Tactical exercises in the coming weeks may lead to temporary suspensions of port activities in Nogales.
Teams of Customs and Border Protection officers and agents, and personnel from the Department of Defense will conduct tactical exercises in preparation for the possible arrival of a caravan of migrants, CBP said in a news release Wednesday.
βThe temporary suspension of port operations may occur during the exercises, in support of Operation Secure Line,β Acting Director of Field Operations Petra Horne said in the news release.
βWe ask the border communities to be patient and understanding while we train in order to protect travelers, caravan members, and our officers and agents from potential acts of violence,β Horne said.
In recent weeks, Army troops and CBP personnel placed barriers across several northbound vehicle lanes in Nogales and hung razor-sharp concertina wire along the border fence. The actions were taken as a group of several thousand migrants from Central America traveled toward the U.S.-Mexico border. Many plan to ask for asylum.
On Sunday, Border Patrol agents in San Diego, California, fired tear gas and pepper spray balls at a crowd of migrants that included angry rock-throwers and barefoot, crying children, The Associated Press reported.
CBP said the readiness exercises in Nogales βhelp strengthen border security and ensure the safety of the American people, the traveling public, CBP personnel, and local communities.β
CBP said asylum seekers should βpresent themselves at the ports of entry in an orderly manner to prevent delays in their processing.β
Many of the asylum seekers who showed up at the port in downtown Nogales this summer spent days or weeks waiting to be processed by U.S. immigration authorities. At one point, 120 people sat on the floor near the turnstiles on the Nogales, Sonora, side of the downtown port.
In August, CBP officials in Nogales said the delay was the result of managing various demands faced by customs officers, including a spike in hard-drug seizures.
