Ysidro community, he also highlighted that there has been a significant decrease in illegal crossings in this sector so far this year.
The border official specified that from January to date, 43,000 illegal foreign nationals have been apprehended, representing a decrease of approximately 7% compared to the same period last year.
Making it clear that there are “no more releases of apprehended individuals” by the border agency, Stalnaker emphasized that his personnel have clear instructions that anyone who illegally crosses this border will be removed from the country.
“Border security is national security,” Stalnaker added. “Our mission is to protect the United States and its citizens. That mission is reflected in every action we take and every resource we expend.”
Then, Lieutenant Colonel Tyron Barrion of the United States Marine Corps stated that every effort and decision made in collaboration with the Border Patrol is aimed at defending U.S. territory and integrity.
“I am proud of their work,” he said, referring to the Marines, who have played a crucial role in building the border wall.
“Every day, soldiers work tirelessly to detect illegal crossings, turn individuals over to the Border Patrol, and maintain border security,” Barrion added.
60 Miles of Border and 10 Miles of Wire
It is worth noting that, starting in the second week of February this year, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that members of the 1st Marine Division, along with the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, deployed concertina wire along the southern border wall to “reduce illegal border crossings.”
At the end of the press conference, Border Patrol authorities opened a section of the fence, revealing an extensive stretch of coiled wire running along the U.S.-Mexico border wall. Officials noted that this wire extends for 10 miles out of the 60-mile stretch from San Diego to Tecate, Baja California, Mexico.
The press conference concluded with remarks from U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Philip Mason, who emphasized the role of American soldiers in protecting the border and reinforced the statements made by Stalnaker and Barrion.
Following the conference, Gerardo Gutiérrez, Spanish-language spokesperson for the San Diego Sector Border Patrol, told reporters that “this afternoon, we held this press conference to showcase the collaboration taking place and how we are working as a unified government. The Department of Defense is providing support to the Border Patrol to strengthen our border wall, our line, our border zone, because ultimately, our goal is to protect our country, to protect America.”
Gutiérrez elaborated on how the Department of Defense is assisting: “They are helping us in various ways. For example, they are providing personnel for surveillance—monitoring cameras and areas where agents cannot be present. It’s a force multiplier.”
“They are also helping with the maintenance of the border wall. As you can see, wire fencing has been installed. The message is very clear: we do not want people crossing illegally. If they do, there will be consequences; no one will be released,” he summarized, reinforcing the key message of the press conference.
“Now that the numbers are lower,” the spokesperson emphasized, “we are focusing on reinforcing and making our border line more robust so we can effectively do the job we were called to do: to protect our country, which is exactly what we are doing.”
When asked specifically about the number of apprehensions, he responded: “In fiscal year 2024, we had approximately over 234,000 apprehensions. So far, in fiscal year 2025, we have only recorded 43,000. This shows that, because of the consequences now in place, the numbers have dropped.”