SAN CLEMENTE : I-5 Checkpoint Is Back in Business

Since the March 5 reopening of the Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 5 seven miles south of here, more than 1,000 people have been arrested and about 45 vehicles seized, primarily for smuggling illegal immigrants, said Albert Sandoval, supervisory Border Patrol agent at the checkpoint.

Also, agents recovered six stolen vehicles and had eight marijuana seizures totaling nearly 300 pounds, he said.

In recent years, San Clemente city officials, fearing high-speed pursuits of suspected smugglers through their city, have urged the Border Patrol to concentrate its operations at the international border rather than at inland checkpoints.

But Border Patrol officials contend that checkpoints such as the one at San Clemente not only help stem the flow of illegal immigrants through California, but also curtail illegal drug shipments.

The checkpoint is one of the nation’s busiest with 122,000 motorists passing through daily.

As part of a six-month study of its effectiveness, the checkpoint was closed last Oct. 1 through mid-November and its agents deployed along the border.

Then in February, it was temporary reopened for several weeks. It is expected to remain open through June, when the study’s findings are expected, according to Marco Ramirez, a Border Patrol spokesman in Chula Vista.