 BORDER NEWS
Two US ranchers have been threatened with a lawsuit for detaining a group of about 25 undocumented immigrants on their land in Cochise County, Arizona. The two saw the group after they were dropped off by smugglers. Pursuing the immigrants with guns, the ranchers forced them onto the ground and held them until Border Patrol agents arrived. No shots were fired. The two men say that they have made similar stops in the past and that none of them nor the most recent stop were condemned by the Border Patrol.
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Fiscal year 2001, which ended on September 30, 2001, was the deadliest ever in the Tucson Sector of the US-Mexico border, which covers most of the state of Arizona. Seventy-seven people died while attempting to enter the US, most of them of dehydration and exposure.
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A man was recently sentenced to 18 years for his role in a smuggling venture in which a 13-year-old boy died. Alfredo Cabrera Mirada was found guilty of second-degree murder for the death of the boy in August 2000. It was the first time a smuggler had been found guilty of murder charges in Arizona.
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In most years, with the beginning of fall, undocumented immigrants in the US are making preparations to return home to their families for the winter holidays. This year, however, experts expect there to be a substantially smaller number making the journey. This is due, in large part, to increased border security following last month’s terrorist attacks. Many fear that they would be unable to reenter the US to continue work.
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According to Ruben Beltran Guerrero, the head of the Mexican consulate in Phoenix, Arizona, US and Mexican officials have continued high-level talks on immigration even after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon last month. Speaking at a panel at Arizona State University, Beltran Guerrero said that he has been assured that while it may take some time before legislation is approved, Mexican immigration continues to be a top priority for both Congress and the White House.
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There have been numerous reports from Central American news sources that US law enforcement agencies are asking governments there to focus on activities that could be related to terrorism. According to a Nicaraguan paper, the FBI has asked for an investigation into Arabs who have gained Nicaraguan citizenship, including one of the alleged hijackers, Mohamed Atta. Earlier this year the INS concluded the largest ever sting operation dealing with international smuggling. Over a 16-day period, nearly 8,000 people from 40 countries were arrested in Central America.
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About two million Mexican citizens failed to obtain new border crossing cards before the October 1, 2001 deadline, and hundreds of people have already been turned away trying to enter the US. The cards, which allow Mexicans to enter the US up to 25 miles from the border for up to 72 hours without a visa, expired on September 30, and after October 1, were replaced by cards containing biometric information. There was support for an extensive of the validity of the current cards, but in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, no vote was ever made.
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This week the INS announced that border traffic with Mexico was down substantially last month, falling 40 percent from last year. Mexican customs officials report a 15 percent decrease in traffic to Mexico in the two weeks following the terrorist attacks compared to the same period last year. Undocumented immigration had been declining all year, and observers think that the attacks simply added to the trend.
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