Hunt for illegal immigrants in the Arizona desert
Naco, AZ. His sneakers betrayed him. The young man with the dark skin and tired look, keeps claiming in Spanish that he is a US citizen. But his dirty sneakers tell another story. Their soles fit the prints the Border Patrol followed since last night and that lead them straight to the small trailer. With the agents pointing at his sneakers, the young man knows he is trapped. He finally gives up and admits that he is from the State of Jalisco in Central Mexico. He climbed over the wall three miles from here, which was built to separate Naco, a small town beaten by the sun on the Mexican side of the desert, from its namesake in Arizona. The young man was hiding with two other illegal immigrants in the small trailer behind a decrepit house. They were waiting for the night to fall to resume wandering through the vast and dangerous desert. “We saw four men climb over the wall last night”, says officer Sommersault. One man is missing. The US authorities estimate that 80% of people trying to cross the border, manage to get into the US without being caught. Despite the risks – 3800 people have died trying to cross the border since 1993 –, scores of men and women keep trying to get to El Otro lado. According to the Center of Immigration Studies, one million illegal immigrants cross the US borders every year. The US Congress decided to react. Last December, the House of Representatives approved the construction of a 750-mile wall along the US-Mexico border. This project would cost $2,2 billion but in this election year a lot of Representatives are supporting it. In the Senate, talks are under way. As thousands of people demonstrated last week in Chicago in favor of an amnesty for undocumented immigrants, many republicans joined democrats in support of the Bush plan. The president is aware that the 11 million undocumented immigrants play a major role in the US economy and is calling for the introduction of working permits for the foreigners, who are doing jobs the Americans do not want to do. Some republicans reject this idea and support the Minutemen. For this private group based in Arizona, illegal immigration is a potential terrorist threat. The Minutemen have been patrolling along the border in the desert of Arizona and calling the border patrol when they spot illegal immigrants trying to cross the border. Carmen Mercer, an American woman from German origin, and Al Garza are in charge of the minutemen project in the Douglas and Naco area. When on patrol, Al Garza wears a white Stetson. The retired private detective from Los Angeles explains why he joined Minutemen by pointing at a broken fence : “That is what the border looks like”, he says showing barbed wire that had been torn apart. This fence is supposed to prevent the illegal immigrants from entering the US. Do you think it is safe?”. On both sides of the fence, a path and piles of trash reveal that it is a common route. “This border is a joke”, Mr Garza adds. The president should declare a state of emergency in the border States and deploy the National Guard”. Douglas lies twenty miles away from the broken fence. The sleepy town border town is separated from it large Mexican neighbor Agua Prieta by a high wall. The illegal immigrants who manage to climb over the wall have one goal: leave this town behind as soon as possible. Jobs have gone the other way and crossed the border into the cheaper Agua Prieta. There lies the paradox of the border that draws thousands of illegal immigrants every year. Among them, the young guy arrested in Naco will try his luck again soon after being deported to Mexico, because his dream of a better life lies somewhere beyond the desert. CommentsYou must be logged in to post a comment. |
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