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A new report finds deaths, injuries and hospitalizations increased after the installation of a section of the 30-foot southern border wall in California. The new barriers were added at the direction of President Trump in a 2017 executive order.During sister station KCRA 3’s recent trip to the border, and before the report was released, an agent said the injuries are a major concern.”You can see the difference in the height between the new secondary fence, which is 30-feet high, to the primary fence, which is 18 feet,” says Hector Quintanilla with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “It’s common people get injured falling from the fence.” In the report published in JAMA Surgery, researchers noted the trauma center at UC San Diego saw a significant uptick in patients who have died or been seriously hurt after falling from the wall.The report looked at border wall fall admissions from 2016 to 2021 and was adjusted to normalize changing migration patterns.”This year we’ve had over 270 rescues throughout our area of operations,” said Quintanilla. “From the ocean, to up into the mountain, and it varies from dehydration to not being mentally prepared, physically prepared. It’s not an easy hike to get across these borders.”According to the study, before the 30-foot wall was built from 2016 to 2018, there were 67 fall admissions. After, there were 375 from 2019 to 2021.Researchers said those accidents increased hospital costs to more than $13 million in 2021, crowding hospitals with injured patients during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.”To try and get over anything over 30 feet is not that easy,” Quintanilla said. “We’ve seen ladders, ropes, PVC pipes converted into ladders, rebars converted into ladders — pretty creative. They’ll put a rope and they’ll tie multiple knots throughout to assist them going up and down.”Despite the dangers for people crossing illegally, border officials say the newer wall is also a safety feature for law enforcement.”The secondary fence was built primarily to give agents the ability to respond, where we’re not so close to the area after someone makes an illegal entry into the country,” Quintanilla said. “It’s also provided safety. It helps us a lot because we can only patrol so much, we can only be in certain places at once.”Watch the video above for the full story.
A new report finds deaths, injuries and hospitalizations increased after the installation of a section of the 30-foot southern border wall in California. The new barriers were added at the direction of President Trump in a 2017 executive order.
During sister station KCRA 3’s recent trip to the border, and before the report was released, an agent said the injuries are a major concern.
“You can see the difference in the height between the new secondary fence, which is 30-feet high, to the primary fence, which is 18 feet,” says Hector Quintanilla with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “It’s common people get injured falling from the fence.”
In the report published in JAMA Surgery, researchers noted the trauma center at UC San Diego saw a significant uptick in patients who have died or been seriously hurt after falling from the wall.
The report looked at border wall fall admissions from 2016 to 2021 and was adjusted to normalize changing migration patterns.
“This year we’ve had over 270 rescues throughout our area of operations,” said Quintanilla. “From the ocean, to up into the mountain, and it varies from dehydration to not being mentally prepared, physically prepared. It’s not an easy hike to get across these borders.”
According to the study, before the 30-foot wall was built from 2016 to 2018, there were 67 fall admissions. After, there were 375 from 2019 to 2021.
Researchers said those accidents increased hospital costs to more than $13 million in 2021, crowding hospitals with injured patients during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“To try and get over anything over 30 feet is not that easy,” Quintanilla said. “We’ve seen ladders, ropes, PVC pipes converted into ladders, rebars converted into ladders — pretty creative. They’ll put a rope and they’ll tie multiple knots throughout to assist them going up and down.”
Despite the dangers for people crossing illegally, border officials say the newer wall is also a safety feature for law enforcement.
“The secondary fence was built primarily to give agents the ability to respond, where we’re not so close to the area after someone makes an illegal entry into the country,” Quintanilla said. “It’s also provided safety. It helps us a lot because we can only patrol so much, we can only be in certain places at once.”
Watch the video above for the full story.
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