Cinco de Mayo

[SteveStromberg]

118 illegal crossers held in Organ Pipe

• Email this Story

• Printer friendly version

• Write a letter to the Editor

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Border Patrol agents caught a group of 118 illegal border crossers in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument shortly after midnight Tuesday.

The agents spotted the group near Red Tanks Trail, and a horse patrol and agents on foot caught the group.

People in the group told agents that smugglers had brought them through Sonoyta, Sonora, at the westernmost edge of Pima County and that they were headed to Phoenix and Los Angeles.

Also Tuesday, a Mexican man believed to be in his 20s died in a car crash about five miles north of Ajo on Arizona 85, about 5:20 a.m. The man had not been identified Tuesday afternoon, and the investigation is ongoing.

Meanwhile, officials said the remains of two entrants were found over the weekend. Border Patrol agents Saturday morning recovered the body of a Mexican man who died of heat exposure 10 miles southwest of Ajo, said Tucson Sector spokesman Rob Griffin .

In the second incident, bleached, skeletal human remains were found Sunday south of the Tohono O'odham village of Gunsight.

The agency has recovered the bodies of 33 illegal border crossers since Oct. 1.

[Paco Anton]

Originally posted by unfixed
i cant find Hispania on any map.

Hispania is the name the ancient Romans gave to the country now known as Spain. "Hispanic" would be someone whose origin can be traced to Spain or to a country whose culture derives from Spain because of discovery conquer or whatever.

Latino is derived from Latin, which is the language that (again) ancient Romans spoke and from which a lot of modern languages derive. Latino would apply to someone whose mother tongue has Latin roots (i.e. Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian). The word "Latin American" was created to include Brazilians (which speak Portuguese), which otherwise would not be covered by "Hispanic" or "Spanish Americans".

In general we Spaniards (from Spain) do not share all the phisical and cultural traits associated with "Hispanic"or "Latinos". Bear in mind that the Spanish rule over Central and South America did not completely wipe out existing peoples and cultures and that in many of these countries the percentage of population of European descent is low.

[911ctS]

Originally posted by Hugh R
"Hugh, your comment assumes all "Latinos" are Illegals."

Two different statements, and I should have been clearer. The $'s spent by Latinos, Hispanics, Mexican/Columbian/whatever-Americans, is a so what statement, what about how much money Scotish-Americans spend. If your illegal, you probably suck more out of the system than you'll ever put back in.

EXACTLY!!

"Yeah, but if they weren't around (working for nothing) you and I would be picking our own artichokes... or paying $4 dollars for them..."

Thats fine by me. I'll grow a whole garden in my back yard if it means booting all the illegals out of OUR country. I'll pay $20 for an artichoke but I will keep my pride and dignity.

[Moneyguy1]

Paco..

Excellent summary.

Sometimes we, in the States, get a little "parochial" Folks sometimes forget that Spain is considered part of Europe and the descendents of the original "settlers" interbred with indiginous peoples in the Americas. Therefore, many descendents are mixed ancestery such as myself (part American/Canadian Indian, French, German). Frankly, I do not know where, in the world, except in a few isolated cases, one would find a "pure" anything..

Once again, Thanks.

Being from Tucson we do celebrate "CdM" down here. A fun day, whether or not it crosses the border to my South.

[SteveStromberg]

84 in 3 vans held in smuggling attempt

By Anna Cearley
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
May 6, 2004

U.S. authorities are trying to determine who the smugglers are among dozens of illegal immigrants packed into three vans that crashed through a U.S. border gate Monday night.

Thirty-one people were detained when one of the vans got stuck near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.

U.S. Border Patrol agents later detained 53 more people after following their vehicles to Temecula. Seven people in that group were treated for minor burns. Another person had a gunshot wound to the leg, apparently from a confrontation at the border.

The incident didn't develop into the kind of high-speed chase that human rights groups have criticized, but the smugglers still put the passengers at risk, Border Patrol officials said.

"It just shows what reckless disregard for human life that unscrupulous smugglers have," said Border Patrol spokesman Richard Kite. "It's an unnecessary risk of their lives and that of those contained in the vans."

The incident started around 7:45 p.m. Monday when one of the vans, equipped with a battering-ram device, crashed through a metal gate in front of Mexico's port of entry, said Vince Bond, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection.

Commercial trucks use the U.S.-owned gate to enter Mexico.

A U.S. officer fired at one of the vans as it appeared to be heading toward her, Bond said, and the driver may have been wounded. But that van and another continued north, going the wrong way in the southbound U.S. lanes.

The last van got tangled in the fallen gate, he said, resulting in the detention of 31 people.

The first two vans stopped so those inside could be transferred to two other vans that continued on the northbound side of the roadway, said Tom Jimenez, another spokesman for the Border Patrol.

Border Patrol agents discreetly followed those vans for more than an hour to Temecula, he said.

One of the vans was stopped on Sandia Creek Drive west of Temecula after it drove over a strip with spikes that had been laid out on the roadway.

As one or more of the tires of the van deflated, friction from the van's wheel rims created heat that passed through the van's uncarpeted bottom, Kite said.

Twenty-three people in that van were detained, including seven who were taken to hospitals for treatment of "slight burns" due to the heat from the van's bottom, Jimenez said.

The second van was stopped near Rancho California Road and Avenida Del Oro, Border Patrol officials said, and 30 more people were detained. The gunshot victim was believed to be part of that group, Kite said.

The three vans included Mexicans and people from other parts of Latin America, Jimenez said.

[on-ramp]

Welcome to Amexica, people!

HAHAHA

[SteveStromberg]

Border apprehensions on rise; 100,000 more than last year

By Patti Lewis
Posted: Thursday, May 6, 2004 4:51 PM PDT

Nogales International

Illegal immigrant apprehensions have skyrocketed in the Tucson sector.

Halfway into this fiscal year, which began in October, agents have detained over 100,000 more migrants than during the entire past fiscal year. Apprehensions in the Nogales corridor, which includes both Nogales and Sonoita stations, have nearly doubled last year's totals.

Agents operating in the Nogales corridor have detained 53,000 undocumented migrants as of May 4, said Andy Adame, Border Patrol spokesman.

During fiscal year 2003, agents apprehended 28,000 agents.

Rising numbers of arrests reflect both an increase in illegal immigration and stepped-up enforcement along the Arizona Border, Adame said.

The $10 million Arizona Border Control Initiative was announced in March by the Department of Homeland Security. The plan calls for increasing the number of agents assigned to the Tucson sector and adding technological resources along the border.

Adame said this time of year usually sees a spike in illegal immigration. Economic problems and increasing unemployment coupled with a six-year drought in northern Mexico have driven larger numbers of Mexican nationals to cross the border illegally.

"Jobs are running out down there," he said.

Agents conduct periodic surveys of migrants in custody to ascertain their reasons for attempting a border crossing. Most often, they tell agents that the possibility of employment in the United States is their incentive to cross, Adame said.

Agents are now patrolling remote areas that were previously left uncovered. The increase in vigilance has led to more apprehensions, both of illegal immigrants and drugs.

The Tucson sector will receive an additional 200 agents by June. Unmanned Arial Vehicles (UAVs) will fly over remote areas along the border to assist in monitoring the border.

In addition to more agents and UAVs, Border Patrol received four new helicopters, Adame said.

Over 100 agents assigned to BORSTAR, the agency's search and rescue unit, and BORTAC, Border Patrol's tactical unit, are working in the Tucson sector, he said.

The agency has also been seizing record numbers of vehicles. According to a Border Patrol press release, over $20 million in assets have been seized so far this fiscal year. Such assets include homes, vehicles and currency.

During the month of March, agents seized 903 vehicles in the Tucson sector. Vehicle seizures are increasing, with 3,406 cars or trucks used in smuggling taken by Border Patrol since October.

Stolen vehicles are often used to transport illegal immigrants and drugs. Border Patrol reported the recovery of 228 stolen vehicles this fiscal year.

[SteveStromberg]

Bill Requires Cops To Report Arrests To Immigration
by john toscano


Citing two serious crimes occurring in Northeast Queens that were committed by illegal immigrants, state Senator Frank Padavan authored a bill requiring state and local police to verify and report the citizenship status of persons arrested under state law. The bill was passed by the senate April 19.

"I want to know that these people are being referred to the proper federal authorities and that steps are being taken to get them out of this country," Padavan declared.

"This isn’t about profiling," he stated. "It’s about taking people already being charged with a crime and checking out their immigration status."

One of the cases alluded to by Padavan (R–C, Bellerose) was the recent arrest of a large group of Colombian immigrants "here illegally," Padavan said, who have been charged with more than 300 house burglaries in Flushing, Whitestone, Bayside and other affluent Northeast Queens communities.

Padavan noted, "a number of them had prior arrest records." During one of the robberies, he added, "a woman was raped in her own home while her children slept."

The veteran lawmaker also stated, "There is no indication that any of the 52 arrested individuals associated with these robberies have been referred to the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This is outrageous."

For the Whole Story
http://www.qgazette.com/news/2004/0505/Front_Page/002.html

[pohsche]

Stromberg, you win the PP Presidents Cup for the most paranoid bigot of the year. Congratulations, I hope your daughter marries someone lilly white.

Alan Poh
'77 Carrera 3.0

[ronin]

Originally posted by BlueSkyJaunte
Wait....the French military actually won a battle?

nope. I know the sentence sounds a little confusing, but it means to say that the Mexicans defeated a better equipped French army. nothing unusual there

[SteveStromberg]

Police: Illegal immigrant abducted when aunt unable to pay smugglers his fee

The Associated Press

CORONA, Calif. --
A 15-year-old boy, who was transported illegally from Guatemala to Southern California, was kidnapped by smugglers after his aunt failed to produce enough money, police said Sunday.

David Flores' aunt had arranged to meet his smugglers at a Chevron gas station in Corona, where the boy was to be exchanged Saturday for a predetermined amount of money, Police Chief Richard O. Gonzales said in a statement.

"The exchange was made. However, the aunt was not able to provide the full amount as agreed upon," Gonzales said. "The suspects became upset and forcibly removed the juvenile from the aunt's vehicle."

Police, who issued a statewide Amber Alert for Flores, believe his abductors may be in the San Diego area.

Gonzales said the kidnappers, who fled with the aunt's money and jewelry, put the boy in a late 1980s or early '90s model SUV believed to be either a Chevrolet Suburban or Tahoe. The blue-and-white vehicle contained a California license plate with the partial number 2C - K857.

One of the boy's abductors was described as 5-feet-8-inches tall, weighing about 190 pounds, with short brown hair, brown eyes, a thin mustache and a small birthmark on his neck. He was believed to be about 36.

The other was described as about 34, standing 5-feet-10, weighing 200 pounds, and wearing a blue baseball cap and black sunglasses.

Police said the victim is 5-feet-8 and weighs about 130 pounds. He has dark, short curly hair and was last seen wearing a light blue, long-sleeved, button-up shirt, a gray, zippered jacket and dark pants.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Corona Police Department at (909) 736-2334 or 736-2335.