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Enforcement shifting smuggling routes

POSTED: 09:03 PM CST Feb 05, 2015

SAN PERLITA -

A farmer in Willacy County says he is finding himself in the middle of a cat-and-mouse game.

Bill Calvin said more illegal immigrants are showing up at his doorstep. He believes heavy law enforcement in other counties is pushing the illegals to his back yard.

Calvin’s property is near San Perlita, between Highway 77 and Port Mansfield.

Calvin farms 1,000 acres around San Perlita.

“I’ve been here since 1972,” Calvin said.

Calvin said the once-quiet region is changing. Wind turbines now crowd the landscape and illegal immigrants are trekking through the area.

“It’s a cat-and-mouse game. All the forces are from Mission west. So, they go and cross at Brownsville,” Calvin said.

Calvin also believes the enforcement at the Falfurrias checkpoint is causing smugglers to shift routes to the Sarita checkpoint, 40 miles north of Raymondville.

Calvin says illegals don't need a compass and map. He said they simply follow electrical transmission lines north to Kingsville. The lines go around the Sarita checkpoint.

A CHANNEL 5 NEWS crew flew with Border Patrol over Willacy County and recorded images of countless smuggling trails. Calvin said some of those trails lead to his front door.

“One (immigrant), in perfect English, said, ‘let me in, we need help.’ I said, ‘what kind of help?’ They demanded to come in, (but) my .45 convinced them they didn’t want to come in,” Clavin said.

Calvin said he's seen an increase in the traffic of illegal immigrants since President Obama’s executive action on immigration. He hopes smugglers are not interpreting the action as an invitation.

http://www.krgv.com/news/local-news/...affic/31122878