Reno Weighs Border Options : Immigration: Attorney general stops short of endorsing a blockade. But she says more effective ways of deploying agents are being considered.

U.S. Atty. Gen. Janet Reno said Thursday that she is studying a proposed Border Patrol crackdown at the Southwest border, but has not decided whether the agency’s blockade in El Paso should be enacted here.

The Justice Department will announce “new and innovative approaches to redeploying resources” at the border in coming months, Reno said at a UC San Diego forum on border issues and the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The Border Patrol’s 1,000-agent San Diego sector routinely has less than 100 agents guarding the international line--an imbalance that Reno had questioned during a tour in August. New initiatives could include shifting more agents to the border by using non-agents for transporting prisoners and other support roles, Reno said.

“Most of all, how do we make sure we are deploying them carefully?” Reno said. “I think we will have a good plan.”

Reno’s visit Thursday comes as politicians and the public are pressuring the Border Patrol in San Diego for a show of force similar to Operation Blockade in El Paso, where an unprecedented deployment of 450 agents has virtually shut down illegal crossing along a 20-mile stretch of the border. The result has been met with fervent support in U.S. border cities and anger in Mexico.

Border Patrol commanders caution that a blockade would entail greater risks and complications in San Diego. Rough terrain makes deterring immigrants difficult, officials say, and the sheer volume of migrants and violent history at the Tijuana border increase the dangers.

The El Paso experiment is being analyzed, Reno told a questioner, saying the U.S. government should emphasize “close coordination” with the Mexican government and protect the cross-border economy.

The attorney general’s focus on redeployment may signal that the Justice Department is considering a shift recommended by government officials and immigration experts who believe that too many Border Patrol agents work at inland stations or in special assignments. In an Oct. 5 letter to the attorney general, Rep. Lynn Schenk (D-San Diego) suggested transferring the 173 agents at the San Clemente and Temecula freeway checkpoints to the border.

“I question the cost-effectiveness of these stations,” Schenk said.

Although Reno did not specify what type of personnel could assume Border Patrol support duties, Schenk and others have also proposed using National Guard troops to free agents for front-line enforcement.

A proposal to add up to 600 agents to the Border Patrol is pending. In addition, Reno said, the federal government is trying to improve the agency’s equipment.

Reno, who plans to meet with her Mexican counterpart next week, said she will make a decision on a border enforcement plan after the expected confirmation of Doris Meissner, the Clinton Administration’s nominee for immigration commissioner.

Reno sidestepped a question about her views on a proposed independent review panel that would look into allegations of abuse brought against the Border Patrol. But she did express concern that the rapid hiring of large numbers of agents in the past may have affected training and other areas.

Advancing the Administration’s all-out campaign to win approval for the NAFTA, Reno told her audience that the trade pact embodies the true long-term solutions to illegal immigration and drug smuggling because it will create jobs in Mexico and improve police cooperation across the border.