El Centro Border Patrol sees increase in apprehensions

Agents say more individuals will try to cross as cooler weather sets in - News 11's Wiley Jawhary reports

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - Temperatures are starting to cool down and as we head into the winter season, U.S. Border Patrol says they expect more illegal activity along their borders.

Border Patrol Agent Carlos Pitones with the El Centro Sector says that it's already happening.

"Here in the El Centro Sector, we continue to see an increase in apprehensions, currently we are at a 33% increase when compared to the same time period last fiscal year," he said.

Pitones says that the weather is going to play a key factor with apprehnsions increasing.

“Especially with the weather cooling down, the activity tends to pick up during nicer weather,” he said.

Recently US Border patrol also encountered a fake Fedex vehicle.

"We came across a white delivery vehicle that was suspicious in nature, it had characteristics or exhibiting signs of human smuggling patterns," he said.

Border patrol says eight undocumented individuals were in the back of that vehicle.

Pitones states that the Jacumba Wilderness region continues to prove to be the most dangerous for illegally crossing the border.

Border patrol says that the majority of apprehension’s continue to be single adult Mexican nationals and also individuals from other countries like Brazil and Venezuela.