[ad_1]
Sunland Park, New Mexico (Border report) – Security cameras and two large “no entry” signs guard the home of Sandra, the owner of Sanglan Park. But what reminds her most often is that the undocumented immigrant trotting past her property is her beloved dog.
“I see them passing or running every day,” said a woman who lives less than 1,500 feet from the US-Mexico border wall. “I can say that 20 people pass by here every day. It can be in the early morning, but even more so at night. My dog ??will bark at that time because someone is there.”
Just like Sandra refused to reveal her surname for fear of smugglers’ reprisals, residents of this New Mexico town have been flooded with police telephone lines for the past few months because immigrants from Mexico jumped into their backyards. Run across their porch or knock on the door to beg for water or food.
“I hear these calls every day when I go to work. There were 10 people running around Alto Vista at 6 o’clock yesterday morning. There is a safety issue because all the people on duty must gather in the community, and the rest of the city is left unattended,” Sang Lan Park Police Chief Javier Guerra said.
Then there were other calls—they forced the town’s first responders to face the crisis. In the past four weeks, police or firefighters from Sunland Park assisted the US Border Patrol five times in places where immigrants died of heatstroke or falls.
“Smugglers just abandon them in the desert, or send them to (Mount) Cristo Rey. They are not familiar with the terrain; when the temperature reaches triple digits or when they fall from a height, they will get lost. A few days ago, we The (corpse) of a woman who fell face-down on Cristorei’s rock was recovered,” Guerra said.
This is because the number of illegal immigrants entering the United States continues to reach a level not seen in 20 years, with 180,000 immigrants experiencing Federal authorities reported in May, And more than one million in the past three months.
Sunland Park-Santa Teresa, a hot spot for illegal immigrants
Border Patrol officials said that an area extending from the hills of Sunland Park to Santa Teresa, New Mexico has become one of the hot spots for illegal immigrants in the United States. The area is located across the state border from El Paso, Texas. . They accused Mexican drug cartels of increasing involvement in migrant smuggling activities.
“Unlike the 2019 and 2020 fiscal years, when we saw family groups entering and surrendering to Border Patrol agents, what we are now seeing are mainly single adults who evade arrest and do not seek asylum,” the director of border patrol special operations Wa Leiria Morales said.
You can see who came from the cartel’s fingerprints. The Border Patrol said that Ecuadorian citizens have paid between US$8,000 and US$15,000 to smugglers to travel 3,000 miles from South America to the United States. It is now the largest group arrested here.
Unfamiliarity with desert terrain and triple-digit temperatures has always been a worrying issue. “Unfortunately, this is something we often see, now every day into the summer,” Morales said. “This industry has […] Very vast and remote area. It takes several hours to reach the nearest highway. Immigrants don’t know how long they will travel. “
The most recent death in Sunland Park was an immigrant who died of intense heat near Highway 273 in New Mexico. If he has the ability to cross the sand dunes in front of him, he will see the highway or nearby blocks.
Beacon of hope
The Border Patrol is negotiating with local stakeholders to install 16 emergency beacons in remote areas of El Paso so that immigrants in trouble can get help.
Beacons-a mobile cell phone tower-have been used in the Big Bend Sector near Presidio and the El Paso Sector near Deming, New Mexico
The mobile tower used by Big Bend is a 20-foot-plus solar power plant with simple drawings and instructions in English and Spanish. The migrants left behind by the smugglers can see them from far away, approach, press the button and get help from the border patrol and emergency personnel.
Morales said that all five rescue beacons in the El Paso district are near Deming.
“We don’t have one in the Sunland Park-Cristo Rey area. However, because this is important to the El Paso area, we are…in the development stage or establishing 16 beacons throughout the area, and some will be located in this specific area, “she says. “This will definitely help the agents find many immigrants stranded in the desert.”
The US Customs and Border Protection said earlier this month that in May alone, its officials conducted 7,084 rescues across the country. The agency has implemented 35% more rescue operations in the first eight months of this fiscal year than in the entire fiscal year of 2020.
Residents of Sunland Park have mixed feelings about illegal immigration
Sandra, the owner of Sunland Park, who lives near the border wall, said that most of the immigrants she met “may be good people.” However, she also had some embarrassing experiences.
“They tried to get into our car. We told them to leave or we would call the police,” she said. “You feel bad, you want to be (humane) but there may be consequences if we help them.”
Other neighbors say they don’t like immigrants knocking on doors for food, water or money. “You never know whether they are good or bad,” said another neighbor who declined to be named.
The man said that once he saw a man picking up two men and a woman from the border wall in a pickup park in front of his house, and he called the police.
Police Chief Guerra said that smugglers and hiding places are closely related to migrant trafficking.
“Smuggling is a federal issue, but we did hear about it. Last month, three teenagers from Las Cruces were detained near Highway 9 and they smuggled five people. The teenager has weapons,” he said . “It’s shocking to see this because these organizations target young people because it’s cheaper for them.”
Experts told the border report that smugglers paid between US$100 and US$150 to teenagers, unemployed residents, and low-level gang members to transport migrants from near the border wall to hiding places.
Gera said he discourages local people, especially young people, from agreeing to transport unauthorized immigrants. “This will damage your chances of living a good life, because it will always be in your record,” the police chief said. “In addition, these organizations will not let you leave, they will want you to continue to work for them. Unknowingly, it is not people who are transporting drugs, but drugs.”
He also encouraged parents to pay close attention to their teenage children, especially in this turbulent environment.
“Sometimes the parents think that their children borrow a car to go to the store. Then they receive a call from the Border Patrol saying that their son or daughter has been arrested for smuggling aliens,” Gera said. “They have to go through this, and the most important thing is that sometimes their cars are confiscated.”
Mayor Javier Perea agrees that the wave of immigration puts pressure on urban resources and forces residents to make difficult choices. He said the city has no plans to collect fees from the federal government to assist federal agencies, although this would increase the burden on the emergency services budget.
In addition, he also distinguished the difference between cooperating with other civil servants and enforcing immigration laws. He said that the city will not do the latter.
“When it comes to the safety of our community, we communicated with (Border Patrol). The relationship with the federal government is very important,” Perea said. “We support each other to protect our law enforcement officers (officials). The last thing we heard was the death of the Border Patrol officer or the death of the Sunland Park police officer because there was not enough support or personnel.”
[ad_2]
Source link
