 BORDER NEWS
The INS says that the number of people trying to sneak into the US in hidden compartments in vehicles has increased dramatically this year. At the San Ysidro port of entry alone, the number of people found in car trunks this year is 1,236, up 43 percent from last year. Officials believe the primary cause for the increase is increased border enforcement.
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Top level immigration officials from the US and Mexico recently renewed their commitment to continue efforts at lifesaving efforts along the border. Agents in both countries will receive training in search and rescue and lifesaving. In addition, joint training exercises involving agents from both countries will continue.
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The Border Patrol this week reported the deaths of two women and a man in Arizona. The three died in separate incidents. One of the women died after drinking water from a cattle tank, and the other died of heat exhaustion, as did the man. Ironically, the man who died had used the water tanks that are being set up in the desert by humanitarian groups. So severe are the conditions during the summer that even with a water supply, death from heat related problems remains common.
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This week 26 undocumented immigrants pled guilty to using fraudulent documents to obtain work in the US, and to entering the US without authorization. The 26 were arrested during a raid of an Arkansas poultry processing plant. The raid was prompted by an investigation into problems with the plant’s Social Security numbers. All 26 will be deported within the next week or so.
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Six people died in the Caribbean after the boat in which they were sank as it was being intercepted by a Coast Guard vessel. Twenty people survived the accident, and were rescued by the Coast Guard. The incident occurred near the US Virgin Islands last weekend. Coast Guard employees initially thought the vessel was carrying drugs, but quickly realized there were more than 25 people on board the 25-foot boat.
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