SAN DIEGO — U.S. Border Patrol said illegal entries through a chain link fence located at a construction site near Friendship Park are an ongoing problem.
Border officials tell CBS 8 they are constantly repairing the fence which they say is torn down on an almost daily basis.
“This is a situation where people who are seeking asylum are forced to seek drastic measures," said immigration rights advocate, Pedro Rios.
New cellphone video taken Wednesday shows Mexican officials patrolling the southern portion of the border wall.
It comes after viral video shows a group of migrants entering the U.S. illegally through a construction site, where a new border wall is being installed.
The video, which has been viewed hundreds of times on TikTok, was taken earlier this week and since then, the structure has been repaired.
Rios said crossings in the area happen on a regular basis.
“I’ve seen videos almost on a daily basis of crossings in that exact location and precisely because the primary border wall is being replaced by a much taller one," he said.
The secondary fence is meant to keep people out of the construction site where work continues to replace the old border wall with a new, 30-foot wall.
In a statement, a spokesperson with border patrol said “Before the illegal entry occurred, an unknown individual or individuals located in Mexico pulled the chain link fence to the ground.”
Rios said it’s proof that border walls and fences don’t work.
“Its not a barrier, it’s there temporarily. If there was a way for people to present themselves at a port without placing themselves in danger, people would do that," he continued.
Border patrol and its Mexican counterparts are ramping up patrols and are dedicating additional resources to secure border communities.
Rios said the fence and border wall won’t do much to stop people from crossing and he’s concerned the structures only make it harder for those seeking asylum
“We have to make better laws, we have to make better rules in the book that ensure that asylum is protected," added Rios.