More officers arrive at San Luis border

SAN LUIS, Ariz. — Extra law enforcement officers have been assigned here as part of what is described as an ongoing operation along the border to stop illegal drugs from coming north and guns and cash from going south.

The operation became noticeable to residents throughout the past week as inspections of Mexico-bound pedestrians and vehicles resulted in traffic backups in the Arizona border city.

Overseeing the effort is the Arizona Joint Field Command, created by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to better coordinate the efforts of its officers in the agency's dual mission of stopping the flow of contraband and ensuring legitimate travel and trade between the United States and Mexico.

“It's nothing (for the public) to be concerned about,” said Chris Leon, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “All that's happening is additional personnel are arriving (at San Luis). The public can rest assured that no emergency is happening in San Luis.”

The command, Leon said, is headed up by Jeffrey D. Self, a Border Patrol veteran who has conducted an analysis of ports of entry along the Arizona-Sonora border to determine which need added staffing.

“The additional agents are coming from other parts of the country,” he said, but “we are not taking officers from other ports of entry to bring them here.”

The additional officers, who complement CBP officers and Border Patrol agents permanently assigned in the Yuma area, will remain at San Luis for an indefinite period, Leon said.

San Luis is among the first border communities where the Joint Field Command has been established, Leon said, but it will be up to Self where else along the border it will be put in place.

Leon said CBP officials are aware of concerns by San Luis officials about backups of Mexico-bound traffic, and “we are in talks with the city and the police department to see how to solve (the problem) and facilitate traffic.”

The formation of the Arizona Joint Field Command was announced by CBP in February.

“Over the past two years, the department has deployed historic levels of personnel, resources and technology to the Southwest border,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a news release. “The creation of the Arizona Joint Field Command will complement these unprecedented investments by leveraging all of our assets to secure the border and enforce our nation's immigration laws while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel.”