SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Contrary to what Mexico’s National Guard said earlier this week, Tijuana Mayor Montserrat Caballero insists the soldiers deployed to the border barrier at the beach are there to protect citizens from crime and not prevent migrants from unlawfully crossing into the U.S.
The National Guard had stated it was sending even more soldiers to the area to prevent migrants from hopping over the fence or swimming around the barrier where it extends into the ocean. At least three Guard members at a time would patrol the area day and night.
But Caballero insists that is not their role
“I don’t know what instructions they have, but they have another job, and it’s without a doubt crime prevention and protection of our citizens,” she said.
Caballero added that the soldiers cannot “prevent irregular crossings into the neighboring country.”
“They are here to back and support our citizens.”
When construction began on the second of two border barriers, the one that actually divides Mexico and the U.S., the National Guard was deployed to the area to keep smugglers and migrants from exploiting temporary gaps in the fencing.
In early October, Border Report and Fox 5 cameras recorded soldiers trying to stop migrants from crossing the border.
Caballero insists that despite what anyone says, and as far as she knows, soldiers will be assisting police officers to maintain the peace at the beach and nothing else.
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