Bootheel home invasions stoke fears
By Diana Alba

Posted: 02/12/2010 08:58:10 PM MST


RODEO — Concern, frustration and even fear are running high these days among residents of this small southwestern New Mexico town and neighboring communities.
Home invasions perpetrated by illegal immigrants seem to be on the rise in the state's Bootheel region and adjacent southeastern Arizona.

The problem was highlighted last month, when an elderly Arizona couple was allegedly tied up in their home by two immigrants, just west of the New Mexico state line. The couple wasn't seriously harmed, but their vehicle and some belongings were stolen. The immigrants were later arrested.

Tad Powers, who lived near Rodeo along the state line, said the incident certainly caught his attention.

"There's a concern perhaps these people are becoming more emboldened, more reckless and ruthless, and that puts people on edge," he said. "I know that it made me go find my bullets and gun. I don't want to hurt anybody, but I don't want to be hurt by anybody, especially in my own home."

Since then, at least one other home invasion has been reported on a ranch in the area. The occupant wasn't injured.

Residents also indicate that property vandalism by immigrants is increasing.

Outrage over the trend was expressed during a packed community meeting in Rodeo last Friday, residents said. As many as 230 people attended. U.S. Border Patrol officials, both from the El Paso and Tucson sectors, answered questions and heard complaints.

Kim Costales, a resident of Portal, Ariz., just west of the state line, said it's not uncommon for immigrants to bang on the door of her home, though she never answers. She said it might be someone who genuinely needs help, but she can't take a risk about the person's intentions.
Costales recounted the story of a neighbor whose home was broken into while he was away recently.

"A group of illegals was living in his house for eight days; we saw lights on, but we just assumed it was him," she said. "He got home, and his entire house was destroyed. He had a $1,800 phone bill, all going back to Mexico, and they stole his motorcycle and his brand-new pick-up."

Costales said the people apparently "made more than one trip" to cart away belongings.

Residents say a big part of the problem is that cell phone service is non-existent along much of the corridor, sandwiched between the Chiricahua Mountains on the west and the Peloncillo Mountains on the east. That means residents can't easily report drug smuggling or human trafficking, unless they happen to be near a land phone line.

It's a weakness immigrants are aware of and exploit, Powers said.

"We definitely need some cell towers here," he said.

Though the state line runs through the middle of the valley, Costales said many people tend to think of it as one community.

The Border Patrol's Lordsburg station's coverage area includes Rodeo. It's part of the El Paso Border Patrol sector. The Tucson sector starts at Arizona.

Field representatives for U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman and U.S. Rep. Harry Teague, both Democrats, attended the meeting Friday.

Jude McCartin, spokeswoman for Bingaman, said the senator has asked for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to release funding for "forward operating bases," staging areas that allow Border Patrol agents to respond more quickly, in the Bootheel area. In addition, she said he's looking into whether cell phone service can be expanded to the area.

"Sen. Bingaman understands the concerns and is working to address them," she said.

Ramiro Cordero, spokesman for the El Paso Border Patrol sector, said the agency is aware of just one report of a home invasion in the Bootheel area. But he acknowledged there may be more, because local authorities are the ones who respond to those crimes.

The Hidalgo County Sheriff didn't respond to messages seeking comment Thursday.

Cordero couldn't immediately answer questions on Thursday about last week's meeting.

Powers said he has noticed more Border Patrol agents in the area, since the prominent home invasion in January.

McCartin said the number of agents has been increased at Lordsburg from 80 to 250 during the last few years.

Dona Ana County Sheriff Todd Garrison said he's aware that break-ins by immigrants have been problematic in Hidalgo County. But he said it's more difficult to determine in Dona Ana County whether that's the case, mostly because the county is much more urban.

Powers said typically over the years, immigrants have not confronted homeowners. Instead, he said, "they tend to want to slip past, get north of I-10 and then they're home free."

But that's why the recent trend is disturbing.

"People who live farther away from the border don't even know what this is like; they can't really imagine it," he said. "It makes you feel like you're not being protected in your own home, and without getting into the political intricacies of it, it's simply a very unsettling feeling for people who live in the area to think they've got to be on edge all the time."


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