By Ellie Bogue
Wednesday, January 06, 2016 12:00 AM

Allen County Sheriff David Gladieux will share what he learned recently about the high cost - both economical and human - with illegal immigration.

Gladieux attended October's three-day Sheriff Border Summit in McAllen, Texas. He'll share what he learned at the Dupont branch of the Allen County Public Library.

Illegal immigration affects more than just the border area. Gladieux said the problem Allen County has is when immigrants illegally in the country end up in the jail and have false documentation. It makes it very difficult to figure out who they are and where they came from.

The summit was sponsored by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), a group that advocates for tighter immigration laws.

Gladieux said the summit was an eye-opening experience for him; the number of immigrants trying to come across the border illegally is nonstop, he said. Summit presenters said guides, known as coyotes and who work for the Mexican drug cartels, charge people huge sums of money, sometimes as much as $5,000 to $10,000, to smuggle them across the Texas border.

He said he was surprised by the number of Asian immigrants who try to come across there, too.

"Signs along the border are in English, Spanish" and Asian languages, Gladieux said.

Next to Latinas, the women who are used most in human trafficking for prostitution are Asian, Gladieux said. Frequently the guides will get the women halfway to the border and then demand payment through sex to get them the rest of the way into the United States. Gladieux said there are trees along the border hung with women's underwear that are known as rape trees, because that was where women have been victimized.

The U.S. Border Patrol tries to stop the flow, but Gladieux said it is a thankless job because it's relentless and has few visible results. Deport someone one day and he could be trying to get back in a few days later, Gladieux said.

The conference had a variety of speakers including Jonathan Thomas, executive director of the National Sheriffs' Association. Officers were given the opportunity to ride along with the Texas border agents in river boats. Since 2012 Texas is one of the few states to deploy its own armed boats, something the U.S. Border Patrol also does. The boats watch for people crossing the Rio Grande River. Patrols are also done by helicopter and horseback. The horses are mustangs brought in from a couple of other states and are then broken for riding by prisoners at one of the Texas correctional facilities. Gladieux said they use the horses for night patrols.

Gladieux said one of the most interesting parts of the training was a visit to Dr. Michael Vickers' ranch, which is right on the border. The federal government requires emergency stations to be installed along these border areas. The stations with signs in three languages have a red button to call for help if people get into trouble from lack of water, heatstroke or snakebite. The reality is many of the travelers have not used them over the years because there was a rumor they would be electrocuted if they pushed the button.

The owners of the ranch told the group they have found many interesting things in the desert near the border: everything from dead bodies to Iranian currency.

Fair National Field Director Susan Tully said they have been holding the seminars for the past three years and have had about 50 law enforcement officers attend each time. FAIR sends out flyers to let law enforcement agencies know they are offering the conference. Tully said they want officers to see the border area first-hand.

"We want officers to see where the problem starts," Tully said.

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