KPBS Midday Edition

Report: How Border Patrol Pursuits Are Becoming More Dangerous

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Marissa Cabrera / News Producer, KPBS Midday Edition

Published April 9, 2019 at 7:27 AM PDT

This story was published more than 5 years ago.

Two layers of fencing, one covered in concertina wire, follow a road near the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego on Aug. 16, 2017.

A joint investigation by the Los Angeles Times and ProPublica has found that during the last four years at least 250 people have been injured and 22 others have been killed as a result of high-speed chases by Border Patrol agents.

High-speed car chases by law enforcement used to happen often in Southern California.

News helicopters would follow the chase, which sometimes ended in a major crash.

But about 10 years ago, law enforcement agencies started tightening up their pursuit policies after a rise in injuries and deaths in high-speed chases.

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One agency that hasn't followed suit is the Border Patrol.

A joint investigation by the Los Angeles Times and Pro Publica has found that during the last 4 years, at least 250 people were injured and 22 died after a Border Patrol pursuit.

The analysis also found that Border Patrol agents engaged in more than 500 pursuits and of those, one in three ended in a crash.

Brittny Mejia, who covers immigration and race for the Los Angeles Times, is one of the journalists who worked on the investigation. She joins Midday Edition to discuss the Border Patrol's pursuit policies and how the tactics used are leading to chases with increasingly dangerous consequences.

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Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Marissa Cabrera

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Marissa Cabrera worked as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and had previously served as a Newscast Producer for KPBS' Morning Edition. Before joining KPBS she reported on Vatican affairs, social, and cultural issues in Rome, Italy. She also contributed to a documentary on sex abuse in the Catholic Church. Marissa has worked as a multimedia journalist at various news stations in San Diego and Monterey as well as Columbia, Missouri. Marissa graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism.

See stories by Marissa Cabrera