Guest Patriot Games Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003630079_border22.html?syndication=rss Crackdown having a big effect along U.S.-Mexico border By Richard Marosi Los Angeles Times SASABE, Mexico - The dusty Grand Central Station of illegal journeys into the United States lies on the fringes of this village, in a junkyard littered with demolished cars. Migrants wearing backpacks meet smugglers and pile into pickup trucks for bumpy rides to crossing points into Arizona from the vast Altar Valley. But many of those who set out to cross the border these days soon return, unsuccessful and exhausted. Hundreds who cross each day are apprehended swiftly on the U.S. side. Crossing has become so difficult that the number of people coming to Sasabe has dropped by more than two-thirds from last year, according to Mexican officials. The turn of events in the busiest illegal-immigration corridor on the border - where more than 1 million migrants have entered in recent years - is among the most dramatic examples of how tougher border enforcement is disrupting the flow of migrants. Previous crackdowns merely shifted illegal crossings to new areas, but there are no signs this year that the border has sprung another leak. Apprehensions have decreased in every area along the Southwest border, in some places by more than two-thirds. Overall, apprehensions from October 2006 through last month were down about 30 percent from the same period a year earlier - from 433,446 to 304,071, according to the Border Patrol. Interviews with dozens of migrants, as well as medical workers, experts and activists on both sides of the border back assertions of U.S. and Mexican authorities that fewer people are trying to cross and that those who do try are more likely to be caught. Jesus Jose Bosquez, 25, and 200 others wandered in the hills for two days late last month in a bid to reach Tucson, Ariz. "The Border Patrol was everywhere," Bosquez said after he gave up and returned to Sasabe. He has crossed illegally several times but now doubts whether he will be able to return to his wife and children in Chicago. "The situation is very difficult," he said. More tools on the way No one claims permanent disruptions of migration yet. The migrant experience is almost a rite of passage for poor, young Mexicans, and hundreds of thousands still try to cross, many successfully. Experts note that similar drops in apprehensions in past years were followed by surges. But U.S. border authorities, normally cautious after years of failed efforts to gain control, say they increasingly are confident they are making significant progress, mainly because of new enforcement tools, with more on the way. About 2,500 new agents will be hired this year, adding to the 1,000 hired in 2006. About 3,000 National Guard troops are scheduled to remain on the border for another year. And the government has earmarked $1.2 billion for more barriers, sensors and surveillance equipment. "I think this is maybe the first time in history that we know that deterrence is taking hold," said Michael Nicely, the recently retired chief of the Border Patrol's Tucson sector. Some experts say other explanations are possible, including that some migrants are waiting to see if enforcement eases this spring. Wayne Cornelius, director of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies at the University of California, San Diego, says smugglers eventually will find new routes into the country because incentives remain stronger than ever. "The modes of entry do change. Location of entries change. But the basic dynamics of the process don't change, because the economic factors and family ties that drive the movement haven't changed," he said. Still, Cornelius said he believes many immigrants already in the United States have stopped going back to Mexico, slowing the huge circular migration. All along the border Unlike past efforts that targeted specific areas, the recent enforcement buildup stretches across the entire border. In San Diego last year, an area with double fencing that already was among the most heavily fortified on the border also got remote video surveillance cameras that see far into Tijuana's most notorious smuggling enclave. In the Del Rio area of Texas, all illegal crossers, including first-timers who typically are returned to Mexico without charges, usually are jailed for two weeks as part of a new zero-tolerance policy. Apprehensions in the area are down 61 percent from last year, according to the Border Patrol. In southern New Mexico and El Paso, Texas, which many experts thought would see a jump in activity after the crackdown in Arizona, apprehensions are down 42 percent. But Arizona, the favored crossing point of most migrants, is experiencing the most significant disruptions as the peak migrant-crossing season approaches this month. In the border town of San Luis, near Yuma, dozens of migrants at a time made frenzied dashes into the United States last year. Such crossings now are blocked by double fencing and stadium lighting. Migrants who try to cross the nearby Colorado River face a string of National Guard observation posts. Apprehensions have dropped 66 percent. The sight of gun-toting National Guardsmen is a daunting deterrent, many migrants say. "It's as if Mexico and the United States are at war," said Juan Martinez Lopez, 39, who was detected by National Guard troops as he tried to make a river crossing. High-tech surveillance Increased numbers of National Guard troops and Border Patrol agents also have been key to controlling the Sasabe area, where migrants by the thousands once spilled daily into the cactus-dotted desert valley trying to reach Tucson 70 miles away. Several National Guard units scan the terrain from hilltop outposts. Towers full of video-surveillance equipment provide more coverage. At night, an unmanned aerial vehicle uses thermal imaging to scan the desert. When it detects incursions, coordinates are relayed to agents equipped with GPS - and they respond within minutes. Authorities say the combination of added manpower, infrastructure and technology has made the difference. They expect crossing in the Sasabe area to become even tougher this summer when Boeing completes the first phase of a much-anticipated plan to install state-of-the-art surveillance equipment. At the junkyard on a recent day, migrants squeezed into the beds of pickup trucks 25 at a time and held on tight during the bumpy drive. At a drop-off point, they climbed off the truck, broke into groups of 60 and started walking single file through washes, mountain passes and cow pastures toward the border a few miles away. Interviews with migrants and agents indicate that about 500 people have been crossing daily from the area recently. Border Patrol agents have been apprehending 300 to 400 immigrants daily just across the border and many more at highway checkpoints. Officials note that many migrants who try to cross don't show up in the apprehension figures because they give up and go back to Mexico. That was the story for Gilberto Perez Osorio, 37, and 17 others who never made a real attempt to cross the border. During the two days they spent hiding under mesquite trees, Perez said, they repeatedly saw Border Patrol helicopters and SUVs converge within minutes whenever people crossed. At night, Perez said, the unmanned aerial vehicle could be heard whirring overhead. Perez, a father of three from Toluca, Mexico, said his food and water ran out and he couldn't wait any longer. "They could see us even at night. It wasn't possible to cross," Perez said after being driven back to the junkyard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Scotius Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 On Thu, 22 Mar 2007 14:50:52 GMT, "Patriot Games" <Crazy_Bastard@Yahoo.com> wrote: >http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003630079_border22.html?syndication=rss > >Crackdown having a big effect along U.S.-Mexico border >By Richard Marosi >Los Angeles Times > >SASABE, Mexico - The dusty Grand Central Station of illegal journeys into >the United States lies on the fringes of this village, in a junkyard >littered with demolished cars. > >Migrants wearing backpacks meet smugglers and pile into pickup trucks for >bumpy rides to crossing points into Arizona from the vast Altar Valley. > >But many of those who set out to cross the border these days soon return, >unsuccessful and exhausted. Hundreds who cross each day are apprehended >swiftly on the U.S. side. > >Crossing has become so difficult that the number of people coming to Sasabe >has dropped by more than two-thirds from last year, according to Mexican >officials. > >The turn of events in the busiest illegal-immigration corridor on the >border - where more than 1 million migrants have entered in recent years - >is among the most dramatic examples of how tougher border enforcement is >disrupting the flow of migrants. > >Previous crackdowns merely shifted illegal crossings to new areas, but there >are no signs this year that the border has sprung another leak. >Apprehensions have decreased in every area along the Southwest border, in >some places by more than two-thirds. > >Overall, apprehensions from October 2006 through last month were down about >30 percent from the same period a year earlier - from 433,446 to 304,071, >according to the Border Patrol. > >Interviews with dozens of migrants, as well as medical workers, experts and >activists on both sides of the border back assertions of U.S. and Mexican >authorities that fewer people are trying to cross and that those who do try >are more likely to be caught. > >Jesus Jose Bosquez, 25, and 200 others wandered in the hills for two days >late last month in a bid to reach Tucson, Ariz. > >"The Border Patrol was everywhere," Bosquez said after he gave up and >returned to Sasabe. > >He has crossed illegally several times but now doubts whether he will be >able to return to his wife and children in Chicago. > >"The situation is very difficult," he said. > >More tools on the way > >No one claims permanent disruptions of migration yet. The migrant experience >is almost a rite of passage for poor, young Mexicans, and hundreds of >thousands still try to cross, many successfully. Experts note that similar >drops in apprehensions in past years were followed by surges. > >But U.S. border authorities, normally cautious after years of failed efforts >to gain control, say they increasingly are confident they are making >significant progress, mainly because of new enforcement tools, with more on >the way. > >About 2,500 new agents will be hired this year, adding to the 1,000 hired in >2006. About 3,000 National Guard troops are scheduled to remain on the >border for another year. And the government has earmarked $1.2 billion for >more barriers, sensors and surveillance equipment. > >"I think this is maybe the first time in history that we know that >deterrence is taking hold," said Michael Nicely, the recently retired chief >of the Border Patrol's Tucson sector. > >Some experts say other explanations are possible, including that some >migrants are waiting to see if enforcement eases this spring. > >Wayne Cornelius, director of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies >at the University of California, San Diego, says smugglers eventually will >find new routes into the country because incentives remain stronger than >ever. > >"The modes of entry do change. Location of entries change. But the basic >dynamics of the process don't change, because the economic factors and >family ties that drive the movement haven't changed," he said. > >Still, Cornelius said he believes many immigrants already in the United >States have stopped going back to Mexico, slowing the huge circular >migration. > >All along the border > >Unlike past efforts that targeted specific areas, the recent enforcement >buildup stretches across the entire border. > >In San Diego last year, an area with double fencing that already was among >the most heavily fortified on the border also got remote video surveillance >cameras that see far into Tijuana's most notorious smuggling enclave. > >In the Del Rio area of Texas, all illegal crossers, including first-timers >who typically are returned to Mexico without charges, usually are jailed for >two weeks as part of a new zero-tolerance policy. Apprehensions in the area >are down 61 percent from last year, according to the Border Patrol. > >In southern New Mexico and El Paso, Texas, which many experts thought would >see a jump in activity after the crackdown in Arizona, apprehensions are >down 42 percent. > >But Arizona, the favored crossing point of most migrants, is experiencing >the most significant disruptions as the peak migrant-crossing season >approaches this month. > >In the border town of San Luis, near Yuma, dozens of migrants at a time made >frenzied dashes into the United States last year. Such crossings now are >blocked by double fencing and stadium lighting. Migrants who try to cross >the nearby Colorado River face a string of National Guard observation posts. >Apprehensions have dropped 66 percent. > >The sight of gun-toting National Guardsmen is a daunting deterrent, many >migrants say. "It's as if Mexico and the United States are at war," said >Juan Martinez Lopez, 39, who was detected by National Guard troops as he >tried to make a river crossing. > >High-tech surveillance > >Increased numbers of National Guard troops and Border Patrol agents also >have been key to controlling the Sasabe area, where migrants by the >thousands once spilled daily into the cactus-dotted desert valley trying to >reach Tucson 70 miles away. > >Several National Guard units scan the terrain from hilltop outposts. Towers >full of video-surveillance equipment provide more coverage. > >At night, an unmanned aerial vehicle uses thermal imaging to scan the >desert. When it detects incursions, coordinates are relayed to agents >equipped with GPS - and they respond within minutes. > >Authorities say the combination of added manpower, infrastructure and >technology has made the difference. They expect crossing in the Sasabe area >to become even tougher this summer when Boeing completes the first phase of >a much-anticipated plan to install state-of-the-art surveillance equipment. > >At the junkyard on a recent day, migrants squeezed into the beds of pickup >trucks 25 at a time and held on tight during the bumpy drive. > >At a drop-off point, they climbed off the truck, broke into groups of 60 and >started walking single file through washes, mountain passes and cow pastures >toward the border a few miles away. > >Interviews with migrants and agents indicate that about 500 people have been >crossing daily from the area recently. Border Patrol agents have been >apprehending 300 to 400 immigrants daily just across the border and many >more at highway checkpoints. Officials note that many migrants who try to >cross don't show up in the apprehension figures because they give up and go >back to Mexico. > >That was the story for Gilberto Perez Osorio, 37, and 17 others who never >made a real attempt to cross the border. During the two days they spent >hiding under mesquite trees, Perez said, they repeatedly saw Border Patrol >helicopters and SUVs converge within minutes whenever people crossed. At >night, Perez said, the unmanned aerial vehicle could be heard whirring >overhead. > >Perez, a father of three from Toluca, Mexico, said his food and water ran >out and he couldn't wait any longer. "They could see us even at night. It >wasn't possible to cross," Perez said after being driven back to the >junkyard. > > > The Bush admin gave the border guards the order to stand down while the Dems were busy writing amnesty bills. Why? Because they both work for the same corporate false "elite" that wants the cheap labor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Patriot Games Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 "Scotius" <wolvzbro@mnsi.net> wrote in message news:th290392638hh6dfc00qropliffbdkn04c@4ax.com... > On Thu, 22 Mar 2007 14:50:52 GMT, "Patriot Games" > <Crazy_Bastard@Yahoo.com> wrote: >>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003630079_border22.html?syndication=rss >>Crackdown having a big effect along U.S.-Mexico border >>By Richard Marosi >>Los Angeles Times > The Bush admin gave the border guards the order to stand down Cite? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.