Thread: AZ: 24 hours on the border with BORSTAR

News 4 Special Report: Tracking Immigrants

July 25, 2007 11:17 AM EDT

Arizona's scorching desert heat threatens the lives of thousands of illegal immigrants every summer and claims the lives of hundreds of them. But, many more are saved from death in the desert by BORSTAR agents. They are highly-trained, sharp-skilled professionals who are part-paramedic and part-law enforcer.

The Investigators spent 24 hours on the border with BORSTAR to experience their dangerous duty in the desert.

The desert can be a shadowy world of desperation and sometimes danger. Members of the Border Patrol's BORSTAR unit face this raw reality every day. The night before The Investigators arrive, agents race to the rescue of a small group of illegal immigrants that are halted by heat and exhaustion, but it was too late for one of them.

Yet, it's the chance to save lives that drives BORSTAR agent, Jesse Muñoz. After a nearly three-hour drive toward the border with him, The Investigators arrive in Ajo, then head for the remote desert south of Ajo.

"We start off the day as regular border patrol agents," says Muñoz. "You might have a day where you come in and work three rescues, and [every] rescue's different. You might be looking for one person. You might be looking for a group of 30. So, it's something different every day."

The real work of BORSTAR takes place out in the scorching Arizona desert.

We left Ajo right after lunchtime, and traveled 11 miles down a dry, dusty and desolate road. It's a place called Devil's Highway. Then we got to a place called Camp Bates Well, which for many illegal immigrants, is the only thing that stands between them and death.

"What we do out here is keep four BORSTAR agents [out here]," says Muñoz, "and because of the remoteness of the location, we have a lot of rescues out here.

"And, as you can see, they got everything you need to live: air conditioning, a BBQ grill, one of the buildings actually has a shower for the agents."

Agents spend seven days in camp, working 12-hour shifts, and answer calls for medical help, which is often miles away.

On this particular day, Muñoz's colleague, James Billington, a nationally-recognized paramedic, gets an urgent call from Ajo.

"I got a call from a pregnant woman, approximately 8 months pregnant, having stomach pains. So, we'll try to get some communication with the agents there just to try to get a diagnosis on her."

But, distance and cell phone reception create extra challenges. Agent Billington finally gives instructions to his colleagues near Ajo to get closer medical help to that patient faster than he can get there.

"Yeah, this is how they've been doing Border Patrol work since they started the Border Patrol," says Muñoz, "by looking for footprints in the dirt."

By mid-afternoon, Agent Muñoz is several miles from camp "cutting" roads. He checks the tire tracks we left on the way in for fresh footprints, which is a sign illegal entrants might be nearby.

"If we catch a group now, you're doing law enforcement work but you're also doing rescue work because, you know, walking in this heat is really dangerous. [It's] probably 105, or 100 degrees where we're at now."

We stop to check-out some slightly-faded footprints, likely left here just hours ago. Muñoz says, "The group that's on here [looks] like they know what they're doing. Looks like they're following the road and heading pretty much straight north."

The afternoon turns to the evening, and the hot sun yields to a pale moon. This is the time of day BORSTAR agents gear-up for a jump in illegal traffic.

"Now it's a little cooler and the sun's going down, so they'll get up and start moving again. They've rested during the day, drank water, [and] had lunch. And, uh, so now's when they'll start moving and they'll move throughout the night."

After dark, agents patrol the desert. Muñoz explains, "So, now's a good time to "lay in" and pretty much you go in and just try to blend in with the terrain. You don't use flashlights or anything like that. Just be careful of [what you're] doing."

Through the night, they'll keep contact with other agents in the field and back at camp.

It's now after 10 o'clock at night and things have been strangely quiet. There have been no apprehensions, and no rescues to report. So, the thing to do now is keep an ear to the radios for any activity, and to keep an eye on the many dirt roads.

Before long, the agents are back "cutting" the desert roads, which is one of the most effective ways to detect illegal entrants. The previous night, there was a death not far from us. A Phoenix television crew came across a group of illegal immigrants in deep trouble. One of them died from the heat.

In the dead of this night, The Investigators hike several miles into the desert with Agent Billington, who is armed with special night-vision gear.

It's now about 3:30 in the morning. We're sitting up here on a ridge above a couple of trails known to be used by illegal immigrants, just waiting to see if anybody comes by.

By morning, the radios and the action really start firing-up. Calls for medical help come from the Three Points area. An illegal entrant has fallen victim to exhaustion and injury. Agent Billington takes vital signs to make sure a woman isn't in any deeper trouble.

Moments later, BORSTAR gets another call for medical help. This time, we join BORSTAR agent and nationally-recognized paramedic, Gerry Carrasco.

"One of them is complaining of chest pains and he stated he fell and hurt his knee." Agent Carrasco checks the man whose leg was injured in a fall. "[There's] a lot of stress [with] the heat [and] the walk. Some of them have underlying medical conditions they didn't even know they had. [Sometimes] they're diabetic or have a mild cardiac condition."

It sounded a lot worse coming out here. "It did," says Agent Carrasco, "and, you know, it's kind of a roll of dice. You never know exactly what you're going to get." He'll be taken to a hospital for X-rays.

It's now been 24 hours since we hit the road with BORSTAR. It's a dusty and dangerous road, traveled by those who prefer this over the easy path in life.

Agent Jesse Muñoz says, "I like being a Border Patrol agent and I also like doing the medical stuff so with BORSTAR I can get the best of both worlds. [I] get a lot of freedom to work. I have the best job in the world."

Agent Billington says, "It's just a wonderful job to work in an office like [the desert]."

http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=6834842

Sounds like living at my place, over the years I've had to treat several of them for heat exhaustion and have found a body out here once and I only have ten acres.

"I got a call from a pregnant woman, approximately 8 months pregnant, having stomach pains. So, we'll try to get some communication with the agents there just to try to get a diagnosis on her."

Another citizen in the making?

The previous night, there was a death not far from us. A Phoenix television crew came across a group of illegal immigrants in deep trouble. One of them died from the heat.

I wish Mexico cared enough about it's citizens to at least patrol the dangerous areas. But I guess when you're trying to rid yourself of the poor death it works too.