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 El Cajon Station
The original Community Storefront was opened in Jamul, California, January 27, 1997, in response to citizen concerns about the vastly increased illegal alien traffic through their neighborhoods. This situation was the result of Operation Gatekeeper's early success in deterring the alien traffic from the border region of Imperial Beach, CA, east to Otay Mountain. This shift in the traffic pattern heavily impacted the communities of Jamul and Dulzura, CA. The Border Patrol responded with more agents, equipment, and the innovative idea of the Community Storefront. The Storefront was a resounding success in its debut, making over 1,000 contacts with the east county residents within the first year. The storefront handled citizens' comments, complaints, and reports of alien activity. Responding to citizens' reports, the two agent staff made or assisted in over 250 arrests in the first year alone. The storefront personnel also reached out to the community with activities such as the Rolling Reader Program, career days at local high schools, and assorted community events. Eventually, the influx of agents and equipment brought the Jamul area under reasonable control, and forced the alien traffic further east once again. By the summer of 1999, citizen contacts had dropped dramatically, prompting the closure of the storefront by late 1999.The illegal alien traffic is now impacting several different communities within our patrol area, Tecate, Potrero, Barrett Junction, and Alpine, CA. The distances between these communities make it unfeasible to employ another stationary storefront. However, the idea lives on in the form of the Mobile Community Storefront (MCS), the first of its kind. The MCS is an integral part of the Good Neighbor Initiative, and consists of a 30-foot self-contained travel trailer that has been converted into a mobile command post for community relations. The trailer is stationed in the different communities for several weeks at a time, manned by two agents, Tuesday through Saturday. The mobility of the new storefront allows the residents to talk face-to-face with an agent without having to travel an inordinate distance. In preparation of deploying the Mobile Community Storefront, the Community Relations Unit sent out surveys to the residents of the Potrero area. The survey asked for input with regard to the amount of alien traffic, the Border Patrol's effectiveness, residents' opinion of the Border Patrol in general, and any suggestions that they had to improve the Border Patrol/community relationship. The response was very positive. Of those who responded, the overall approval rating was approximately 80% in support of the Border Patrol. We still have work to do, but The Good Neighbor Initiative and the MCS Trailer are definitely steps in the right direction.We have just started the Voluntary Identification Program (VIP). This program will expedite passage of the local residents through the I-94 checkpoint by way of a windshield sticker. The sticker would only be issued after a voluntary background investigation showed no record of criminal or immigration violations, hence the title (VIP).The Community Relations Unit facilitates the Rolling Reader Program for the El Cajon Station. As Rolling Readers, the agents read with the students of Rio Seco and Potrero Elementary Schools. Beyond the regular functions of Rolling Reader, we have initiated a phonics program to help the students who are falling behind. We set up information booths for career days at the local high schools and other community events. We also worked with the fifth grade class at Bostonia Elementary School in El Cajon, to prepare them for the Prudential Fitness Test.If you are interested in visiting with the Community Relations Unit or want more information about the San Diego Border Patrol Sector, please come by the MCS Trailer or contact us at (619) 557-5072. |
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