BORDER NEWS For the third time in as many weeks, INS agents discovered a group of undocumented immigrants being smuggled in a tractor-trailer. The discovery was made at a motel near a truck stop outside of San Antonio, Texas. Agents were alerted to the situation by reports that a number of people were running from a truck to the motel. Nineteen immigrants were involved.
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INS officials this week announced that they had broken up a child immigrant smuggling ring responsible for smuggling hundreds of children over the past eight years. The ring, which had been in operation since 1994, targeted parents in the US who wanted to be reunited with their children. The smugglers charged the parents between $5,000 and $7,000. So far, four people, all from El Salvador, have been arrested in the US, and seven others have been arrested in El Salvador. INS officials say it is the largest ring smuggling children that they have discovered. Authorities say that while the children did suffer on their treks to the US, there is no evidence that any had died.
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A group of seven stowaways from the Dominican Republic was discovered inside a cargo container aboard a ship in shipyard near Miami. The men were found when a security guard heard sounds coming from the container. The guard then called the INS. Three of the men were hospitalized.
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In four separate occurrences, the Coast Guard repatriated 31 Cubans apprehended in the waters between Cuba and Florida. Three of the incidents involved small numbers of migrants on rafts, while the fourth involved a speedboat and two men suspected of being smugglers.
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Border Patrol agents in California this week rescued 21 people found wandering in the desert. Agents were alerted to two groups of migrants after another undocumented entrant told agents he saw two women in the desert. While 21 people were rescued, agents called off the search without finding the two women.
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In an effort to increase the number of people seeking jobs with the Border Patrol, and to decrease agent turnover, the Justice Department is increasing agents’ pay rate. Raises ranged from $2,000 to $6,000. Starting pay is now $24,701, and after three years on the job can rise to as much as $45,000.
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