{"id":594236,"date":"2026-02-16T15:03:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T15:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/594236\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T15:03:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T15:03:13","slug":"uc-san-diego-is-among-agencies-helping-patrol-border","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/594236\/","title":{"rendered":"UC San Diego is among agencies helping patrol border"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

This story was originally published by CalMatters<\/a>. Sign up<\/a> for their newsletters.<\/p>\n

For 20 nights every year, police from UC San Diego depart from their usual school rounds and patrol the shores of La Jolla, Black\u2019s Beach, and Torrey Pines. Powered by overtime pay provided by the federal Department of Homeland Security, the officers look for people crossing the border.<\/p>\n

UC San Diego police have long participated in the federal Department of Homeland Security program known as Operation Stonegarden, which provides $10.9 million annually to dozens of California law enforcement agencies to collaborate with Border Patrol. The practice continued through Democratic and Republican administrations, and after the state adopted a sanctuary law<\/a> in 2017 restricting law enforcement collaboration with immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n

Now, UC San Diego is participating in the program at a time of heightened immigration enforcement by the Border Patrol. The school warns students about the locations of Border Patrol checkpoints on its website.<\/a> Dozens of students had their visas revoked and later reinstated last year and at least one was detained at the border.<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

So far, the Stonegarden program at UC San Diego has not prompted public criticism. Police departments usually spend the money on overtime pay for officers to carry out operations for Customs and Border Protection. The money can also pay for a wide range of surveillance equipment, from search cameras<\/a> and devices that transmit their data,<\/a> to facial<\/a> and license plate<\/a> recognition software. Three California counties<\/a> \u2014 Imperial, San Diego and Riverside \u2014 accept the grant and distribute it to police forces in their area.\u00a0<\/p>\n

California and four other sanctuary states \u2014 New York, Washington, Vermont and Minnesota \u2014 participate in Stonegarden, along with 18 other states and territories.<\/a> California receives the third-most in grant money overall after Texas and Arizona.<\/p>\n

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican who is running for governor, told CalMatters that the state sanctuary law should be renamed the \u201cCalifornia Criminal Protection Act,\u201d but he also said that his department\u2019s participation in Stonegarden does not violate that law. Bianco added that he is extremely proud his department works with Border Patrol.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy providing local law enforcement resources through Operation Stonegarden to combat \u2026 public safety concerns, Border Patrol and other federal agents are more able to dedicate their resources to immigration enforcement and border security,\u201d Bianco said.<\/p>\n

\"AA person walks into the UC San Diego Police Department building at UC San Diego on Feb. 4, 2026. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters<\/p>\n

The California Attorney General\u2019s office under Democrat Rob Bonta said it could not analyze whether Stonegarden grants violate the state sanctuary law. His representatives said the law permits state and local agencies to collaborate with federal agencies on joint task forces, \u201cto the extent that the primary focus of those task forces is not immigration enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though local agencies conduct the operations, civilians cannot access information about Operation Stonegarden activity from them. Once an operation is completed, police submit an activity report to Border Patrol chronicling their border enforcement actions, field interviews, arrests and citations, and other information they deem relevant.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An information officer with the UC San Diego police department said once they submit activity reports to DHS, they can still view them, but cannot edit them. Multiple police departments told CalMatters that, though they still have access to see the reports, they cannot provide them through public record requests, as the reports become federal property once entered into the Homeland Security Information Network<\/a>. This database is available to the Department of Homeland Security and its international and private sector partners, but not to the public.<\/p>\n

However, the Riverside County Sheriff\u2019s Department provided several reports through a California Public Records Act request. The reports show that while carrying out Stonegarden operations, the department frequently made traffic stops in 2023<\/a> and 2024<\/a>,<\/a> working collaboratively with Border Patrol personnel. Most of the stops led to no arrests, citations or drug seizures. Instead, the stops resulted in \u201cintel development,\u201d meaning federal intelligence was developed regarding interactions between civilians and cops during those stops even when no crime was committed.<\/p>\n

Scanning San Diego waterways<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sgt. Patrick Dobbins, who oversees Stonegarden spending at the UC San Diego police department, said the patrols fall within the university\u2019s jurisdiction. On patrol, the department monitors the university\u2019s Scripps Institution of Oceanography,<\/a> where nearly 6,000 students study ocean and earth sciences.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe activity is the shoreline,\u201d said Dobbins. \u201cThat\u2019s not on the main campus itself, but it is campus property.\u201d Dobbins said the department has received the grant for over a decade.<\/p>\n

\"WavesLa Jolla Shores in San Diego on Feb. 4, 2026. Photos by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters<\/p>\n

Dobbins said his department would conduct similar patrols in those areas \u201cwhether it be through Stonegarden funds or not,\u201d adding that the grant allows for more patrols that are more visible, last longer, and don\u2019t detract from university funds. The grant also pays for vehicle fuel.<\/p>\n

The UC San Diego website<\/a> says there are \u201cunfortunately\u201d Border Patrol stations<\/a> in San Diego County, and that the school cannot predict when the stations become active. The website also says<\/a> that the UC Police Department will not work with federal immigration agents to remove students from campus.<\/p>\n

According to Dobbins as well as operational reports<\/a> that have been posted online, campus officers search for pangas \u2014 open-air fishing boats often used to cross the border. Dobbins said panga crossings pose major safety risks to the travellers inside. Last November, a panga capsized near the San Diego coast, killing four migrants, according to the Los Angeles Times.<\/a> One survivor of the accident was apprehended by federal immigration agents.<\/p>\n

Dobbins added that the UC San Diego police department focuses on safety and security rather than immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are prohibited from even asking immigration status or enforcing immigration law. So that\u2019s not part of our duties, and we don\u2019t even ask about it,\u201d he said. Lately, he added, there\u2019s \u201cmore of an emphasis on that, as a reminder that that\u2019s not what our mission is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stonegarden strengthens communication between university police and agencies like the Coast Guard to help respond to crises they cannot solve alone, said Dobbins.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Along with watching the water, police at the university conduct a couple of patrols each year on Interstate 5 to hunt for drug-smuggling vehicles. The patrols act as a deterrent against criminal activity, Dobbins said.<\/p>\n

Mitigating border crime stirs controversy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stonegarden grant documents from the Biden administration show that the program is meant to target border-related crime.<\/a> The Federal Emergency Management Agency defines<\/a> that crime as one of two things: trafficking of humans, narcotics or weapons of mass destruction; or simply illegal border crossing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to a 2024 grant document<\/a> for Imperial County, police forces are to apprehend all \u201ccriminal aliens\u201d they assess to be entering the country illegally. The Biden administration document also states<\/a> that increased enforcement under Stonegarden would ideally reduce border incursions.<\/p>\n

\"AA blue emergency station near La Jolla Shores in San Diego on Feb. 4, 2026. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters<\/p>\n

Tracy Rosenberg, who has researched Stonegarden<\/a> for Oakland Privacy, a privacy rights organization, said the emphasis of the grant switches back and forth between drug trafficking and immigration arrests. According to FEMA, Stonegarden success is measured with three statistics:<\/a> the number of participating agencies, overtime hours, and arrests.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing about crime or violence prevention in there,\u201d said Rosenberg. \u201cIt is simply, how many people did you arrest and how many drugs did you seize?\u201d<\/p>\n

Several agencies<\/a> across the country have quietly stopped participating in Stonegarden over the years,<\/a> citing concerns about racial profiling, protecting asylum seekers, and endangering Latino communities. One Arizona sheriff withdrew<\/a> from the grant after President Donald Trump took office in 2025, fearing his department would contribute to mass deportations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is clear that you don\u2019t get the money unless you agree to cooperate with Border Patrol in certain ways,\u201d Rosenberg said. She added that sheriffs in California seem to believe they can\u00a0 uphold California\u2019s sanctuary law<\/a> and work with Border Patrol at the same time.<\/p>\n

Tools of surveillance<\/strong><\/p>\n

Logs of equipment<\/a> bought with Stonegarden grants are part of operations order reports that the public is not supposed to see. Customs and Border Protection asserts they are exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. Some local governments have published them anyway,<\/a> revealing purchases like mobile data laptops, GPS trackers, camera systems, unmanned aircrafts, patrol vehicles, and license plate readers.<\/p>\n

UC San Diego police procured night vision binoculars through the grant, according to Dobbins.<\/p>\n

\"AThe badge of a University of California Police officer at a pro-Palestine encampment at UC San Diego on May 1, 2024. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters<\/p>\n

Rachel Zaetz, senior director of communicators for the UC Board of Regents, the governing body of the UC, said in an emailed statement that there is no requirement for the regents to approve Operation Stonegarden acquisitions for UC police departments. Dobbins said the San Diego County Sheriff\u2019s Department provides the grant to the UC San Diego police.<\/p>\n

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital privacy organization, implored the Trump administration to end Operation Stonegarden in a January 2025 memo.<\/a> The foundation argued that technology companies manipulate police into applying for Stonegarden to sell them surveillance technology they don\u2019t need and won\u2019t use.<\/p>\n

In 2021, the boat manufacturer SAFE Boats uploaded a promotional bulletin about Homeland Security grant opportunities to its website.<\/a> And Pelco, a surveillance and security company, runs a comprehensive blog<\/a> encouraging police to seek Stonegarden funds, offering grant application assistance and a catalogue of the company\u2019s border security cameras.<\/p>\n

Local ordinances passed by elected officials can regulate surveillance tech used by small police forces, said Dave Maass, director of investigations at the digital privacy organization. He added that state universities are only subject to regulations passed by the university systems at large, or the state Legislature.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents don\u2019t get to vote on who runs the university,\u201d Maass said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a democracy, unfortunately. And so the students don\u2019t get a whole lot of power in deciding what rules affect them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phoebe Huss is a contributor with the College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. CalMatters higher education coverage is supported by a grant from the College Futures Foundation.<\/p>\n

This article was originally published on CalMatters<\/a> and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives<\/a> license.<\/p>\n

\t\t\tType of Content<\/p>\n

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