Since early June, 20 undocumented immigrants died in Arizona while attempting to enter the US. Also, more than 100 were rescued. The deaths are again drawing attention to the border, and leading many to renew calls for a guest worker program. INS officials have announced plans to increase the number of rescue agents on the border, and to do more to warn of the dangers of crossing the border, but critics say that these efforts have not worked in the past and that there is no reason to believe they will now.
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A pastor who works on the Tohono O’odham Native American reservation in Arizona says he has been warned by the tribal government that he may be banished from tribal lands if he continues to set out water jugs for undocumented immigrants. Mike Wilson says that the rising deaths along the border compel him to do whatever he can to prevent them. A tribal spokesperson says that Wilson’s actions have been discussed, but that banishment was not threatened, and was discussed only in response to Wilson’s question about what penalties he might face. The tribe, which is fighting to receive citizenship, is concerned that these efforts will be hurt if they are seen to help or encourage undocumented immigration.
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About 200 National Guard troops stationed on the US-Canada border will soon be armed. The troops, who are working for the Customs Service, had not been allowed to carry guns because of concerns about legal violations. The Customs Service and the Defense Department, which supervises the Guard, reached an agreement to allow the troops to carry handguns. The Defense Department is also working on an agreement with the INS so that troops working for it will also be armed.
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Last month the INS began erecting “rescue beacons” that migrants stranded in the southwest deserts can use to contact the Border Patrol for help. Already, they are having an effect. Recently, agents rescued three people who had used a beacon.
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Border Patrol agents recently arrested eight undocumented immigrants working at a North Dakota energy plant. None of the workers, all of who are from Argentina, have any criminal history, but officials are still concerned that they were able to obtain work at a power plant without proper documents.
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A senior level Border Patrol agent and his wife were recently charged with driving two undocumented immigrants across the border at the San Ysidro port of entry. According to a complaint filed with the court, Steven Joseph Flores attempted to use his position to avoid inspection, but failed. During secondary inspection, his wife admitted that they had been offered money to transport the immigrants, who they both believed were legal. The immigrants, however, tell a different story. According to them, the Flores helped arrange the trip to the US, and to lie about their relationship.
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Border Patrol and FBI agents are investigating a recent incident in which eight undocumented immigrants were shot while attempting to cross the US-Mexico border. According to some of the wounded, who were riding in a vehicle with 13 others, they were fired at by Mexican soldiers.
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An immigration supervisor at the Los Angeles International Airport, along with four others, was recently charged with immigrant smuggling. Specifically, they are accused of conspiring to meet people on arriving flights and of diverting them from connecting flights and helping them past security. Two of those charged worked for a private security firm
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This week the US Coast Guard picked up seven Cuban migrants who had been drifting for more than two days in waters near the Bahamas. One was treated for seasickness, but the others were all in good physical condition. Officials say the better summer weather encourages more people to attempt to make the journey on their own rather than with the assistance of a professional smuggler.
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