North County
The Border Patrol arrested 624 illegal aliens in North County on Tuesday, continuing a weeklong sweep made in response to complaints from residents and police.
More than one-third of those apprehended Tuesday were picked up in the vicinity of Carlsbad’s Kelly Elementary School. Parents have expressed concern about the presence of groups of aliens near schoolchildren.
The Border Patrol has now arrested 1,118 undocumented aliens since the crackdown began Monday. Most of them were Mexican farm workers, Border Patrol spokesman Wayne Kirkpatrick said. Local police have assisted in the operation.
“The residents of North County have just become tired of the situation,” said Kirkpatrick, noting complaints that the aliens commit crimes and harass area residents.
However, critics of the Border Patrol maintain that the aliens have come to find work and aren’t likely to cause any trouble.
“They’re absolutely necessary to our economy; they don’t want to bother anybody,” said Herman Baca, chairman of the Committee on Chicano Rights.
At daybreak Tuesday, agents began arresting undocumented workers in fields, on streets and in public buses throughout North County. The sweeps, conducted with about 30 agents reassigned from other posts, continued until about noon.
Officials said the crackdown will continue all week.
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