A new study says the Border Patrol isn’t putting agents where they’re needed most, but according to officials with the Tucson Sector, there’s good reason for that. An exhaustive study looking at where the Border Patrol places it’s agents faults the agency for having too many in California, and not enough in Arizona and Texas, where, at least according to the study, they’re most needed.

According to the study, politics may play a role when it comes to manning the border. Tucson Border Patrol says they may have fewer agents, but claim they have the tools needed to secure the United States. The study shows that San Diego has three times the amount of Border Patrol agents as Arizona, even though Tucson is the busiest Border Patrol Sector in the nation.

“In the nineties, they were what the Tucson Sector is today,” said Border Patrol Agent Michael Scioli. “During the nineties it was a madhouse over there. The traffic’s pushed east toward Arizona.”

Scioli says border enforcement has changed dramatically from the nineties. Agents now use a three-pronged approach to battle illegal immigration, and improved infrastructure and technology are just as important as having boots on the ground. “We’ve increased technology,” he says. “The fence is huge. We cover 262 miles east and west of the border, over 90,000 square miles we’re in charge of.”

The numbers seem to back it up. In the Tucson Sector, apprehensions are down 16% from this time last year. Scioli says working smarter is helping win the immigration fight on the U.S.-Mexico border. “We have to adapt to every situation out there,” Scioli says. “90,000 square miles is a lot, even with the increase in agents. We’re at 3,100 agents. Look at the decrease in the numbers.”

According to the survey, even though San Diego’s agents may be better off somewhere else – like here in Tucson – reducing the Sector’s staff would cause a political backlash against powerful California lawmakers.