Thread: On the front line along the border

On the front line along the border
by Kevin Kennedy - Apr. 2, 2008 04:21 PM
12 News
On one side of a giant metal fence is the city of Nogales, Arizona. On the other side is Mexico. The two places are separated by more than just a border.

On the Arizona side are more than 3,000 U.S. Border Patrol Agents.

"We are the first line of defense," said Agent Mike Scioli.


The Tucson sector stretches 262 miles, from the San Luis port of entry to New Mexico. The human and drug smuggling corridor is the busiest in the country. Last year agents apprehended more than 378,000 illegal immigrants.

"About 15 percent had criminal records ranging from rape to murder," said Scioli. Agents say the violence along this treacherous stretch of the border is increasing where there have been more than 118 assaults in the past five months.

"They are getting more aggressive with us cause we are taking from their pocketbook," said Scioli. Smugglers typically charge around $3,000 to get someone across the border safely.

A quick calculation and you can tell how valuable a payload of about 25 illegal immigrants can be. Agents say smugglers are also more organized and sophisticated than ever before. They often use night vision goggles, two-way radios, binoculars and cell phones when trying to sneak across.

Some of the bigger smuggling outfits employ a series of drivers and spotters perched on hilltops. "The smugglers will guide them through the desert and keep in touch with spotters as we get close," said Scioli.

Agents have their own extra set of eyes. High-tech cameras on poles can swivel and capture images eight miles in each direction. A series of magnetic and seismic sensors are also placed along the border.

The Arizona National Guard has also helped build better roads in the area, making it easier for agents to respond to a call. The new infrastructure and technology appears to be working — apprehensions are down 4-percent from last year.

Still, with all these deterrents, illegal immigrants continue to come and U.S. Border Agents are waiting.

http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/ar ... 08-CR.html



Video at link

I live along the border and I have just about seen it all!
I have been asked for water and have helped people suffering from the heat and others who were lost. I've seen guides on a hilltop using a radio to guide his group through. Smugglers picking up people you name it along with the trash they leave behind.
I even found a motorhome with a dead female inside it! The smugglers paniced and fled on foot.
You never know what the day will bring!