San Diego County-Based Marines Stationed In Campo Near Border To Bolster Security

CAMPO, CA — At least a couple hundred active-duty Marines were stationed Monday in southeastern San Diego County as part of an ongoing effort to bolster security at the Mexican border under the Trump administration's immigration directive.

The Pentagon has deployed more than 1,000 active-duty military personnel since May, bringing the total number of troops at the border to nearly 10,000. About 500 Marines and sailors from Camp Pendleton are part of the deployment, ABC10 reported.

Marines set up tents in the community of Campo, just over a mile north of the border and a few miles east of Tecate, Mexico.

Some Marines said they were patrolling the border at least twice a day, according to a report from Cal Matters.

The military's main task was reinforcing parts of the existing border barrier with concertina wire, a razor-sharp fencing meant to deter illegal crossings, according to a Joint Task Force Southern Border spokesperson.

Army personnel were also assigned in January to help with infrastructure improvements as well as detection and monitoring along the border, according to a statement from Border Patrol officials.

Border Patrol Agent Gerardo Gutierrez said the Marines "are just staging there for their assistance along the border."

Military officials have not disclosed detaining anyone in California, but active-duty Army personnel in New Mexico reported turning people over to immigration authorities earlier this month, the Cal Matters report said.

— City News Service