Thread: High-tech help for illegal immigrants

COMING TO AMERICA
High-tech help for illegal immigrants
New device designed to prevent deaths in hostile desert regions
Posted: December 27, 2000
1:00 am Eastern

By Jon E. Dougherty
© 2009 WorldNetDaily.com



A new device designed to assist illegal immigrants if they encounter medical or other problems while attempting to enter the United States via the hostile clime of the southwestern deserts is slated to become operational within three months, according to an immigrant-rights group.

The Dec. 21 edition of The Desert Sun newspaper, located in Palm Springs, Calif., said that Bob Beken of the group Project for Immigrant Lives announced plans to deploy three of the new devices "within the next 90 days."

The gadgets, called "RESCUE" -- for Radio Emergency System Cueing -- is similar to an emergency call box located on the side of interstate highways.

If an illegal immigrant who is attempting to enter the U.S. through the perilous and dangerously hot desert climates in Arizona and southern California becomes seriously injured or begins to become incapacitated because of heat or illness, he can either slap the "pole-like device or rattle a red ring around its center to signal distress."

When activiated, the RESCUE device sends an e-mail message stating the need for assistance at that location to computers and pagers of border patrol agents. The messages are developed by a computer inside the device that is half the size of a deck of cards, then relayed to waiting computers and pagers via satellite.

The devices come complete with instructions in English and Spanish, as well as diagrams detailing how to use them.

Beken said the first devices would most likely be placed in holes, but subsequent units would be dropped by helicopter to eliminate digging costs.

He added that they could be built for about $4,000 each.

"There are a lot of immigrant-rights groups that are interested in serving as a gatekeeper, but very few groups that focus on stopping deaths on the border," Beken said.

Earlier reports have said that dozens of illegal immigrants have died while trying to enter the U.S. through the desert or dangerous mountain regions.

"There is bottled water placed throughout the desert, which might solve [an illegal immigrant's] problem for the next 20 minutes," Beken said, "but they are still in the God-forsaken desert. It won't do much good if the person is suffering from a heat stroke."

Though three of the devices can be made ready to deploy by the end of March, the immigrant-rights activist said eventually about 1,000 of the kiosks would be needed to stretch from San Diego to Douglas, Ariz.

He noted that the devices are virtually vandal-proof. If hit with an object or shot, the devices automatically send an e-mail message alerting agents about the vandalism.

Beken said he didn't see the RESCUE devices as promoting illegal immigration.

"This allows them to call for help, but it doesn't allow them to continue to commission of a crime by providing a ticket to Los Angeles," he said. "I just think it's wrong to let people die."

According to the Sun's report, between October 1999 and October 2000, 13 immigrants died trying to cross the border. That figure, analysts said, only represents those who were found or known to have perished; the count is probably higher.

And, Beken said, in the future similar kiosks could be deployed in mountainous regions across the U.S. to help lost or injured hikers and mountain climbers.

Despite the introduction of the RESCUE devices and other efforts aimed at assisting illegal immigrants, some Mexican activists still complain that U.S. border patrol policies are tantamount to "imperialism."

Hector Carreon, publisher of a U.S.-based pro-immigrant biweekly newsletter, has stated that Mexican nationals should have unencumbered access to the United States because "Mexicans were here [in the U.S.] before European immigrants arrived."

But other critics of U.S. border policy say Washington isn't tough enough on illegal immigrants or serious enough about protecting the U.S. border.

And, the U.S. Border Patrol union has repeatedly complained that Mexican army units have breached the U.S. border and fired upon Border Patrol agents at least twice this year.

Related stories:

Border policy attacked by activists

Mexicans declare border war

Border accident or bounty-hunting?

Mexicans shoot at Border Patrol

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Jon E. Dougherty is a Missouri-based writer and the author of "Illegals: The Imminent Threat Posed by Our Unsecured U.S.-Mexico Border."


http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=21093

Sorry, but if we facilitate crossing a perilous desert, it will only result in more illegals crossing over. Maybe the stories of a difficult trip are keeping people in Mexico.

Probably won't take long for them to destroy those little boxes!

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

Probably won't take long for them to destroy those little boxes!

If they can get $100 for them on ebay they are gone.