“Rocking”
By James Jay Carafano Posted in Immigration — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
On the border with the U.S. Border Patrol in the San Diego sector. This sector covers only 60 miles of land border, a mere three percent of the Southwest border. But don’t be fooled by the geography – twenty-five percent of the assaults on Border Patrol happen on this stretch of border. Most of the attacks are “rockings”; gang bangers are paid $250 a pop to fling brick size stones at the officers and their vehicles. The reason for the attacks is simple. The Border Patrol is winning — they’re cutting into the human smuggling trade and this is smugglers' way of fighting back.
The number one security threat on this sector of the border is illegal border crossing. Number two is drugs—primarily “meth” smuggling.
Border security in the San Diego sector, however, is not what it used to be. The Border Patrol is fighting for something bigger than just security. “Our job one,” one officer told me, “is to bring the rule of law to the border.”
Perhaps the best sign of progress is the stretches of border on the U.S. side where, ten years ago no one would live, but now they are covered with homes and shopping malls. People finally feel safe enough to live there — an object lesson that good security on the border can make a difference.