I Went Looking for Smugglers on the Border – Here’s What I Found

by Heath Hansen

It’s not often that the absence of a story makes my day, but today that’s exactly what happened. I had a free afternoon and decided to head Southeast, into the San Diego Mountains, looking for any indications of illegal entry, or drug smuggling, into the United States. What I ended up finding surprised me.

Usually in this area, I might see a group of migrants being detained by U.S. Border Patrol Agents. Or, pretty regularly, I’ll see dozens of migrants walking freely, North, further into the U.S. Today, as I made my way further and further South, I saw nothing of the sort. I drove as far as I could, until I reached a locked gate, and got out of my vehicle.

Photos courtesy of Heath Hansen.

I pulled out my binoculars, and started scanning the landscape. Nothing. No movement. Just a quiet valley, and a cool breeze. I looked further South, and even on the Mexican side, things were quiet. No migrants lined up, waiting for the right moment to cross. No cartel scouts trying to walk groups in and relay Border Patrol positions to the coyotes (guides). Absolute stillness.

READ MORE from Heath Hansen on the border: At ‘OP Baby’s Head’: Water for the Cartels, Cross-Border Mules, and a Skull in the Badlands

As I continued scanning, I could hear a vehicle approaching. I looked over and saw a white pickup truck, with Border Patrol markings on its side. The truck stopped, and I started talking with the occupants. I was surprised to see these were not Border Patrol Agents. They were active duty soldiers, from the Army’s 4th Infantry Division.

The two soldiers told me they were stationed out of Fort Carson, CO, and had been assigned this sector of the border. Although they were trained as 13F – Forward Observers – for this mission, they were doing surveillance along the American / Mexican border. One of them related to me that he hadn’t seen much movement in quite a while.

The 4th Infantry Division arrived in San Diego approximately three months ago and, according to the U.S. Northern Command website, have been performing “detection and monitoring; administrative support; transportation support; warehousing and logistic support; vehicle maintenance; and engineering support.” Today, I can personally say, they are doing a superb job.

After the troops continued on their way, I walked to the edge of the road, and scanned the area again. Near and far, East and West, North of the border, and South of the border, I observed no movement.

I came here looking for a story about drug-runners and migrants making their way into the U.S., but instead, all I found was a secure border.

Because of recent history, as backwards as this might sound, it was the absence of crime that turned this experience into a story.

Heath Hansen writes frequently on paramilitary, the border, and other issues for Soldier of Fortune.