Tubac checkpoint still a flashpoint

www.gvnews.com

The Border Patrol checkpoint north of Tubac is killing tourism, putting residents in harm’s way and costing million of dollars in home sales, according to local business owners.

But it’s also responsible for the seizure of tons of illegal drugs, hundreds of arrests and an increased sense of security in the area, Border Patrol officials say.

The value of the temporary checkpoint at the northbound Agua Linda Road exit has been debated for years, but it was stepped up with last week’s announcement that expansion will begin in June.

“The checkpoint is a safety hazard to the communities north and south of us,” said Carol Cullen, executive director of the Tubac Chamber of Commerce.

Cullen is concerned that smugglers looking to get around the checkpoint are driven up the Santa Cruz River, Anza Trail or along railroad tracks and gas lines, pushing them closer to homes and people.

She said construction of a permanent checkpoint, which hasn’t been scheduled yet, would make a bad problem worse.

Jim Green, owner of the Inn at San Ignacio, said the checkpoint has turned Green Valley into the Border Patrol’s “enforcement zone.”

He said the agents and their work is appreciated, but the dramatic increase in Border Patrol visibility since the temporary checkpoint went in two years ago gives the false impression that crime is up in the area.

“Even with all the problems, Green Valley is still a very safe community,” Green said. “But we need to take a hold of this before it gets out of hand.”

Green said Tubac used to be the primary tourist destination for his guests, but “they don’t want to go to Tubac anymore because it’s perceived as unsafe and unfriendly, because of the checkpoint.”

Goal: Permanent checkpoint

The Border Patrol is awaiting results of a Government Accountability Office report on the effectiveness of permanent checkpoints, which is expected as early as June.

Plans for a permanent checkpoint can’t be finalized until an interim facility is constructed and the GAO report is in because of language Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., included in a 2009 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill.

A permanent checkpoint could be years off, but the Border Patrol is moving forward to start building the interim checkpoint less than a mile south on I-19. It’s in the same spot where a permanent checkpoint would go in.

The interim facility will include a modular building with telephone and computer lines,

outdoor lighting and a canopy to protect agents and canines from the elements.

The permanent checkpoint would be much larger, with about 10 buildings on 25 acres, with six to eight paved lanes and a covered inspection area.

Interim improvements will cost about $1.5 million, while nearly $27 million for the permanent checkpoint is included in the 2008-09 fiscal year budget for the Department of Homeland Security.

The interim checkpoint has been at the northbound Agua Linda Road exit, between Tubac and Amado, since 2007. Checkpoints have existed along I-19 since 1987, but were temporary and were required to move every few weeks, according to the Border Patrol.

Bad for business?

Tubac is a quaint, historical town popular for its artisans and shopping.

David Camet, owner of The Crowe’s Nest clothing boutique in Tubac Village, said businesses rely heavily on local shoppers from communities north of the checkpoint. He said some customers, especially those from Green Valley, have called the checkpoint an inconvenience.

“People only come in now if they have to,” said Camet, who has owned the boutiques more than 10 years. “They don’t come to browse and enjoy a shopping day because they don’t want to have to wait 20 minutes in a line of cars to get home.”

Gary Hembree, owner of Old Presidio Traders, said the checkpoint has “done nothing to help business during these hard economic times.”

He said he has had Canadian customers ask if a passport is needed to get back through the checkpoint, and added that the presence of the checkpoint creates an atmosphere of apprehension and confusion that drives away return customers.

But Don Stout of Tucson, who was shopping in Tubac last week with out-of-town company, said driving through the checkpoint doesn’t bother him.

“The checkpoint makes me feel secure,” Stout said. “I don’t think it should scare anybody, unless they have something to hide.”

But real estate agents said they have lost millions of dollars in sales because of the checkpoint.

Zachary Freeland, director of new home sales for Brasher Realty in Tubac, said the company lost more than $5 million in home sales from buyers who signed contracts but had second thoughts after driving back through the checkpoint. He said at least twice as many people have told him they decided against buying a home in Tubac for the same reason.

“I’ve had people tell me, ‘I’m not going to drive through that thing every day,’ or that Tubac seems like a high-crime area,” Freeland said.

He’s been keeping track of the lost sales since 2004, but says the majority came after 2007, when the checkpoint became a permanent fixture north of Tubac.

Numbers are solid

Mike Scioli, a spokesman for the Tucson Sector of the Border Patrol, understands the opposition but points out that many residents are thankful for the “second layer of defense” against smugglers and other criminals.

Recently, the sector reported a decrease in arrests at the checkpoint, “which means it’s working,” Scioli said.

Even with a decrease, the numbers are formidable: 40,000 pounds of marijuana seized at the Agua Linda Road checkpoint in the 2007-08 fiscal year; 200 pounds of cocaine; 500 arrests of Mexican and U.S. citizens. From October 2008 through March 2009, agents at the

checkpoint seized 19,000 pounds of marijuana and made more than 300 arrests, Scioli said.

But they could be catching more, he said.

Out of 20 sectors in the United States, the Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector is the busiest, accounting for more than 50 percent of marijuana seizures and 44 percent of all arrests, he said.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” Scioli said.

jrichardson@gvnews.com|547-9726