More Tijuana news
Mexican officials rescue 54 at border


Feared immigrants would be victimized
By Anna Cearley
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
April 14, 2007

TIJUANA – Mexican authorities plucked a total of 54 immigrants and two suspected immigrant smugglers from the border near Tecate yesterday in what they said was a rescue effort.

“The objective was to prevent them from becoming victims of the criminals that operate in these zones,” according to a joint news release from seven state and federal agencies.

Heriberto García, coordinator for the regional office of the National Commission of Human Rights, said his office had documented cases of immigrants being attacked by bandits in this region near the U.S.-Mexico border over the past few weeks.

García said it's illegal for authorities to round up immigrants from the south side of the border because of Mexico's law of free transit. However, that right is waived in cases of safety and rescue.

The commission hadn't received any complaints regarding the operation, which included the use of helicopters, as of yesterday afternoon.

“We would have to see what was the reason behind the intervention,” García said.

In addition to finding 54 immigrants, authorities detained two smuggling suspects, whom they identified as Ramón Gustavo Rodríguez Chávez and Rosaura Avalos Zamora.

Mexican authorities provided a few examples of the immigrants' situations. They found a group of six people who were lost, two of whom had knee injuries. In a separate case, they rescued two people whose smuggler had abandoned them two days ago.





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Anna Cearley: (619) 542-4595; anna.cearley@uniontrib.com




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