SPECIAL REPORT: Inside U.S. Border Patrol immigration checkpoints
Highway stops play important role in national security - News 11's Crystal Jimenez takes a closer look
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Drive down any major highway in the Desert Southwest and you'll likely encounter a U.S. Border Patrol immigration checkpoint. These lonely outposts may be a nuisance for some drivers, but they play a key role in preserving national security.
The checkpoints' mission: thwart human and drug smugglers, catch terrorists, and verify U.S. citizenship.
“Checkpoints are part of our layered approach." Border Patrol Agent Vincent Dulesky tells News 11's Crystal Jimenez. "This is our last layer that we can use to interdict anything thats coming through our highways, anything thats coming through our borders. Really a crucial point for us to be able to do our jobs.”
Related: Two arrested on human smuggling and drug charges
It's not uncommon for checkpoint agents to encounter both hidden illegal immigrants and stashed illicit drugs during the course of a shift. And many times they get the tip they need from their four-legged colleagues. Border Patrol K-9s sniff out trouble every day.
These days the dogs are earning their kibble. Border Patrol says it's already seeing an uptick in drug busts in the new fiscal year.
Related: 17-year-old caught with 40 pounds of meth at checkpoint
Dulesky said Yuma Sector confiscated a total of about 41 pounds of fentanyl in 2020. So far this year, agents have already seized 47 pounds.
It's a similar story with methamphetamine. Last year, agents confiscated 600 pounds of the drug. This year, they've already seized 300 pounds.
Dulesky told us agents are also seeing a rise in the amount of marijuana coming through checkpoints. Proposition 208 made pot legal in Arizona, but it's still against the law federally. Border Patrol canines can sniff out even the smallest amount of weed.
