Border agents in Arizona prepare for caravan with ‘readiness exercises’

PHOENIX — As thousands of Central American migrants slowly make their way to the U.S. border in an attempt to apply for asylum, border agents are conducting so-called “readiness exercises” at the ports of entry in Arizona.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been preparing for the migrants by conducting training exercises, deploying additional border agents and partnering with the military to “harden ports of entry.”

The exercises at land ports of entry throughout Arizona began Wednesday with the goal of increasing the number of operational readiness exercises and mobilizing resources. They began on the same day that a group of 357 migrants arrived in the border city of Tijuana.

“CBP’s Office of Field Operations is continually assessing its capabilities and making the necessary preparations in anticipation of the migrating caravan,” the department said in a press release.

“Regardless of the operational contingencies we may face, CBP will ensure border security, will act in accordance with the highest principles of law enforcement, and will treat intending migrants humanely and professionally at all times.”

Personnel with the Department of Defense have continued installing wire and pre-positioning barriers, barricades and fencing. This included placing large barriers and storage containers on certain roads and conducting tactical training exercises.

César Barrón, a reporter at a radio station in the border town of Nogales, posted a video on Twitter of the exercise.

Agentes de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza realizaron simulacro hoy para actuar ante posible llegada de caravana de migrantes centroamericanos a Nogales. pic.twitter.com/l3fxI6hjqL

— César Barrón (@barron_cesar) November 15, 2018

Border officials said the barriers and boxes would be removed from roadways after the caravans arrived.

The exercises could cause increased wait times for travelers at some ports of entry.

There are three caravans currently moving through Mexico, with between 7,000 and 10,000 migrants.

The bulk of the main caravan appeared to be about 1,100 miles from the border, but was moving hundreds of miles per day. Other migrants were still stranded in the west-central state of Jalisco because they couldn’t get rides.

About 1,300 migrants in a second caravan were resting at a stadium in Mexico City, where the first group had stayed last week.

Customs and Border Protection also closed four lanes at the busy San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry in San Diego, California, on Tuesday so it could install infrastructure.

But that still left a substantial path for the tens of thousands of people who cross daily: Twenty-three lanes remain open at San Ysidro and 12 at Otay Mesa.

San Ysidro is the border’s busiest crossing, with about 110,000 people entering the U.S. every day. That traffic includes some 40,000 vehicles, 34,000 pedestrians and 150 to 200 buses.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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