Sahuarita council tables vote on checkpoint

The Sahuarita Town Council decided Saturday not to vote on whether to support a permanent U.S. Border Patrol station south of Green Valley.

In a 6-1 vote, the council tabled the issue until hearing from more members of the community. Vice Mayor Philip Conklin was the only councilor who wanted to vote Saturday.

“We can’t keep postponing a decision as important as this one,” Conklin said.

Border Patrol and Drug Enforcement Agency officials put on a presentation for the council at the Quail Creek Community Center. The Border Patrol said permanent checkpoints are vital for reducing overall cross-border crime.

“Our ultimate goal is to stop everything at the border, but if that doesn’t happen, we rely on the checkpoints,” said Assistant Border Patrol Chief John Fitzpatrick, who added that a permanent checkpoint on Interstate 19 would take four to five years to complete.

Anthony Coulson, assistant special agent at the DEA headquarters in Tucson, said that Arizona represents 13 percent of the U.S./Mexico border and 40 percent of all drug seizures at the border.

Arizona also sees 50 percent of all illegal immigrant arrests, which wouldn’t be the case if Arizona had permanent checkpoints like Texas and California, he said.

The town council’s decision to table a vote allows officials to hear from residents Tuesday night during a public forum at Sahuarita High School. Two other high-profile organizations, the Nogales City Council and the Green Valley Community Coordinating Council, have taken stances on the issue. The Nogales council endorsed checkpoints, while the GVCCC was opposed.

Fitzpatrick said that contrary to what many opponents have said, a permanent checkpoint will benefit the community. When San Diego decided to build permanent checkpoints at its border in 1993, violent crime was reduced by 50 percent, he said, and property value in local communities increased. Permanent checkpoints also help to stop drunk drivers and lead to an overall reduction in crime.

“An important fact to consider is that I-19 is the most heavily trafficked highway in the border region, and we need a permanent checkpoint to deny smugglers access to that source,” said Coulson, adding that smugglers are paid $800-$2,000 to drive illegals to Phoenix.

Coulson said local communities need to get beyond their self interest.

“Drug abuse causes misery for families and communities throughout the nation, and our corridor supplies a lot of that misery.”

jrichardson@gvnews.com | 547-9726

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