Thread: Deadlist Border Area Bypassed By Homeland Security Visit

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php? ... 1_chertoff

Deadliest border area bypassed
Homeland Security chief skipping O'odham lands, now also busiest crossing area for illegal immigrants

CLAUDINE LoMONACO
Tucson Citizen

Andy Adame waits for other Border Patrol agents to gather some of the 78 illegal immigrants found hiding under trees near Arivaca earlier this year by Border Patrol helicopter pilots.

The international border crossing at San Miguel on the Tohono O'odham Nation has a warning sign in Spanish for those wanting to head north. It says "Warning! Do not expose yourself to the elements. It is not worth it!" and "No potable water" in the bottom left corner.
Newly appointed Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff is visiting Arizona's border for the first time today but skipping the deadly "West Desert" section despite the urging of the state's two U.S. senators.
The area accounted for more than 50 percent of the 172 migrant deaths tallied by the U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona last fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30.

Although illegal immigrant traffic has traditionally been highest in the Douglas area, apprehensions in the West Desert are up this year, making it both the busiest and deadliest region in the state. More illegal border crossers in the harsh, desolate area could likely mean even more deaths as temperatures heat up.

The Border Patrol has called shutting down illegal immigration in the West Desert its No. 1 priority and has focused much of the multimillion-dollar Arizona Border Control Initiative on the area. The agency has touted better coordination between local law enforcement as one of the effort's key components.

But leaders of the Tohono O'odham Nation, which shares 75 miles of heavily trafficked West Desert border with Mexico, are saying that Homeland Security is doing a poor job of coordinating efforts with them and are angry that Chertoff won't be visiting.

U.S. Sen. John McCain, who with U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl invited Chertoff to Arizona, initially submitted a schedule to the Department of Homeland Security that included a stop on tribal lands. Both are Republicans.

"The Nation has been devastated by illegal immigration," said McCain, who urged Chertoff to meet with O'odham leaders and see the impact firsthand.

Tohono O'odham Chairwoman Vivian Juan-Saunders said the tribe has been overwhelmed by migrant traffic since it shifted into Arizona during the mid-'90s. While 40 percent of tribal members live below the poverty line, the tribe spends $7 million a year coping with illegal immigration, Juan-Saunders said.

The police force spends $3 million, or half its budget, dealing with illegal border activity, she said. Another $2 million goes to provide health care for migrants in distress and $2 million is spent on cleanup and other issues, she said.

Juan-Saunders estimated that 1,500 migrants a day cross through tribal lands, leaving 6 tons of trash each day.

Scot Montrey, a spokesman for Kyl, said the senator recommended that Chertoff visit the Nation, and that he still thought it was good idea.

"They are right on the border," Montrey said, "and they are an extremely important part of solving the problem."

McCain said that the Department of Homeland Security made the decision about the final itinerary.

Juan-Saunders said that Kyl and McCain had both told her the meeting would occur. She said she learned it wouldn't Friday, when a representative from Homeland Security called to invite her to a group meeting in Yuma with Chertoff and leaders from two Yuma-area tribes.

Department of Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said an official visit was never scheduled, but he hoped Juan-Saunders would meet with Chertoff in Yuma.

Juan-Saunders said she will send representatives, but neither she nor the vice chairman will be able to attend.

"We're busy here addressing homeland security," she said. But, she added, "we still extend the invitation to him to visit our lands."


Graphics by RANDY HARRIS/Tucson

It appears the US government has as little respect for tribal lands as it ever had! At least they're treating the native Americans with the same disrespect as the rest of us.

What a mess. Wake up Washington DC!

Tohono O'odham Nation trackers are currently in use by the Border Patrol.