Police Seek to Overcome Language Barriers when Dealing with Immigrants

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Posted: Jun 17, 2013 6:22 PM Updated: Jun 18, 2013 12:29 AM

SAN JUAN - A Rio Grande Valley police department is working to overcome language barriers as illegal immigration continues to surge in the region.
San Juan police officials said the surge means there is a higher likelihood they will encounter people who speak languages other than English or Spanish.
Mission police recently encountered a group of illegal immigrants from India. Communication with the group was nearly impossible. One of the immigrants relied on hand signals to communicate with a CHANNEL 5 NEWS crew.
"All the stash houses that we've been seeing lately, the chances of getting somebody from an exotic country or somewhere else is going to be up there," San Juan Police Sgt. Rolando Garcia said.
"We want to be prepared to make sure we offer them the best possible service we can to make sure that they are ok," Garcia said.
Garcia said he monitors the number of people who come across the border. Immigrants from as far as Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Albania are trekking through the region, he said.
Garcia said the city signed up for over-the-phone interpreter services.
"We can call a 1 800 number and get a person on the phone that can speak the language," Garcia said.
Border Patrol agents use similar services to overcome language barriers. They said communicating with immigrants is crucial in identifying smugglers or finding other immigrants in trouble.
Garcia said the need for interpreters is on the rise.
http://www.krgv.com/news/police-seek-to-overcome-language-barriers-when-dealing-with-immigrants/