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Migrant Break-Ins Common in Southern Ariz.

By AMANDA KEIM
The Associated Press
Saturday, August 6, 2005; 2:28 PM

PHOENIX -- When burglars broke into Rep. Jim Kolbe's cabin last month, they ignored an antique rifle and other valuables. Instead, the intruders ate some food, used the shower and took some clothes from the home less than 30 miles from the Mexican border, near the nation's busiest corridor for illegal immigrants.

Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada regularly hears about migrants burglarizing homes as they cross the Arizona desert. Two or three such break-ins are reported in the county each month, and residents complain about trespassers every day, he said Thursday.


"It happens. And it probably happens more than we get reports on," Estrada said. "It stands to reason. We have a lot of people going through Santa Cruz County and all the border counties."

Kat Rodriguez, coordinating organizer for the human rights group Derechos Humanos, said residents in southern Arizona have come to expect occasional stories of migrants who need food or a place to rest breaking into homes.

"It's frustrating for them and no one likes it, but they know it's desperation," she said.

Rodriguez said she has never heard of an immigrant stealing jewelry or other valuables, but understands that the burglaries contribute to homeowners' negative feelings toward migrants.

"They feel violated and there's no way around it," she said.

Betty Proost said she felt that way after suspected migrants broke into her Patagonia home in February 2004 while she was at a doctor's appointment. The burglars didn't make a mess but drank some Sprite and took some clothes, an expensive watch, a few handheld games and a bag of marshmallows, she said.

"It took me a long time to get over this," Proost said.

Kolbe, a Republican, had no comment on the break-in, said his spokeswoman, Kristen Hellmer.

But the Rev. Robin Hoover, president of the humanitarian group Humane Borders, called the break-in a "big irony," considering the congressman's work on border issues.

Hoover said, however, that burglaries aren't a huge border issue.

"Considering there's 1.2 million attempts (to cross the border) made every year, it's a relatively minor problem," he said.