AZMEX UPDATE 13-2-13

AZMEX UPDATE 13 FEB 2013


Yuma Border Patrol apprehensions up slightly from 2011
February 12, 2013 5:47 AM
BY JAMES GILBERT @YSJamesGilbert

Despite an increase in the number of apprehensions during fiscal year
2012, Border Patrol officials say the Yuma Sector is still as secure
as it has been the past several years, if not more so.

Last fiscal year, agents made 6,500 apprehensions in sector-wide
operations, which is a 95 percent decrease since the Yuma Sector's
high point in 2005 when agents made 138,438 apprehensions. And, of
these FY 2012 apprehensions, approximately 9 percent were from a
country other than Mexico.

Yuma agents also seized 31,692 pounds of marijuana and 437 pounds of
cocaine during FY 2012. This represents a decrease of 38 percent in
marijuana seizures since 2009 and a decrease of 30 percent in cocaine
since 2010 when agents seized a record high of 51,695 pounds of
marijuana and 625 pounds of cocaine, respectively.

"Our apprehensions have increased slightly from FY-11. This is
largely due to the fact that 61 percent of our sector apprehensions
entered into the U.S. illegally from somewhere other than Yuma
Sector," said Yuma Sector Border Patrol Chief Stephen Martin. "Due to
the high level of Border Security within the Yuma Sector, we were
able to deploy assets to our neighboring sectors. These successes are
due to the hard work and dedication of the men and women of the Yuma
Border Patrol Sector."

The Yuma Sector is responsible for securing a region that includes
126 miles of U.S./Mexico border. Its area of responsibility stretches
from the Pima County line in the east to the Imperial Sand Dunes of
California to the west, as well as the entire state of Nevada.

Agent Kyle Estes, of the Yuma Sector Public Affairs office, explained
that since the sector is still under operational control, Yuma agents
are assisting other sectors by helping to patrol some of the more
remote areas of the state along the border, such as the Cabeza Prieta
National Wildlife Refuge.

The Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, according to Estes is in
an area known as "The Seam," an area between the Yuma and Tucson
sectors and south of Gila Bend.

"As we have continued to lockdown the Yuma Sector we have had the
ability to extend our resources out farther to some of the more
remote areas where criminal activity is occurring," Estes said. "And
that increase is what we saw reflected in last year's statistics."

Another reason apprehensions have increased, according to Estes, is
that agents are catching more people who are in the country illegally
at the checkpoints that have been set up throughout the sector.
"A large portion of the apprehensions we have are from subjects who
entered the country somewhere else and were caught in our area,"
Estes said.

While it is hard to predict what those statistics will show next
fiscal year, Estes said he expects them to be about the same or a bit
higher because of the area where agents are currently working and
will continue to work as long as necessary.

Yuma-area residents can help the Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and
Border Protection by calling 1-866-999-8727 toll-free to report
suspicious activity. Callers can remain anonymous.

Read more: http://www.yumasun.com/articles/yuma-85208-sector-
apprehensions.html#ixzz2KnRsa2cr