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02-21-2007, 10:14 PM #1
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New Theme Park in Mexico Simulates Illegal Border Crossing.
That's right, a game which simulates crossing the border illegally is an attraction at this new theme park in Mexico. Maybe it's a way for them to practice before trying the real thing.
EL ALBERTO, MEXICO
Sirens wail, and Rosa Estrada charges down a dirt path, down the side of a mud bank, then picks her way silently across the stinking, swampy earth.
"Get under the bushes!" someone barks in a whisper in the blackness of the night. "Immigration is coming!"
Twenty Mexicans scramble to the ground, crouching among thick branches and brambles.
"Hello, this is border patrol," booms a voice in English. Red and blue lights streak the sky overhead. In Spanish: "Are you Mexicans? It's too dangerous to cross the river. Remember your kids and families at home."
Ms. Estrada lies still, breathing quietly.
She is not on her way to "El Norte." About 700 miles from the US-Mexican border, she has paid $18 at a park in the central state of Hidalgo that offers a simulated experience of a migrant crossing.
Welcome to Mexico's take on adventure tourism, a five-hour trek that goes well past midnight. Residents pay to walk in mud past their ankles, balance on ledges – in pitch black – that drop steeply, and sprint across corn fields, kicking up dirt and rocks as they run from fake US border patrol officers dressed in camouflage.
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02-21-2007, 10:28 PM #2
That's great...they can have all of the thrills of a border crossing without leaving home, and it is less expensive. So, technically, they are saving money. Sounds like a great idea.
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02-21-2007, 11:19 PM #3
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Maybe we should have a theme park here where we get to catch illegals and deport them back to Mexico.
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02-21-2007, 11:21 PM #4Originally Posted by Fedup
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02-21-2007, 11:35 PM #5
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Originally Posted by Neese
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02-21-2007, 11:45 PM #6
Illegal Border Crossing Is All A Game In Mexico
Video: Watch Video http://www.kfmb.com/features/special_as ... ?id=80904#
Last Updated:
02-15-07 at 6:17PM
The flow of illegal immigrants into the United States has been called a cat and mouse game between the Border Patrol and migrants. But, a town in Mexico has turned illegal crossings into a big money making game and tourist attraction.
A ski mask hides the smuggler's face. He asks the migrants, some with children, if they're ready, And they are.
The group stays close as they begin down the caminata nocturna - the night road.
They follow the masked man down a gravel path towards the river. Barely five minutes into their journey, Border Patrol agents spot them.
The group walks faster and some are holding flashlights.
They start running when the sirens get closer. They're sloshing through mud puddles, trudging on relentlessly through a farm.
The dark night is lit by headlights. The border patrol is right behind them.
They run faster, finding shelter beneath a canopy of dead branches. They wait until it's safe to leave.
Then, a man lifts a barbed wire fence so others can get under. But the Border Patrol is closing in.
The migrants flee to a drainage tunnel for protection. However, they're not safe.
Overhead, agents, hovering in a helicopter, order them out. They make a run for it.
Two hours later, they pile into the bed of a waiting pickup truck. The border patrol is in hot pursuit less than a quarter-mile behind them. But the migrants make it across the Mexico-Texas border, increasing the number of illegals sneaking into the United States.
But this was all a game - a real cat and mouse game.
The players paid $15 to get the migrant experience. And the small Mexican town of El Alberto has experienced a boom in its economy.
The man playing the smuggler says the idea of the park is to make people see they can make money in Mexico. They don't have to go to the United States for a better life and to make money. It's to convince people not to migrate.
Adventurers and thrill seekers play the migrants. Young affluent Mexican professionals who want a night of danger and excitement of crossing the border without the three days in the desert.
This is all played in Eco Alberto, which is a state-owned park that is about three hours north of Mexico City in the state of Hidalgo. The closest border is actually hundreds of miles away.
Since its inception two years ago, the illegal crossing game has become a big weekend drawn and popular tourist attraction. And that translates to money for the small town.
About 3,000 tourists have played the immigrant game at Parque EcoAlberto. Meanwhile, some human rights groups have criticized the game as exploiting migrants.
http://www.kfmb.com/features/special_as ... p?id=80904
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