2,400-foot tunnel 'beats them all'

San Diego Union-Tribune ^ | 01/27/2006 | Onell R. Soto and Leslie Berestein

[RS]

"U.S. agents had been investigating the possibility of an elaborate drug-smuggling tunnel between Tijuana and San Diego for more than a year, but couldn't find it despite using military equipment so advanced it's classified"

~snip

"“This tunnel beats them all,” said Michael Unzueta, special agent in charge of the San Diego office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, "

~snip

"“People are always going to find a way around us,” he said."

[RS]

THIS is why people pushing for the billion dollar boondoggle of The Fence are going in the wrong direction.

Luckily, we have a President who knows that the fight must take place as far away as possible, and will not let himself get sidetracked.

[Altair333]

"Luckily, we have a President who knows that the fight must take place as far away as possible, and will not let himself get sidetracked."

Bush is too busy making sure his own Justice Department doesn't prosecute a single employer illegally hiring illegal alien workers. THAT's where a difference could be made overnight. No laws need to be passed- Bush just needs to call in his prosecutors and tell them to start enforcing the laws already on the books. Word would get around among employers VERY fast and demand for illegal labor would go way down.

[RS]

I agree, that would go a long way to solving the illegal worker problem - and negate the need for The Fence.

But it does nothing about the drug smuggling and the "terrorists coming across from Mexico" paranoia.

[Travis McGee]

Actually, you are 180* wrong in your immature one-inch-deep analysis.

The move toward tunnels proves that the fences in the San Diego region are working. The fences are forcing the drug cartels to spend millions to dig deep, because it's getting harder to move their loads above ground.

These elaborate tunnels are not used to move illegal aliens, that trade could never pay for such capital intensive efforts. Tunnels used to move illegals would be discovered quickly and shut down, before they could "pay" for themselves.

These tunnels are used to move large shipments of marijuana, cocaine and heroin. The Tijuana Cartel controls drug trafficking in that sector, and to stay in the game as major players, they have to dig deep, or go out of business. THis is because of the effectiveness of the modern fences facing them in that sector.

Here is a sample of the Duncan Hunter 15' fence. It exists in the areas of San Diego where the drug cartels are now forced to dig to stay in business. Where the fence exists, illegal alien traffic drops to zero.

The House has authorized building 700 miles of this fence in critical sections of the border.

[HiJinx]

Travis, I don't think I could have said it better myself. In fact, I know I couldn't.

Thanks for telling it like it is.

[joe fonebone]

excellent post, and a brilliant point!

[Travis McGee]

Thanks. For those who wonder what most of the border looks like and how the smuggling game is played, here is my mini-tutorial.

This is what most of our southern border looks like: there is no government-built fence at all. There is often just whatever is left over from some forgotten cattle fence, built privately to keep U.S. cattle from wandering freely into Mexico. For hundreds of miles there is not even a broken cattle fence, there is nothing at all.

For comparison, below the broken cattle fence photo is a sample of an inexpensive but highly effective double border fence system, with a plowed strip to reveal footprints. This type of system is very cheap and can be built with great speed.

Here is what some of San Diego County has: a wall made of rusty Viet Nam-era runway mats. The corrugations are even horizontal, (to make climbing easier?) The illegals in this photo were spotted by unexpected civilian volunteers, and jumped back over the border.

Here is what the border looks like where the runway mat wall exists. Mexico begins on the other side of the ineffective rusty wall, which actually helps the smugglers, by hiding their movements until the occasional USBP vehicle has driven out of sight.

This is how "the game" is played. Smugglers hide on the other side of the wall with their dope and/or their illegals, out of sight of the USBP. They wait for the highly visible white BP vehicle to drive over the distant hills. Lookouts with cell phones and walkie-talkies report on the current locations of the BP units. They know with certainty that "the coast is clear" for an hour or two, and the smugglers and illegals hop the fence and run into the scrub only 50 yards away. From there, they are out of sight, and they walk 1-2 miles to holding houses. Then they wait for nightfall, and are picked up and driven in vans to LA or San Diego.

Lastly, below is the Duncan Hunter 15' fence, which is already being built along a few "showplace" miles of San Diego, mainly near the ports of entry, where panderng politicians can conveniently show it off to gullible reporters. The House has approved building 700 miles of it, which would be a great start. As you can see, the rusty runway wall is seen at the left side, Mexico begins on the other side. In areas with the 15 foot fence, dope smugglers and illegals will have to cross the open sand ("the government road" as it is called) before starting to try to get over the 15 foot fence. It's extremely tough, and resists cutting. Attacking the fence would have to be done right out in the open, in full view of cameras. This type of fence, on the U.S. side of the government road, will give the USBP a barrier to patrol, instead of forcing them to chase illegals around 100,000 square miles of wide-open frontier land, which is a fool's errand.

Where this fence is completed, illegal alien traffic drops to zero across the frontier, and drug cartels are forced to dig long and elaborate tunnels in order to git under the border. Because of the complexity of the tunnels and the time involved, they are being discovered frequently now. Usually, the tunnels are new or nearly new when discovered and shut down. The tunneling by the billionaire drug cartels in areas where the new fence system exists shows their desperation,, and the effectiveness of the fence is shutting off mass illegal immigration.

[mowowie]

I wonder what keeps them from cutting throught that thing?

[RS]

"Actually, you are 180* wrong in your immature one-inch-deep analysis. "

Huh ? Just how would the billion dollar version of the same thing solve the tunnel problem ?

... and to look at the bigger picture, just how would the billion-dollar boondoggle solve the overall problem of drug smuggling ?

Do you seriously think that the cartels would not find other ways to bring the stuff in as long as there is a high paying market for it ?

Just who is the naive one here ?

[Travis McGee]

What keeps them from cutting through is that they have to run across 60-90 feet of the sandy U.S. government road, and attack the fence right in the open in full view.

It ain't that easy to cut even a small hole. The fine tough stainless steel mesh does not allow bolt cutters or mechanical tools to work. Oxy acetylene is not effective against stainless steel either, it's a mess. It takes a major effort to cut it.

Meanwhile, the Border Patrol, (no longer wasting its time and spreading itself out chasing hundreds of illegals over the wide open hinterland) can focus their resources on defending this fence, meaning that they can respond far more quickly to any attempts to cut it.

[strange1]

Shades of Hogans Heros. I bet Col. Klink would even be impressed.

[MamaTexan]

Where this fence is completed, illegal alien traffic drops to zero across the frontier, and drug cartels are forced to dig long and elaborate tunnels in order to git under the border.

Excellent point, Travis!

While a fence won't STOP someone who is determined to cross at particular point, it DOES slow them down and make discovering them easier!

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Your words indicate that you've given up on trying to bring our border under control.

I think that a wall would do well in showing Mexico that we care about our sovereignty.

[Calpernia]

Is this a different tunnel from the 1400 one posted yesterday?

[Calpernia]

Authorities unearth 1,200-yard tunnel into U.S.
CNN ^ | 01/26/2006 | Kevin Bohn

Posted on 01/26/2006 3:32:06 PM EST by devane617

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Authorities have found what they call the largest tunnel running into the United States along the U.S.-Mexican border. About 2 tons of marijuana were inside the tunnel, the Drug Enforcement Administration said, indicating that it appears to have been used to transport drugs. DEA and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents discovered the tunnel Wednesday night. It runs from Tijuana, Mexico, to Otay Mesa, California. Officials said the tunnel is about seven-tenths of a mile (1,148 meters) or more than 1,200 yards long. Initial reports said it is 5 feet high and 3.5 feet wide.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...

[Calpernia]

>>>>Tijuana and San Diego

>>>Tijuana, Mexico, to Otay Mesa, California.

Another one?

[RonF]

The cartels will very likely find another way to bring drugs and illegals into the U.S.

But all the other ways are going to be more labor-intensive and cost more money. This will drive up the price, which will in turn drop the demand. They will also be more difficult, which will raise the failure rate.

[Shalom Israel]

Huh ? Just how would the billion dollar version of the same thing solve the tunnel problem ?

That question was anticipated and answered in #4: a fence doesn't solve "the tunnel problem"; but you haven't defined exactly what "the tunnel problem" is. Tunnels are extremely expensive to dig, and new ones must be dug as old ones are detected. Where today people hop over the fence and order a cold one in the first American bar, after a proper fence is built entry must occur through expensive tunnels.

Criminals, being as capitalistic as the rest of us, only dig tunnels when it's profitable to do so. That means illegals will need to pay $5,000 each instead of the $50 they pay today for a guide to hoist them over the fence. Raise the price, lower the demand; illegal traffic must at least decrease, even if it doesn't stop entirely.

... and to look at the bigger picture, just how would the billion-dollar boondoggle solve the overall problem of drug smuggling ?

The fence is intended to prevent illegal immigration, not drug smuggling. It will increase the cost of drug smuggling, which is a side benefit, but as was pointed out expensive tunnels will be used for cocaine, not for illegals.

[Travis McGee]

Look, a team of commandos backed by billions of dollars (think, Tijuana drug cartel) could tunnel into a bank vault, if they threw enough time and money at the problem.

By your logic, banks might as well remove their vault doors and unlock the front doors, fire the guards, and dismantle the cameras and alarms, "since commandos could just tunnel in anyway."

For that matter, commandos could tunnel into your house. Does that mean you are going to take off your doors and windows? Of course not. You still want to stop the casual thief from an easy entry, correct?

If a fence stops 99% of the casual "just walk on in" illegal immigration, it will pay for itself in one year.

The fact that drug cartels will still spend millions to move billions in dope under it is not a deal-breaking factor. Tunnels leave a "footprint" on both sides and are found all the time, and shut down, which really smacks the cartels hard, when they lose their entire "investment." Compare that to the current casual ease of moving dope across the unprotected 95% of the border by just driving or walking in. Stop a load, who cares? Another load will walk in tomorrow.

Which is better for us, from all points of view? To allow unbridled foot traffic of illegal immigrants and easy surface dope smuggling (with no fence), or to shut down the illegal immigration with a fence, and force the cartels to spend millions to tunnel under to move dope?

[RedBeaconNY]

The answer: