A California Congressional candidate traveled to an infamous weak point on the U.S. border with Mexico and decided to make some repairs to the barrier with razor wire.
"It prevents a grave national security risk," Kate Monroe, a Republican candidate for California's 49th Congressional District, told Fox News Digital after her visit to one of the most infamous gaps in the U.S. border with Mexico.
The gap, known as the "San Judas Break" for its location just miles from the Mexican city of San Judas, has recently become one of the hot spots for migrants seeking to cross the border illegally.
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San Judas Break is located in Southern California and about 80 miles east of San Diego, a remote area of the California desert where the border is typically protected by tall steel fencing. But hidden down a secluded path is a small gap in the barrier where the fencing meets a rock formation, allowing migrants a path to slip into the U.S. with little effort.
The seemingly obscure opening in the Southern border has been the subject of national media attention thanks to an influx of migrants who have used it to enter the country in recent months, with one February CBS report detailing just how many people have been seen taking advantage of the 4-foot gap in the border barrier.
"This hole is big enough that I have seen 150 people walk through it in less than a minute," a local aid worker, Sam Schultz, told the outlet.
All told, CBS reported that nearly 600 migrants crossed through the gap in the time reporters were on the scene, with some estimating roughly 3,000 migrants use the spot on their way to surrender to American authorities once over the border.
Monroe, who is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, decided to check out the infamous gap for herself last week, providing video to Fox News Digital that showed razor wire that was placed there in an effort to plug the hole had been thrown to the side, allowing her to easily slip between each side of the barrier.
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"I felt the anger and frustrations of millions of fellow Americans watching in horror as thousands of people poured through," Monroe said, noting that such a gap in the physical security of the border allows "terrorists, drugs, and human trafficking to infiltrate while local and national city economies bear the burden of supporting these migrants."
Monroe argued that despite much conversation around border security, very few people take action.
"So I decided, if no one is going to do something about it, I will," Monroe, who lives about 50 miles from the gap in her home district, said. "I purchased 400 feet of razor wire, and along with members of my staff, hung the wire along the gaps ourselves."
The Marine veteran and House candidate acknowledged that the act might "not be much," but argued just her actions alone would "unquestionably slow down the threats entering our country."
Authorities on both sides of the border may share Monroe's assessment, with CBS also reporting that the Mexican government has now set up a check point near the gap in a bid to deter its use. Meanwhile, Monroe said she found plenty of support from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officials after deciding to embark on the makeshift repairs.
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"I told CBP I was a Marine veteran running to be the next member of Congress in border district CA-49, and I said I knew their hands were tied, but mine weren't," Monroe said. "So they pointed me directly to the exact location. They aren't allowed to secure the border but were happy I was there to do it. They said ‘you have our support.’"
CBP did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
For Monroe, the issue has become an important one in her bid to represent the constituents of the 49th Congressional District, who she says have been expressing "a range of emotions" when it comes to the crisis at the border, including "fear to anger and rage."
"People here are in shock and disbelief as they witness thousands of single military-aged men flood our area without background checks or tracking," Monroe said.
The fears of her fellow Californians helped motivate her to act, Monroe said, though concerns at the border are likely to remain. According to the CBS report, migrants who were crossing the border at the San Judas Break have since begun to move to a different spot four miles east of the infamous gap. That spot is harder to get to, the report notes, requiring hours of walking due to a lack of vehicle access. At the San Judas Break, smugglers in SUVs could be seen dropping migrants off near the location before they crossed the border.
That change of tactics is likely to continue, with Monroe arguing that there are currently "no repercussions" for those who find a way to sneak across the border. That reality is bad news for locals in Southern California, Monroe said.
"Illegals are overtaking private property, robbing homes and businesses; sidewalks in California are flooded with illegal migrants. My community is living in growing fear," Monroe said, noting the recent attacks by Hamas on Israel and the potential for terrorists and other criminals to "freely" enter into the country and attack Americans.
"Sadly, we may fondly remember times when it was safe to walk around in our neighborhoods and attend events in America," Monroe said.
