Numbers on illegals down, but criminal activity hits U.S. economy
By Dave Warren
Illegal migration into the U.S. has dropped. In 2005, about 500,000 Mexican nationals made their way into the U.S. illegally and within the last two years between 100,000 to 200,000 continued unauthorized crossings into the U.S., according to Zenteno Quintero. He cited statistics from both the U.S. Census and Mexico’s Population Census (MPC).
Unfortunately, that doesn’t tell the real story. The majority of those who come here ilegaly are not contributing to the U.S. economy, they are draining it, and it’s part of a criminal network.
People don’t just wander across the border and land somewhere in the US to start looking for a job.
According to many sources intimately involved with the flow of undocumented migrants across the US-Mexico border, the system is highly organized. In fact, the whole process depends on organized criminal activity.
The would-be migrants have a destination in mind. The destination is where other family members or friends are already living. Or where there is a high probability of a job waiting for them.
They either contact a “coyote” (slang for someone who assists in illegal immigration into the US) right at their home town, or they take a bus or get a ride to one of the border city staging areas such as Nogales or Sasabe or Sonoyta and then connect with a coyote.
There is a booming business on the Mexican side of the border with coyotes seeking their “pollos” (chickens in Spanish meaning migrant customers), and stores selling back packs, dark clothing, and water bottles.
The fee for getting into the US ranges from $1,000 to over $2,000. The more difficult it has become to get into the US, the higher the coyote fee. Usually part of the fee is paid up front with the balance paid after arrival in the US.
Once they’ve chosen their coyote, they prepare for the journey and are transported by the coyote to the crossing point.
The coyote usually doesn’t actually take the pollos across, they hire guides called “guias”. The guias actually walk with the pollos north, on well traveled trails scoped out over the years.
The crossing is made at night and the guias and pollos walk until daylight to a hiding place…10 or 20 miles north of the line. The pollos are dressed in dark clothing so they are not easily spotted.
Some of the pollos are abandoned by the guias after crossing, the pollos thinking they only have a few hours to walk until they reach a pickup point on Interstate 8. They have been misled and left to die in the desert or be captured by the Border Patrol.
The honorable guias (if there is such a thing) are fully prepared for a 2 or 3 day walk to a pickup point as far north as Ajo Road or near Green Valley.
The point of the walk is to bypass Border Patrol capture efforts and check points until they reach a designated pickup point on some remote dirt road.
It used to be the pickup points were one day walk north of the border, but due to increased Border Patrol presence, the pickup points have moved steadily north.
Once the pollos reach the pickup point they discard their backpacks and water bottles and change clothes to look “normal” if encountered. They take nothing with them beyond the pickup point, discarding even their Mexican identification papers.
The pickup points are obvious to border residents, aid workers and law enforcement agents as they are huge trash piles of back packs, clothing and empty water bottles.
The transit from the pickup points north often involved overloading vehicles, which sometimes crash. Stories are common of 20 or 30 pollos being injured in a crash involving a migrant transfer operation between the pickup point and the safe houses.
After the pollos are picked up they are delivered to “safe houses” in Tucson or Phoenix where they are held, in what looks to many like imprisonment, until the balance of the coyote fee is paid, usually through a wire transfer of money to the coyote in Mexico.
It should be noted that Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard has waged a very successful campaign against the wire transfer system that pays off the coyotes.
Once released from the captivity of the safe house, the pollos head off to where they intended…New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Omaha, wherever.
Once the pollo arrives at their destination they are adsorbed into the resident undocumented community, where they are much less likely to be apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
In the old days just the men migrated north for work, sending money home called “remittance” which kept many families alive in Mexico. Remittance money flowing into Mexico is reported the second largest source of foreign currency, only surpassed by oil income to that country.
Consider the instructions below, which have been translated from a pamphlet given to Mexicans by their own government.
It details how to enter the U.S. illegally and what to do one you are “across the border”:
INTRODUCTION
Dear Countryman:
This guide is meant to give you some practical advice that could be useful if you have made the difficult decision to seek new labor opportunities outside your country.
The safe way to enter another country is to obtain your passport from the Mexican foreign ministry, and a visa from the embassy or consulate of the country to which you wish to travel.
Still, in practice we see many cases of Mexicans who try to cross the northern border without the necessary documents, traveling through dangerous terrain, which includes deserts and rivers with strong and sometimes invisible currents.
By reading this guide, you can also find out about basic legal issues concerning your stay in the United States of America without the appropriate immigration documentation, as well as about the rights you have in that country, once there, regardless of your migratory status.
Always keep in mind that there are mechanisms so that you may enter the United States of America legally. …
DANGERS OF CROSSING …
Crossing the river can be very risky, especially if you cross alone and at night.
Heavy clothing grows heavier when wet and this makes it difficult to swim or float.
If you cross the desert, try to walk during hours when the heat is not so intense.
The highways and towns are very spread out, so it will take several days to find roads and you will not be able to lug food or water for such a long time; you can also get lost.
Drinking water mixed with salt will help to replace lost body fluids. Although you will feel thirstier, there is a much lower risk of dehydration if you drink salt water.
If you get lost, use power lines, train tracks or dirt roads as guides.
BE CAREFUL WITH ‘POLLEROS’…
They may try to fool you with assurances that they will take you across in a few hours through mountains or deserts. This is not true! They can risk your life leading you across rivers, irrigation canals, desert zones, train lines or high-speed highways.
If you decide to resort to “polleros,” “coyotes” or “pateros” to cross the border, consider the following precautions:
Do not let him out of your sight; remember that he is the only one who knows the terrain and, therefore, the only one who can lead you across.
Distrust anyone who offers to take you to the “other side” and asks you to drive a vehicle or carry a package for him. Those packages often contain drugs or other prohibited substances. For this reason, many people have ended up in prison.
If you transport other people, you could be confused with a “pollero” or “coyote,” and they can accuse you of smuggling people or stealing a vehicle.
DO NOT USE FALSE DOCUMENTS …
If you try to cross with false documents or ones that belong to another person, keep in mind the following:
Using false documents or those of another person is a federal crime in the United States, for which you can be tried and sent to prison; the same is true if you use a false name or say you are a United States citizen when you are not.
IF YOU ARE DETAINED
Do not resist arrest.
Do not assault or insult the official.
Do not throw stones or objects at the official or at the patrol car, as this is considered a provocation of the officials.
If the officials feel assaulted, it’s probable that they will use force to detain you. Raise your hands slowly so that they see that you are unarmed.
Do not run or try to escape.
Do not hide in dangerous places.
Do not cross high-speed highways.
It is better that they detain you for a few hours and repatriate you to Mexico than that you get lost in the desert.
YOU HAVE RIGHTS!
Your rights are:
To know where you are.
To ask permission to communicate with a representative of the nearest Mexican consulate, so that you can get help.
To refuse to make a declaration or sign documents, especially if they are in English, without the advice of a lawyer or a representative of the Mexican consulate.
To receive medical attention if you are injured or sick.
To be respected and treated well, no matter what your migrant status.
To be transported in a safe manner.
To have water and food whenever you need it.
Not to state your migratory status when detained.
Not to be hit or insulted.
Not to be held incommunicado.
To ask for a receipt, so that you can reclaim your belongings if they are taken from you.
[No translation.]
AVOID
Avoid calling attention to yourself, at least while you arrange your stay or documents for living in the United States.
The best formula is to not alter your routine at work or at home.
Avoid loud parties; the neighbors might be bothered and call the police and you could be arrested.
Avoid getting into fights. If you go to a bar or nightclub and a fight breaks out, leave, for in the confusion you could be arrested even though you did nothing.
Avoid family or domestic violence. In the United States, as in Mexico, it is a crime. Domestic violence is not only blows, but also threats, shouts and mistreatment.
If you are accused of domestic violence against your children, partner or some other person you live with, you could go to jail.
Do not carry firearms, knives or other dangerous objects. Keep in mind that many Mexicans are dead or in prison for this reason.
If the police enter your house or apartment, do not resist, but ask for the search warrant. It’s better to cooperate and ask to be put in touch with the nearest Mexican consulate.
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