Smugglers Target Border Patrol with Homemade Tire Deflation Devices in San Diego

Smugglers in San Diego have started using a new tactic against Border Patrol agents. They are employing improvised tire deflation devices, designed to disable law enforcement vehicles and hinder their pursuit of smugglers.

"These devices are made from bent nails welded together and two-by-fours with nails punctured through them," Justin Castrejon, a spokesman for Border Patrol. He added that the homemade devices have been used on at least 20 different occasions in recent months, particularly in the Otay Mesa area, located just north of Tijuana International Airport.

Castrejon explained to the Border Report that the spikes are typically deployed during human smuggling operations. Smugglers in Mexico are throwing these tire deflation devices at agents' vehicles in an effort to stop them from chasing migrants. "What agents are reporting to us is that, as human smuggling events are taking place, smugglers are actively throwing these devices out to damage our vehicles," he said.

According to Castrejon, the spikes are not only a means to damage vehicles but also a way to target law enforcement directly. "We see this as an uptick in violence against law enforcement," he said. According to him, while Border Patrol agents have previously been attacked by rocks, smugglers are now reportedly shouting "fight" instead of "run" to migrants, signaling a shift in their approach to resisting agents. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported among the Border Patrol agents so far.

Border Patrol is actively monitoring the situation. "We notice who is doing it and are notifying law enforcement south of the border as the incidents take place," he said. "This area is heavily patrolled, under surveillance, and we are using our technology to identify those responsible and put an end to these actions."

While this isn't the first time border agents have been attacked by human smugglers, they generally keep a low profile for fear of drawing a retaliatory response from the U.S..

This week, alleged human smugglers linked to an undisclosed cartel exchanged gunfire with U.S. Border Patrol agents as they tried to cross the southern Texas border on Monday, per the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).

A DPS drone tracking the alleged criminal group captured video of them reportedly fleeing Mexico due to military presence and seeking refuge on an island between the U.S. and Mexico, according to DPS Lieutenant Chris Olivarez, who shared the images via social media.

The shootout comes just a week after President Donald Trump, who has pledged to crack down on drug trafficking and focus on border security, took back the White House. Since then, he has declared a state of emergency at the border and announced the deployment of active-duty troops to the southern border.