SAN DIEGO (FOX 5\/KUSI) \u2014 White House border czar Tom Homan visited San Diego County on Saturday to provide a year-end update on the federal government\u2019s immigration enforcement efforts, touting what he described as major gains in border security and deportations while drawing criticism from immigrant rights advocates.<\/p>\n
Homan was joined at the U.S.-Mexico border by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott and local Border Patrol officials. The visit included a heavily secured appearance near the border wall.<\/p>\n
Homan said the administration\u2019s immigration crackdown has led to sharp declines in sex trafficking, fentanyl smuggling and the number of suspected terrorists attempting to cross the border illegally.<\/p>\n
\u201cA secure border means stronger national security, but most importantly, it means saving migrants\u2019 lives and American lives,\u201d Homan said.<\/p>\n
Justin De La Torre, the chief patrol agent for the San Diego sector, pointed to recent deaths tied to human smuggling as evidence of the dangers migrants face.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust recently in San Diego, we had four people die in the ocean at the hands of human smugglers who did not care about the lives of the people they were smuggling,\u201d De La Torre said.<\/p>\n
Homan also said Homeland Security has recovered about 62,000 children who were smuggled into the United States, many during recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. While some were eventually found with family members, he said others were victims of sex trafficking or forced labor.<\/p>\n
Commissioner Scott said increased cooperation between ICE and Border Patrol agents has led to a rise in deportations while also slowing illegal crossings.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will track you down, we will arrest you, we will deport you,\u201d Scott said. \u201cThe number one thing that stops illegal immigration is changing the dynamic \u2014 not releasing people and making sure they know they cannot freely move about the United States if they cross illegally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Immigrant rights advocates, however, argue the enforcement strategy is violating civil rights and targeting people who are actively pursuing legal status.<\/p>\n
Pedro Rios, director of the American Friends Service Committee\u2019s U.S.-Mexico border program, said agents are arresting immigrants at ICE check-ins, court hearings and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services interviews.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are individuals who have been vetted over and over,\u201d Rios said.<\/p>\n
Homan rejected the criticism, saying President Donald Trump has given him authority to enforce immigration laws and remove anyone in the country illegally.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey cheated the system,\u201d Homan said. \u201cThey entered the country illegally, which is a crime.\u201d<\/p>\n
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