TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) – U.S. Border Patrol officials said Wednesday that agents discovered a garage-sized hole through a steel fence that divides the United States and Mexico just east of Nogales, Arizona.
The announcement was the second one this week about problems with the border fence. On Sunday, agents found that runoff water from rainstorms during the weekend had also knocked down 60 feet of the rebar-reinforced steel fence just west of the Nogales-Mariposa Port of Entry near Interstate 19 in Nogales. That fence stood between 18 and 26 feet high and extended at least 7 feet underground.
The hole in a section of the fence 1 ½ miles east of the Nogales city limits was discovered by agents on Saturday.
The Border Patrol says it is working on repairs for both fences and has agents monitoring the areas.
“Smugglers often attempt to cut border fences; dig under them; climb over them; and even throw things over the fence,” Border Patrol spokeswoman Nicole Ballistrea said in a written statement. “As the Tucson Sector continues to improve deterrence efforts along the border, smuggling organizations are finding it more difficult to move their illicit goods into the interior of the United States. Fencing infrastructure gives Border Patrol agents the time they need to stop illegal cross-border activity.”