Thread: Advice for traveling in the border region of Southern AZ

It doesn't state such, but I can tell from the e-mail address that this was written by a Green Valley Firefighter. (GFD) This first case he sites was not reported in the news.


Advice for traveling in the borderlands region of Southern Arizona
Mark A. Hart Special To The Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Friday, May 14, 2010 12:00 am

A U.S. surveyor and a suspected lookout for Mexican drug runners exchanged gunfire near the border April 9 after a short standoff that found them pointing weapons at each other, according to a Pima County Sheriff's Department report.

The surveyor was looking for stone monuments that mark the U.S.-Mexico border near Tres Bellotas Ranch, south of Arivaca. The incident barely rated a local headline in the aftermath of the March 27 murder of Douglas-area rancher Robert Krentz, calls for deploying National Guard troops along the border, and Arizona's passage of the nation's toughest illegal immigration law.

But its significance was not lost on those who work in borderlands wilderness areas. It's an all-too-common occurrence. Another such encounter happened in June 2009 when a state wildlife officer doing fieldwork and two other government employees were fired on by suspected drug smugglers or bandits in the Tumacacori Mountains.

Ask local ranchers and they'll either say that they'd welcome the Minutemen, or that reporting illegal immigrants isn't their job and they fear reprisals if they did.

Outdoor enthusiasts who recreate near the border in such places as the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, Coronado National Forest, or San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge should take note. Some advice:

The Border Patrol apprehends an average of 900 people daily in its Tucson sector, from New Mexico to the Yuma County line. They and others leave their many footprints on what at first may look like cattle paths or game trails.

These travel routes used by illegal immigrants include "layup spots," where migrant workers often leave clothing and other personal items while awaiting vehicle transport elsewhere. Abandoned vehicles in the area further signal illegal activity. Supplies, drugs or people may be hidden nearby.

All such areas should be avoided, especially because there are many cell phone and radio "dead" zones in the borderlands. When it doubt, one should simply leave the area.

Other precautions include:

Language and cultural barriers increase risk encounters. People in distress may ask for food, water or other assistance. As a general rule, make no contact unless absolutely necessary, and don't pick up hitchhikers.

Remember that every person you are in contact with poses a potential risk, and that a higher occurrence of unexpected encounters is likely. Similarly, expect to encounter law enforcement activity.

Unattended vehicles are subject to being damaged or stolen - lock up every time and place valuables out of sight. Back up into parking spots to speed up exiting an area if need be.

Carry a Global Positioning System unit. Always know your location and be able to describe it if you need to call for help.

Let others know your expected routes, destinations and when you expect to return.

Familiarize yourself with the location of nearby Border Patrol checkpoints, and include the Border Patrol's main 1-877-USBP-HELP number in your cell-phone address book as well as other emergency contact numbers.

E-mail Mark A. Hart at MHart@azgfd.gov
http://azstarnet.com/news/opinion/artic ... ml?print=1

Since my husband and I live in this region, we used to do outdoor recreation activities like travel Forest Service Roads and look at ghost towns. We owned a pick-up and enjoyed this outdoor activity. We've since sold the pick-up and had to give up this healthy outdoor activity over 10 years ago because of the dangers involved. You could easily encounter this illegal activity in these isolated areas.

Since I used to work in Green Valley, I knew of some other incidents from talking to people. A guy who was camping with some of his buddies was run out of the area they were in by guys on ATVs firing guns at them in the dark of night. Also several years ago, a bow hunter who was camping alone, an activity he did often, was killed near his campsite and his murder "was never solved or explained."

Thank you mapwife. The only thing new about this is that it is finally getting the national news coverage that it deserves. Mi familia in the Douglas area cannot go to ancestral favorite sites in the countryside because it is simply too dangerous. It was many years ago that some Border Patrol employees had to get creative to armor their own vehicles from the projectiles coming across the border. Even in town it is not safe to go to a field - somebody could be hiding that is willing to slice your throat to obtain your I.D. My sister-in-law moved to Phoenix because she cannot even take a walk for her health. Born and raised there, she knows many people on both sides of the line, but it does not ensure her safety to even just take a walk. It is difficult to make such a transition in your later years and when all of your people are buried there and you regularly go to honor their sites but no longer can, what does that say about how our government protects our borders for citizens? Lastly I would like to point out that the public schools in Douglas were always integrated as far as I know - and of course there were always miserable people from both sides who perpetuated the negativity but the positive relations have extended back as far as living memory goes and beyond - for out-of-state readers who have a bad picture of AZ.