SOUTHLAND : Border Patrol Arrests, Deports 920 in Sweep at San Clemente
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SAN CLEMENTE — U.S. Border Patrol agents nabbed 920 suspected illegal immigrants in a weekend raid that authorities said could have set a record.
Immigration officials said they also arrested three suspected alien smugglers during the five-hour sweep at the San Clemente checkpoint.
The sweep tied up northbound traffic for several miles on Interstate 5 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday.
“The action shows the magnitude of the influx of illegal aliens in the U.S.,” Douglas Becktel, a supervising Border Patrol agent, said. “We anticipated catching up to a thousand people. We’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of illegal aliens coming, even with the new laws.”
Most of those arrested were Mexican immigrants and they were either walking or riding in cars and trucks trying to pass the checkpoint, Becktel said. He said all chose to waive a hearing before an immigration judge and were driven back to the border and deported.
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