Desmond, Issa: Border Patrol agents arrested Afghan on terrorism watch list
Two local politicians — county Supervisor Jim Desmond and Rep. Darrell Issa — say Border Patrol agents in the Otay Mesa area recently arrested an Afghan national whose name is on the federal government’s terrorism watch list and who Desmond said was with a group of migrants.
Further details, including the person’s name, the date of the arrest and the circumstances of the incident, were not available.
Officials with Customs and Border Protection declined comment on the incident, referring inquiries to the FBI, which also declined to answer questions.
“The FBI has no comment on your specific inquiry. We are vigilant in our efforts to detect and assess possible threats and we work closely with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe,” the FBI said in a statement.
In a statement emailed to media outlets on Sunday, Desmond did not supply any further details about the arrest, which he said he learned about Wednesday. Issa tweeted that he could confirm the arrest Sunday, but did not provide additional information.
Desmond said the arrest underscored the need for maintaining a strong border, as well as a focus on facilitating “safe and legal immigration” and protecting citizens. He said the government’s “open border policy” has allowed fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times more powerful than heroin, to “pour into our country” while peoand ple seeking asylum are “human trafficked” and terrorists “attempt entry” into the U.S.
“As a nation, we must remain steadfast in our commitment to protect the safety and security of our citizens. A strong and orderly border process is crucial in preventing individuals with nefarious intentions from entering our country,” Desmond said in the statement.
In a statement, Issa blamed the Biden administration in part for sending what Issa said was a message to the world that the nation’s “border was open.” He invited the president and Vice President Kamala Harris to join him on a trip to the border to “see with their own eyes what they have caused to happen.”
The terrorism watch list includes information about people “reasonably suspected to be involved in terrorism (or related activities),” according to the FBI’s website. The FBI does not name anyone on the list.
KAREN KUCHER & DAVID HERNANDEZ U-T
Broken pipe sends geyser of water into air in Hillcrest
A broken pipeline at a Hillcrest commercial center sent a geyser of water surging 50 to 60 feet into the air for the better part of an hour Tuesday morning, turning part of a parking lot into a temporary lake
causing a mudslide that forced the closure of a freeway exit.
The flooding began shortly before 7:30 a.m., when a driver in a big rig accidentally ran over a hydrant near a loading dock at a Ralphs store on University Avenue near 10th Avenue, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Video footage posted by OnSceneTV showed two firefighters trudging and crawling through water several feet deep while trying to find a shut-off valve for the ruptured pipe.
It took about 45 minutes to get the overflow under control, police said. In the meantime, the surging water flowed out of the parking lot and down an adjacent slope alongside state Route 163, downing a tree and sending mud, sand and
uprooted weeds across the offramp from the northbound side of the freeway to eastbound Washington Street.
The mess prompted a closure of the connector until crews could clean up the roadway, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Nurse pleads guilty in death of plastic surgery patient CHULA VISTA
A nurse pleaded guilty Tuesday in Chula Vista Superior Court to an involuntary manslaughter charge in a patient’s death at a South Bay plastic surgery clinic.
Heather Lang Vass, 43, faces up to four years in state prison for the death of Megan Espinoza, a 36year-old mother of two who died more than a month after undergoing a breast augmentation operation on Dec. 19, 2018.
Dr. Carlos Chacon, 48, faces a count of murder in the case.
According to prosecutors, Espinoza went into cardiac arrest during the surgery at Chacon’s Divino Plastic Surgery in Bonita.
Prosecutors say Chacon and Vass delayed calling 911 for about three hours. Chacon is also accused of ordering his staff not to call 911 when Espinoza’s condition declined, instructing staff to lie to Espinoza’s husband regarding her condition, and seeing four other patients after Espinoza went into cardiac arrest.
Espinoza was taken to a hospital, intubated and placed in the intensive care unit. She never woke up, dying more than six weeks after the operation.
Chacon remains out of custody on $500,000 bail. Earlier this year, a judge ruled that he can remain out of custody provided he only perform surgery if a licensed anesthesiologist or certified registered nurse anesthetist is administering anesthesia during surgery, and he may only perform surgery at accredited surgery centers.
He also must inform surgical patients of the pending criminal charges and must provide proof of that notification to the court.