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Smuggling worries opponents of cell-phone tower near Sonoita
By Brady McCombs
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 03.16.2006
SONOITA — The activity that fuels the illegal-immigration debate nationwide takes place in the back yards of ranchers who live here at the foot of Biscuit Mountain, east of Sonoita.
Last Friday night, a helicopter flew in, and Border Patrol agents with flashlights chased a group of fleeing illegal entrants up Biscuit Mountain in what has become a common occurrence. On Sunday, a female illegal entrant died of severe exposure and hypothermia at the foot of the mountain.
Now, even the debate on a proposed cell-phone tower is mired in the controversy over illegal immigration in this group of ranches east of Sonoita on Arizona 82, about 25 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border.
A group of local residents has emerged in opposition to a 50-foot cell tower that Cingular wants to build here.
In addition to being concerned about aesthetics and future growth of the tower — worries shared by many cell-phone-tower opponents across the country — the neighbors are afraid that the tower would bring more traffic into the area by opening up communications to smugglers of humans and drugs.
"Once they recognize there is additional cell-phone contact down here, they can go to cell phones and nobody can track them," said Bevan Olyphant, who owns the Biscuit Mountain Ranch.
Supporters say bringing cell-phone service to the area would increase Border Patrol apprehensions and decrease illegal-entrant traffic.
"If we had access to cell phones, we could call Border Patrol and they would be here within minutes," said Karen Lynch, who owns the Lovable Llama Ranch, where the cell tower would be erected.
Raymond Schock, who owns the 800-acre Mescal Gap Ranch, said everyone would benefit from having reliable cell-phone service. In fact, he said, the service might have saved the life of the female border crosser who died Sunday on his ranch.
"I don't like the illegals coming across my property and cutting my fence, but I don't want to watch them die," said Schock, whose grandfather homesteaded the property.
Today at 2 p.m., at the Santa Cruz County Complex in Nogales, county officials will hold a third public meeting to discuss the possibility of a cell-phone tower.
Rick Hindmann, a county planner, said cell-phone companies such as Cingular are required to request special-use permits for construction of towers.
However, because of a recent decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stating that California law does not allow local governments to veto telecommunications sites due to their appearance, Hindmann said it would be difficult to deny Cingular's request.
"Are you going to go up to the courts and say you turned it down because you didn't want to help illegals?" Hindmann asked. "I mean, come on."
Area resident DeAnn Staheli said the argument against the tower is valid and worth fighting for. She said the tower would only make matters worse in the Sonoita area.
"If we open up this cell-phone tower, that's going to open up their communications with their throwaway cells and every other way they communicate with each other," Staheli said.
Lynch said her neighbors are jealous because Cingular didn't select their land for the placement of the tower and the $900 a month it will earn her. She said she doesn't think the tower — designed to resemble a pine tree — would cause any problems for her neighbors. Furthermore, she said, smugglers already have communication.
"They don't need cell phones; they've got something better," said Lynch, who moved with her husband, Art, from California two years ago and established the Lovable Llama Ranch for her 40 llamas.
Border Patrol officials said the tower wouldn't necessarily help their agents because they use radios to communicate. Spokesman Jim Hawkins said he wasn't sure whether the tower would help criminals.
"They can afford very sophisticated communication equipment, so it's hard to say if it would help them or not, because if they need to talk, they can buy the equipment they need," Hawkins said.
Hindmann said the county Board of Adjustment will likely make its decision on the cell phone tower today.