Interstate 5 immigrant crossing signs

Immigrant smugglers adopted the tactic of dropping off their human cargo on the shoulder or median of the freeway prior to passing through the checkpoint. Once past the checkpoint, the smugglers would wait for the immigrants to rejoin before proceeding to the final destination. However, in order to avoid the checkpoint (straddling the northbound lanes of the freeway), the immigrants would have to cross the freeway to the southbound shoulder. At the Camp Pendleton checkpoint, immigrants were precluded from passing the checkpoint on the northbound shoulder by rugged terrain and random Marine patrols. and there were no plans to replace it if it became dilapidated, as it was largely obsolete. The number of people apprehended while illegally crossing the border in the region had seen a 95% decline over thirty years, going from 628,000 arrested in 1986 to 31,891 in 2016. By February 2018, the last sign had disappeared. It was located alongside Interstate 5 near San Ysidro. ==Design and reuse==

Caltrans graphic artist John Hood, a Navajo Vietnam War veteran, created the image as an assignment in response to the sharp rise in immigrant traffic deaths. The image was developed to elicit immediate recognition of the potential traffic hazard and to illustrate the potential running motion with the little girl's flowing pigtails. Since its deployment, it has become a pop culture icon as it appeared on T-shirts and anti-immigration advertisements in various incarnations. The sign can be seen in Fast & Furious when the two main characters drive south to the Mexican border. It was exhibited in the Smithsonian Institution's permanent exhibition on transportation, The silhouette family is also a popular target of parody, spawning variants including ones where the family is depicted wearing caps and gowns (referencing the DREAM Act); as Joseph, Mary and Jesus; as a beer label; and one where they are wearing Pilgrim gear. ==References==