Chris Simcox, the Arizona newspaper publisher who gained notoriety when he announced the creation of a private group to patrol the US-Mexico border, was recently charged with three misdemeanors after a park ranger apprehended he and a companion in the Coronado National Memorial. Simcox says they were simply hiking, but the ranger says it appears they were conducting patrols. He has been charged with carrying a loaded weapon into a national park, not having the proper permit and interfering with law enforcement.

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In a recent joint statement, the first ever of its kind, Catholic bishops from the US and Mexico called on President Bush to resume talks on migration issues. They also urged American Catholics to welcome all immigrants, regardless of their legal status, and to lobby Congress and the White House to support an amnesty. The White House has not formally responded to the bishops’ request for a meeting, but a spokesperson said the president “remains committed to working with Mexico toward our shared goal of orderly, humane and legal migration.” The text of the bishops’ statement is available online at http://www.usccb.org/mrs/stranger.htm.

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An undocumented immigrant claims that he was beaten by a rancher just north of Douglas, Arizona. Rodrigo Quiroc Acosta says he had been walking through the desert for nearly two days, and was trying to turn himself in to the Border Patrol, when he was assaulted.

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According to newspapers from cities along the US-Mexico border, Mexican border cities are being overwhelmed by deportees from the US. In Nuevo Laredo, the number of deportees has increased from 296 in January 2001 to more than 2000 during the first two weeks of this year. In Tijuana, more than 100 deportees a day are arriving.

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Police in Phoenix, Arizona say that smugglers held 61 undocumented immigrants hostage while extorting more money from their families. While in captivity, several of the immigrants were beaten and at least one woman was sexually assaulted. The group was discovered after someone escaped and called the police. Four suspected smugglers have been charged. Officials say that such schemes, in which smugglers hold immigrants while they extort more money, are becoming increasingly common.

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Border Patrol agents this week detained 115 undocumented immigrants in one of the biggest mass arrests in recent years. Agents spotted four trucks shortly after they crossed the border into Arizona, and chased them. The trucks eventually stopped, and no one attempted to get away. Three people were arrested on charges of immigrant smuggling.

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Tom Ridge, who was recently confirmed as the Secretary of the new Department of Homeland Security, outlined his vision of border security in a speech at the port of Miami. Ridge said that all matters at the time of entry should be overseen by a single Homeland Security officer, rather than, as is now the case, being the responsibility of a number of different officers, including Customs agents and INS inspectors.