A group of veterans, known as the “Border Vets,” ventured into the mountains east of San Diego with the purpose of installing concertina wire in various small openings along the border wall. Their objective was to impede the growing influx of migrants from Mexico into the United States. Among the members of this group was Kate Monroe, a congressional candidate currently running against Democrat Mike Levin (D-CA) for the state’s 49th District.
Monroe, a retired Marine Corps veteran, gave an update, saying “I put my life on the line to serve our country once when I signed up to join the Marines, and I’m amped to serve our country again in this way. However, it is disappointing that I had to do it and that nobody else had the guts to do it.”
I secured the border myself.
I’m the only person in America who came to secure the border.
No one else in congress.
No president.
No border patrol.
Nobody in our country would do this.
So I had to do it myself.
I put my life on the line to serve our country once… pic.twitter.com/jZYooeEY4r
— Kate Monroe, CEO (@KateMonroeCEO) February 21, 2024
In a report by NewsNation, the group was captured in an image at the foundation of the border wall, situated to the east of San Diego. This particular area serves as a gathering point for migrants from various parts of the world, who are brought to these openings by smugglers associated with cartels. The group openly acknowledges their uncertainty regarding the duration of the temporary solution implemented to seal the gaps, as they are aware that the wire may be removed by the smugglers at any time. However Monroe said, “That’s not going to stop us or deter us from coming here. If we can stop them for one day, one hour, one week, we’ve stopped more people from coming into our country.”
Efforts in Mexico to reduce migrant crossings using freight trains to reach the Texas border have led to a decrease of over 60 percent since December. However, the Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector, particularly the Jacumba and Boulevard areas to the East, has seen a significant increase in migrant crossings. According to a source from Customs and Border Protection, apprehensions in this sector between October and the third week of February have risen by 76% compared to last year. In the current fiscal year of 2024, over 140,000 migrants have entered the United States near San Diego, a notable increase from the slightly over 80,000 in the same period of fiscal year 2023.
