707 Illegal Aliens Arrested in Checkpoint Crackdown

An aggressive seven-hour Border Patrol sweep resulted in the arrests of more than 700 illegal aliens at the San Onofre checkpoint Sunday, officials said.

A reinforced inspection staff of more than 30 Border Patrol officers checked thousands of northbound cars between 4 p.m. and 11 p.m. at the inspection point near the Orange County line on Interstate 5, officials said. Agents also patrolled rest stops and hills south of the station in an effort to “seal off” the area, officials said.

The 707 arrests was a high number for the San Onofre station, which usually makes about 200 arrests on a Sunday, officials said.

The operation was in response to an increase in illegal border crossings since the first of the year, said Wayne Kirkpatrick, supervisory Border Patrol agent. In the last two weeks, arrests of illegal aliens have gone up from about 700 a day in December to more than 1,250 a day, Kirkpatrick said.

The arrest rate of illegals generally goes up in January as many aliens make their way back across the border after spending the holidays in Mexico, Kirkpatrick said.

Of the 707 aliens arrested Sunday, only four weren’t from Mexico. Three aliens from El Salvador and one from Guatemala are awaiting deportation. The rest have been sent back to Mexico, Kirkpatrick said.

Border Patrol agents recovered five stolen cars in the sweep and had an additional 58 vehicles towed away, Kirkpatrick said.

There were no violent incidents in the sweep, which was aided by a Border Patrol helicopter, Kirkpatrick said.