Migrant death toll in Arizona on record pace

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Migrant death toll in Arizona on record pace
Susan Carroll
The Arizona Republic
May. 29, 2003 07:15 PM


The discovery of four dead migrants in the Arizona desert Thursday is pushing the death toll to a record pace - and the worst months of summer have yet to come.

In the past week, the bodies of at least eight migrants were found, likely victims of heat exposure on the vast, sparsely populated Tohono O'odham nation in Southwestern Arizona.

Among the dead Thursday: A 16-year-old girl who crossed with her brother. A man in his 30s who died on the edge of a village, within about a mile from help. And a 43-year-old man who went to sleep in the desert beside family members and never woke up.

"Whenever we have this much tragedy in such a short time period, it's very, very discouraging," said Rob Daniels, a Bureau of Customs and Border Protection spokesman. "To have that many fatalities already this year . . . and we're not even to the most dangerous months of the summer."

By this time last fiscal year, which was the deadliest on record, Border Patrol agents in the Arizona reported 26migrant deaths. As of Thursday, authorities had counted 47 deaths in the same eight-month period. In all of last year, 145 migrants died crossing the Arizona border, which was deemed the nation's deadliest and most popular crossing area.

The recent deaths renewed the push for immigration reform, which gained momentum in May 2001 with the deaths of 14 migrants in the desert east of Yuma. But talks of a possible amnesty or guestworker program stopped abruptly after the Sept. 11 attacks.

On Wednesday, Sen. John McCain called for an immigration pact with Mexico, saying he plans to introduce legislation that would change America's immigration policies.

In the meantime, the deaths have led to unprecedented steps by officials on both sides of the Southwest border to deter crossings and rescue migrants. On Thursday morning, more than 400 Mexican federal police agents fanned out in Sonora border towns and rounded up polleros - people smugglers.

"In the coming days and weeks, the actions taken against the polleros will give us the results we've been hoping for a long time . . . a reduction in the number of entrants," Mexican Consul Carlos Flores Vizcarra said Thursday in a phone interview.

The U.S. government announced plans this week to install 20 more "rescue beacons" along the border, which can be used by migrants in distress to summons help. Both governments are running public service announcements about the dangers of summer crossings.

But they keep coming, despite the warnings.

As of Wednesday, agents in the Tucson Sector caught 209,833 migrants crossing illegally, down about 2 percent from 214,672 at this time last fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. The Yuma Sector in the western corner of the state reported a 30 percent increase in apprehensions from last year, with about 37,500 migrants caught so far this fiscal year.

"Obviously if we can prevent the crossing from occurring, ultimately we have prevented a potential death from occurring," Daniels said. "We have every intention of maintaining a very visible posture along the border in hopes of being able to prevent tragedy from occurring to unsuspecting migrants, who are brought out so far by the smugglers and then abandoned."



The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or (602) 444-8543.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0529border-az30-ON.html
 
They're always called "migrants" instead of illegal immigrants. It may not be the hottest part of the year, but temps have been in the low 100's for several days now.

Illegal or not, you don't cross the desert when it's over 100. These and other helpful tips are available from the medical journal: "Duh!"
 
The U.S. government announced plans this week to install 20 more "rescue beacons" along the border, which can be used by migrants in distress to summons help.
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In a related story, the mayors of five major cities annouced plans this week to install "getaway beacons" near inner city convenience stores, which can be used by holdup men facing capture to summon a fast car . . .
 
Why does the Arizona Repugnant think I give a :cuss: what happens to those ILLEGAL ALIENS out in the desert? I love it when they call me to take out a subscription. My response? "That communist rag isn't fit to wipe excrement off a boot."
 
They're always called "migrants" instead of illegal immigrants.
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Or invaders, or undocumented potential terrorists, or criminals.....

The saddest part of the whole thing is that the Mexican governemt actually encourages these illegal crossings. Mexico's single largest soure of national income comes from its citizens working in the US and sending money back home....so the more, the better :mad:


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We have $16 billion for AIDS in Africa but nothing for guarding our own borders. We have no troops to spare for stopping what is essentially a foreign invasion but we will no doubt have plenty of Nation Guard to thwart any "vigilantes" trying to do what our own Government won't to safeguard our sovereignty.

As for me I consider illegal immigrants to be fiscal suicide bombers.
 
This is testimony to how bad living in Mexico sucks. That area down there is absolutely barren desert. This is not much different than those people who were willing to try to cross the iron curtin 30 years ago.
I was down there hunting javelina a few years ago. I came across a group of illegals that were lost, had no food, and were drinking water from cattle troughs. They definitely would have been the next victims. I gave them food and water, and gave them a ride to the road. I am opposed to illegal immigration. I am against the whole concept of what they are doing, BUT, I am not going to leave a group of people for dead if there is anything I can do to prevent it.

During my two day hunt down there, I encountered hundreds and possibly thousands of illegals. Walking through the desert flushed illegals like jackrabbits. Every wash you came to had evidence of recent camps with empty food cans, etc. The vast majority of the American population has no idea of the scope of this problem. You would have to see it to believe it.
 
The vast majority of the American population has no idea of the scope of this problem. You would have to see it to believe it.
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Sad to say, I'm afraid you're right. I used to live in the People's Republic of California, where at least—at least!—10% of the population consists of illegal aliens. Now that I've returned to the United States, it still amazes me when people speak intelligible English in restaurants, stores, and filling stations.
 
Phonebooths with direct lines to the feds? Yeah, I can sure see an illegal immigrant using something like that. :rolleyes:

The people who don't make it due to dehydration have failed as intelligent beings. You simply don't fool around when it comes to water requirements in the desert. Even in mexico, I'm sure lots of canteens and good water are cheap compared to other costs associated with illegal treks into the U.S.
 
Ditto. I don't have sympathy for anyone trying to cross a deserton foot with inadequate water supplies. In one area of Arizona, you simply cannot carry enough water on foot to cross. I believe that area is known as the "Journada del Muerto". And look. The name is Spanish, so they should have asked around why it is called that.:rolleyes:
 
Mikul,
They're always called "migrants" instead of illegal immigrants.
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Thats been the case for many, many years. My mother taught “migrants†30 odd years ago and they weren’t called illegals back then either. In fact, when I was growing up the term “migrant†always meant “illegal immigrantâ€. It was just a more polite term than “wetbackâ€.

Longeyes,
We have $16 billion for AIDS in Africa but nothing for guarding our own borders.
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Same tired old “liene� Mind if I ask when you last perused the budget for the Border Patrol and compared it to past years? Information is readily available if you are actually interested in the truth.

Tyme,
The people who don't make it due to dehydration have failed as intelligent beings. You simply don't fool around when it comes to water requirements in the desert. Even in mexico, I'm sure lots of canteens and good water are cheap compared to other costs associated with illegal treks into the U.S.
Click to expand...
Its not physically possible for most of them to carry enough water to make those crossings (at least for most the reservation crossings). Especially when a family comes along with a small child that can’t even walk much less carry water. From certain crossing points it can literally take days on foot to get somewhere with water. Unfortunately many don't know that as smugglers tell all sorts of lies to the illegals. Telling them they have water stored in certain locations along the way or that its only “a few hours†travel is common. Once the smugglers get them across the border its easy to leave them and go back for another load the next night. It is rather pitiful and sad. Believe me when I say I hate illegal immigration (not immigrants) but I despise the ones that smuggle them across.
 
ahenry

It's not the dollars, it's the will. My view of government budgets is that they exist at bottom to support the bureaucrats and functionaries on various agency payrolls. The point is welfare, not action, certainly not problem-solving. Those who might really want to do their jobs don't get very far. Various mouthpieces for the government have made clear that the priority is a kinder, gentler form of entrée, not an interdiction. Interdiction has been ruled out as politically and economically undesirable.

There is no demonstrable will in Washington to do squat about the illegal alien problem. If Bush wanted to do something he knows what to say and how. He knows what steps he might take. He does nothing. And in that deafening silence and lack of action he is obviously not alone.

The only real action this Government is likely to take is to use armed governmental force to quash any "vigilante" actions at or near the border.

I'm still betting that Bush "solves" this problem by pushing another amnesty before the '04 Election. The best way to stop illegal immigration is to make it legal. Very Orwellian.
 
ahenry

I disagree about the semantic war going on. One can trace changes in my local paper, the L.A. Times. The term "illegal immigrant" was once common. It NEVER appears today. The Times prefers "migrant," "uninsured," or "under-served."
 
Longeyes,
It's not the dollars, it's the will.
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Hmmm. Then why say, “we have $16 billion for AIDS in Africa but nothing for guarding our own borders� That sounds a lot like a “dollar†issue to me. Of course I have always been sorta hung up on taking what a person says as an expression of what they think. :rolleyes:

There is no demonstrable will in Washington to do squat about the illegal alien problem.
Click to expand...
As I have said time and again and again and again, things have been done and continue to be done. Concrete steps that you discount for the sole reason that they are not what you personally would choose to do. Tell me, is it hard to breath with your head in the sand like that?

I disagree about the semantic war going on. One can trace changes in my local paper, the L.A. Times. The term "illegal immigrant" was once common. It NEVER appears today. The Times prefers "migrant," "uninsured," or "under-served."
Click to expand...
Wouldn’t know about California or the L.A. Times. So far I have done an excellent job of going nowhere near any place in CA. I am more familiar with that tiny border area known as Texas. I can only say that both as I was growing up and as I have moved into certain careers the term “migrant†has always been used and most often as a euphemism for an illegal.
 
ahenry

Actually, it's with my head in the smog, not in the sand. You know that. :D

I don't doubt for a minute that monies are being shuffled along the flow-chart and bodies are in ceaseless motion. All I know is the political will trickles down from the top and Mr. Bush is unwilling or unable to take a firm or honest stand on this issue. He might try a speech where he firmly defended national sovereignty along our border instead of tacitly agreeing with Mr. Powell that the border is really just a "region."

I think you and I have been in agreement, miraculously enough, on certain aspects of this problem in the past--viz., that step one would be to cut off public monies, including free health care and education, to illegal aliens. That would not doubt be more effective than attempting a police or military approach at this point. But one strains to hear a discouraging word from higher-ups in the White House or either major political party much less a suggestion for effective action--and they know full well what would be effective. No one dare say anything that might offend a potential voter, you see. That's pretty cynical, not to mention disrespectful of the majority in this country who want decisive action and are tired of paying the bills so that political candidates can play the compassion card on their way to re-election.

My point about the $16B is that in that case the Administration is trying to corral votes by spending; in the case of illegal immigration it is trying to corral votes by not spending. It's not about the money; money always appears where true vital interests are discovered.

If Bush doesn't outright propose an amnesty or a give-away of Social Security monies he will doubtless float a generous guest-worker program, if only to steal the issue from adversaries like Lieberman (who just today appeared to have discovered the border). I'm of the belief that no guest worker program will ever satisfy Mexico, if only because the amount of population that country needs to displace is going to be far in excess of any program politicians could sell here.
 
McCain: Immigration reform needed
By C.J. Karamargin
The Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), May 29, 2003

The United States should forge a new immigration accord with Mexico that
includes an amnesty and guest worker program, Republican Sen. John McCain
said during a visit to Tucson on Wednesday.

Despite the chill in relations that followed Mexican President Vicente
Fox's refusal to support U.S. military action against Iraq, McCain said the
time is right for a new agreement.

"The United States is the strongest nation in the world," Arizona's senior
senator said at his Tucson office. "It is not appropriate for us to seek
revenge against people who may have disagreed with us."

The lone exception, McCain said in a meeting with Southern Arizona
reporters, was France.

"The French have declared that they are a counterweight to the United
States," he said. "President Fox has declared that he is a friend of the
United States."

Working with Republican Rep. Jim Kolbe and other members of the state's
congressional delegation, McCain said he hopes legislation will soon be
introduced that addresses immigration in a "comprehensive" way.

A secure border, he said, can coexist with a program allowing Mexican
workers into the United States on a temporary basis to perform jobs that
Americans refuse to do.

"We proved in the drug war that as long as there's a demand for drugs,
drugs are going to come across" the border, McCain said. "As long as
there's a demand for workers, workers are going to come across."

Granting amnesty to Mexican immigrants already working, paying taxes and
raising children in the United States is key, McCain said. But it is also
the "knottiest" aspect of a new immigration agreement.

McCain's daylong trip to Tucson also included an address to the Tucson
Rotary Club, a meeting with University of Arizona President Peter Likins,
and a discussion with a UA history class.

About 35 student enrolled in a class on "Vietnam and the Cold War" peppered
McCain with questions about his experiences as a prisoner of war and as a
lawmaker who sought to normalize relations with Vietnam.

The class reading list included McCain's book "Faith of My Fathers," which
is now being turned into a screenplay by author Philip Caputo. Each student
came to class with a dog-eared copy of the best-selling book and stood in
line afterward for McCain's autograph.

"Outside of our Civil War, there has never been a more divisive conflict in
our history," McCain told the class.

The "only thing" that remains a source of anger about Vietnam, McCain said,
was that a disproportionate number of the soldiers who fought and died in
Vietnam were Hispanic, black and poor whites. That was "an unpardonable
sin," he said.

Hearing McCain in person impressed student Emily Herrell. The 20-year-old
Tucsonan said the book was inspirational. "It's good to have such a strong
leader from Arizona," she said. "I'm glad he came."
 
"The "only thing" that remains a source of anger about Vietnam, McCain said,
was that a disproportionate number of the soldiers who fought and died in
Vietnam were Hispanic, black and poor whites. That was "an unpardonable
sin," he said."










Myth: A disproportionate number of blacks were killed in the Vietnam War.

86% of the men who died in Vietnam were Caucasians, 12.5% were black, 1.2% were other races. (CACF and (Westmoreland papers)
 
The trouble with these proposals is they are toothless dogs. Which amnesty is really the LAST amnesty? And how big will the guest worker program grow? And how much emigration to the U.S. is Mexico going to continue to encourage even after such a program? So much depends on the good will of Mexico, and it's pretty hard, given Fox's posturing and politically-necessitated machismo, to believe Mexico really wants and will be satisfied with a one-time deal. There's no way to deal on something like this unless you are willing to drop the hammer, hard, if there's inadequate compliance. I believe American citizens are going to have to apply serious pressure on our own pols to make something like this work effectively.
 
exican Politicians Worry About National Interest –Unlike, Say, Dennis Hastert

By Allan Wall

Mexican politicians may be materially and morally corrupt – but at least they worry about the national interest. With American politicians, it’s the opposite…usually.

The Republicans in the House International Relations Committee just came up with a novel proposal that ruffled some feathers in Mexico. In fact, it got a lot more attention here in Mexico than in the U.S.

The Committee members voted to link any migratory accord with Mexico with the opening of PEMEX, Mexico’s oil monopoly, to American investment.

This is big news. Whatever you think of this particular proposal, it’s a great breakthrough that some American lawmakers are actually asserting that Mexico has to give us something – anything! - in exchange for opening the borders!

Thus far, the whole idea of a “migratory†i.e. immigration accord was predicated on the notion that the U.S. give Mexico veto power over American immigration policy, with nothing in return.

As Mexican commentator Luis Rubio so aptly put it in a Reforma column:

“Migration was never formulated as a subject of negotiation...we weren’t negotiating anything, but demanding concessions from the Americans.†(“Petroleum y migraciónâ€, Luis Rubio, Reforma, May 18th, 2003)

In Mexico, needless to say, the response to the Republican proposal was predictable. Politicos across the spectrum rushed to condemn it. They indignantly emphasized that PEMEX is not negotiable. President Fox publicly rejected the proposal several times, pointing out on one such occasion that PEMEX is “part of our history.â€

(PEMEX no se vende, reitera Fox , El Universal, May 12th, 2003)

This of course is a ridiculous argument – a lot of downright bad ideas are part of history, particularly Mexican history.

Foreign Minister Derbez also rejected the proposal out of hand

(Responde Derbez: PEMEX no se vende, Reforma, May 10th, 2003)

He explained that migration is a bilateral issue but oil is a domestic Mexican issue.

This is a commendably frank statement of Mexican government attitudes.

What’s mine is mine, what’s yours is - bilateral!

Naturally, what the House Republican proposal says about PEMEX is right on the money: PEMEX “is inefficient, plagued by corruption and in need of substantial reform and private investment.†And, as the amendment points out, reform of PEMEX could “fuel future economic growth, which can help curb illegal migration to the United States.†[My emphasis]

In all of Mexico, the only legal gas stations are PEMEX stations. For the captive Mexican customer, purchasing gasoline is more expensive than in the U.S.A. Allegedly belonging to “the people†of Mexico, PEMEX actually functions as a golden goose for the government of the day. In the 2000 election, PEMEX funds wound up in the coffers of the ruling PRI party candidate.

Mexico has twice the oil reserves of the U.S., but lack of capital prevents their exploitation. PEMEX is forbidden to have private partners in Mexican territory, but not abroad--which causes bizarre anomalies like the export of Mexican crude to Houston, Texas, where it is refined at a Shell-PEMEX refinery and re-imported to Mexico!

Similarly, there are vast, unexploited fields of natural gas in Mexican territory. But again, they can’t be properly exploited. So Mexico is a net importer of natural gas from the U.S.

Vicente Fox knows all this. Before he was president, Fox reportedly called for privatization, at an Economist Magazine conference in New York City. When the information was leaked to Mexico, Fox promptly denied it. Subsequently, he repeatedly promised not to privatize PEMEX.

Nevertheless, PEMEX is undergoing some limited privatization, albeit surreptitiously, through subcontracting. And although Economy Secretary Fernando Canales categorically declared, during the Ballenger feeding frenzy, that PEMEX “definitely will not be opened to foreign capital.†(AP, May 10th, 2003), exactly one week later, he declared that “State monopoly of energy is no longer necessary.†His proposal was vague - it envisions the continued existence of PEMEX, but with room for Mexican and foreign private sector investment. But it could be a trial balloon. (Insiste Canales en Abrir PEMEX a Inversión Privada, Proceso, May 17th, 2003)

However, the problem is that Gringo energy meddling will be counter-productive. It’s widely believed here that the U.S. grabbed Iraq for the oil. PEMEX itself was formed back in 1938 as a response to foreign oil investment. [VDARE.com note: the American side of the story may be found here, something about the Mexican government stealing half a billion- in 1938 dollars.] As a practical matter, there is little alternative for the U.S. but to wait for Mexicans to reform their energy industry in their own way, and on their own schedule, and with their own interests in mind.

As a believer in national sovereignty, I defend Mexico’s right to manage its own energy policy.

But I also defend the U.S right to manage its own immigration system.

The truth is that a “migratory accord†is a much greater risk to the sovereignty of the United States than any privatization of PEMEX is to the sovereignty of Mexico.

We can’t expect Mexican politicians to look out for the sovereignty of the U.S – that’s the duty of American politicians.

But American politicians are not doing their duty. Our lawmakers continue to promote an immigration accord.

Just last week, the Mexican press reported an interview with Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (“Necesario, Acuerdo Migratorio: EUâ€, May 16th, 2003, Siglo de Torreon) in which the speaker spoke in favor of not one but two (!) migratory accords with Mexico – an “immigration accord†and a “workers accord,†presumably dealing with illegals and guest workers.

Hastert refused to commit himself on the idea of an oil-immigration deal.

Let’s hope that Mexico does liberate its energy sector, for its own good. Meanwhile, the U.S. must reform its immigration system--for its own good.
 
Good article by Wall. Yes, it sounds like "su casa es mi casa" is the prevailing philosophy Down South. And, yeah, our problem with illegal aliens is that our own, up here, are willing to give away the store and get nothing back. This is not about compassion, about "cheap" labor, about votes. It's about quid pro quo, and most Americans--outside D.C. anyway--understand this.

Now the final indignity would be if Mexico invited Russia, France, or Germany to help in the PEMEX privatization process.
 
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