Thread: Immigration agents seeing increasing assaults in western Ari

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Immigration agents seeing increasing assaults in western Arizona

July 2, 2006, 09:00 PM

The metal grates over the windows of some U.S. Border Patrol trucks protects agents from rock-throwing smugglers who are becoming more violent in their attempts to sneak immigrants past this fortified stretch of border.

Some smugglers are throwing softball-sized rocks, hunks of concrete and whole bricks at agents, either out of frustration or to try to get authorities to back off.

"We are slowing smuggling traffic down considerably. What we are experiencing because of that is what we refer to as a push-back," said Ben Vik, a spokesman for the Border Patrol's Yuma sector, which includes San Luis.

The business of immigrant smuggling has become more dangerous as the high profits of human trafficking prompt violent drug smugglers to get into the immigrant business.

T.J. Bonner, president of a union representing Border Patrol agents, said law enforcement jobs have always brought some risk of assaults, but working along the border never seemed as dangerous as it does today.

"We are dealing with a much more ruthless type of enterprise now," Bonner said. "You are not dealing with many of the mom-and-pop smuggling operations."

The Yuma sector is on pace to exceed the 123 assaults on agents reported last fiscal year. It's not known whether the national total of assaults on agents will surpass last year's 778. The San Diego sector reported the most assaults last year, officials said.

Assaults on agents usually occur in urban areas where the Border Patrol has added agents and fencing. Smugglers find border cities attractive because once their customers make it past the border, it can be easy to blend in.

The motive for smugglers to fight back is less in more remote areas because there are fewer places to retreat to, agents said.

While working in San Luis last year, Vik said a Kevlar helmet protected him from a head injury when someone threw a terra cotta walking-stone on his head during a smuggling attempt.

It happened as about 30 illegal immigrants tried to spill over and slip under the corrugated metal fence that separates San Luis from Mexico. Once confronted by agents, the illegals turned back, then a hail of rocks started coming over the fence.

As he rounded up illegal immigrants, the walking stone landed on his head, Vik said.

"I was lucky I did," Vik said of his decision to wear the helmet, "because it was a heavy piece of debris."

Smugglers fire guns, pull knives or throw punch at agents, but the most common assault is rock throwing.

Smugglers throw rocks at agents who repair holes or plug burrows under border fences. Hurling objects also can serve as a diversion to hold off agents while the customers of smugglers try to get enough time to slip across the border.

Sometimes, smugglers resort to violence as a means to escape arrest. Other times, they do it out of spite.

"They would do it for no other reason than to throw rocks at a Border Patrol agent," said Robert Bushell, a spokesman for the Tucson sector, which last year had the second highest number of assaults on agents.

About 200 agents have been injured in assaults from 2000 to this February.

The percentage of assaults that result in bodily harm is likely low, but some agents have suffered head injuries that require long recovery periods, Bonner said.

Border-related assaults on law enforcement aren't limited to federal agents.

Even though they aren't responsible for patrolling the border, deputies from Yuma County Sheriff's Department have had rocks thrown at them and have been fired upon when responding to border-related crime, such as the robbery of illegal immigrants by bandits, said Capt. Eben Bratcher, a spokesman for the agency.

The sheriff's department bought two armored vehicles to rescue deputies who might find themselves in distress in dealing with border related-crime, though the agent hasn't yet had to use the vehicles.

"I would rather have it and never need it, but given the circumstances I know we will have to use it eventually, because it continues to get worse and worse down there," Bratcher said.

Build the fence.

Forget the fence, WE WANT OUR WALL!

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Illegal Mexicans say they want to come here for a better way of life. The truth is most of them come here to bring, cook and serve our Countries Children dangerous life altering and deadly drugs. I live in California and it is nothing new to have a house blow up and burn down because of illegal Mexican druggers. I lived next to a house that was used for such use. When they left they left behind black sludge in the toilets. The sewwer is city wide connected so imagine the pollution. They also apparently had a fire in the kitchen which destroyed much of the upperhalf of the stove area. I thank God for the fact that the house did not explode. My children and I would be dead and the illegals would start over in another neighborhood. By the way they don't just live in slums the move into middle and upper class neiborhoods everywhere. They are like coachroachs, you can take out the parent bug but its children breed on.