Thread: 17 suspected illegal immigrants involved in SUV rollover

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3622676

17 suspected illegal immigrants involved in SUV rollover

By Felisa Cardona
Denver Post Staff Writer
DenverPost.com

Immigration officials took into custody 17 people believed to be Mexicans, all riding in one sport utility vehicle, after it rolled on Interstate 70 near Strasburg on Monday morning.

One person in the SUV was taken to Aurora South Medical Center for treatment of a minor injury, authorities said.

Two women, 14 men and a 17-year-old boy were inside the 1994 Chevrolet Suburban, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

The occupants are likely from Mexico, said Jeff Copp, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement district chief. ICE agents were trying to determine where the immigrants came from, how they got to Colorado and where they were going.

"If they are not here legally, then they will be removed back to their home country," Copp said.

The Suburban rolled near mile marker 317 on the westbound side of the interstate about 9:45 a.m. Icy conditions probably contributed to the crash, authorities said.

Many immigrants cross into the United States at the southwest border and through such cities as Phoenix, said ICE spokesman Tim Counts. The Suburban had Arizona license plates, he said.

Immigration officials say smuggling is common in the spring and summer as seasonal work becomes available in the United States.

"What happens is many people go home in the wintertime and over holidays and then come back," Counts said. "We've seen an uptick in smuggling activity in the first three months of the year."

Since 2001, there have been four fatal crashes in Colorado involving illegal immigrants, all in March, most recently last year.

In the 2005 case, two Mexicans were killed and five injured when their pickup truck crashed and rolled on U.S. 160, about a half-mile from the summit of Wolf Creek Pass.

Often, the vehicles carrying smuggled immigrants are crowded and not all the passengers have seat belts.

"Criminal smuggling organizations don't care about anything but profit," Counts said. "The more people they can stuff inside and the faster they can make the trip, the better.

"People are treated like cattle, or worse than cattle. I don't think most of the cattle industry would treat their cargo as bad."

Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-820-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com

17 suspected illegals in wreck
For lawmaker, crash shows need for laws to stop smuggling

By April M. Washington and Tillie Fong, Rocky Mountain News
March 21, 2006
Sen. Peter Groff was sitting in a state trooper's car at the Capitol on Monday morning when the call came over the radio.
A vehicle carrying 17 suspected illegal immigrants had overturned on Interstate 70 a mile east of Byers.

In less than an hour, the trooper and Groff were at the scene.

Fortunately, there were no serious injuries.

But for Groff, the accident was the perfect backdrop for two bills of his that were up in committee Monday - bills that would crack down on human smuggling and trafficking.

Groff had arranged a media event Monday morning to show reporters a stretch of I-70 where smuggling is particularly bad.

Little did he know that an accident illustrating his point would happen that morning.

"Often, passing laws is done in a vacuum, but actually being out there and seeing the folks and seeing what's going on regarding illegal immigration gave added oomph to the bills," Groff said. "Smuggling and trafficking of humans clearly violates basic human rights and violates the security and safety of Colorado. We need to cut off the flow of these illegal immigrants."

Under Groff's Senate Bills 206 and 207, smuggling and trafficking adults and children in Colorado would become a felony.

Those convicted of smuggling or trafficking, or bartering or exchanging adult and children for money, would face up to five years in prison.

Currently, such activities are prosecuted under federal laws, and charges must be filed by federal authorities.

The Senate Judiciary Committee Monday voted 6-0 to advance the measures.

The votes came at the end of a busy morning for Groff.

He and the trooper sped over icy roads to reach the overturned van, then sped back so Groff could attend the 1:30 p.m. hearings at the Capitol.

The accident happened at 9:43 a.m. when a westbound 1994 Chevrolet Suburban slid off the freeway, officials said.

Two male occupants were treated at Aurora South Medical Center. A total of 14 men, two women and one male juvenile were taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

All 17, including the driver, are believed to be from Mexico. ICE officials told state officials that the group would be deported.

Tim Counts, a spokesman for ICE, said that smuggling operations usually increase in Colorado this time of the year.

"They go home for the holidays, and in the first few months of the year, we see an increase in the smuggling apprehensions," he said.

Counts said most smuggling rings that go though Colorado originate in Arizona.

According to a recent poll of state troopers, every week officers encounter an average of more than 500 undocumented immigrants along Colorado highways.

"It's a real serious problem," said Terry Campbell, of the Colorado State Patrol. "Typically, we have to release them because there isn't much we can do."

If Groff's measures had been on the books Monday, troopers could have arrested the driver in connection with smuggling and human trafficking, he said.

But a University of Denver law professor who leads a task force on modern slavery and human trafficking called the measures flawed and premature. He contends that they fall short of protecting victims of such "crimes against humanity."

"Do not mix issues of immigration policy with issues of human trafficking," said Claude d'Estrée, chairman of a task force formed last year by the legislature to study the issue and recommend legislation by 2007.

"We need to be prepared to take care of the victims of human trafficking. We need to understand the international, national and state problem as a whole, since they are intricately interwoven," he said.

Sexual-assault and domestic-violence advocates testified in support of SB 206 and 207, saying that both will help combat the problem of human trafficking.

The Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault estimates that more than 50 percent of trafficking victims are forced into prostitution and illegal slave trades.

"This is modern day slavery," said Tamika Payne, executive director of the coalition.

"Over 1 million children are trafficked each year. Many of the issues that make trafficking so hard to combat are that there has been an absence of legislation," Payne said.

Groff said that his bills are the first step in targeting human traffickers and smugglers, and should not be viewed as a quick fix in dealing with all complex issues surrounding the criminal activities.

"For us to sit here and knowingly do nothing while this type of activity is going on would be immoral," he said.



washingtonam@RockyMountainNews.com