CBP shutters San Diego-area processing facility after ‘unprecedented drop in apprehensions’

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Acting San Diego Border Patrol chief details the changing dynamic at the border

San Diego Sector acting Chief Patrol Agent Jeffrey Stalnaker told Fox News Digital that migrants attempting to cross the border now face serious consequences if caught.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection shut down a migrant processing facility near San Diego, Calif., following an “unprecedented drop in apprehensions.” 

The temporary facility in Otay Mesa, which opened in January 2023, had a capacity of around 500 with a primary purpose to “safely and expeditiously process individuals in U.S. Border Patrol custody,” according to CBP. 

“Due to the unprecedented drop in apprehensions of illegal aliens as a result of the President’s recent executive actions, CBP is reducing the number of temporary, soft-sided processing facilities where illegal aliens have been held in specific locations along the southwest border,” Hilton Beckham, the CBP’s Assistant Commissioner of Public Affairs, told Fox News on Thursday. 

“CBP recently closed soft-sided processing facilities in Texas and Arizona, and CBP has now closed yet another soft-sided processing facility in San Diego,” he added. “The U.S. Border Patrol has full capability to manage the detention of apprehended aliens in USBP’s permanent facilities.  

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A soft-sided detention facility in Otay Mesa, Calif., is prepared for teardown on March 19. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Public Affairs)

“Manpower and other resources dedicated to temporary processing facilities will be redirected toward other priorities and will speed CBP’s progress in gaining operational control over the southwest border,” Beckham also said. 

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An aerial view of the Otay Mesa facility in January 2023. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Public Affairs)

At the time of its opening, the CBP said the Otay Mesa facility was “weatherproof” and “climate-controlled” and was “expected to provide ample areas for eating, sleeping, and personal hygiene.” 

“The temporary 130,786-square-foot facility will provide additional processing capacity for Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector,” it added. 

The facility at Otay Mesa, Calif., opened in January 2023. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Public Affairs)

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However, on Wednesday, images showed workers dismantling the site. 

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.