Note: there has been a significant increase in both numbers and
sizes of groups coming across in AZ also.
Public's help sought to battle human smuggling
April 19, 2012 10:34 PM
Ildefonso Ortiz
The Monitor
http://www.themonitor.com/news/mcallen-60259-public-smuggling.html
McALLEN — Law enforcement officials from the federal, state and local
level met Thursday afternoon at the McAllen Border Patrol Station to
discuss the number of immigrant stash houses that have been popping
up in the area.
After the meeting, the law enforcement officials spoke with the
public, asking for their involvement. The message was clear: Report
any suspicious activity to a law enforcement agency.
While the public may not want to get involved, thinking that it's
just people looking for a better life in the U.S., the truth is that
they are subjected to deplorable conditions and often become victims
of other violent crimes, said Rosendo Hinojosa, Border Patrol's RGV
Sector chief.
Hinojosa said that in 2011, authorities found 45 stash houses,
prosecuted 49 suspected human smugglers and apprehended 248 illegal
immigrants in the RGV Sector.
Those numbers have spiked in 2012, Hinojosa said, thanks in part to
heightened vigilance and better coordination among enforcement agencies.
So far this year, authorities have found 84 stash houses, prosecuted
50 suspected human smugglers and apprehended about 1,000 illegal
immigrants.
The journey for the immigrants begins with an individual trusting the
care of their loved one to a human smuggler who will get him to the
U.S., Hinojosa said.
"Don't be mistaken: This is a business," he said, adding that the
immigrant is stuffed in a bus or other form of transportation and
moved to the border. "Don't trust your loved one to someone that
cares more about money than life."
Once they are over the border, they are crammed by the dozens into
small stash houses, where they wait to be transported north before
being dropped off just south of the Border Patrol checkpoints, which
they must circumvent on foot through harsh terrain.
During the journey, the women may be raped, the immigrants may not be
fed or given water, and the conditions of the houses are unsanitary,
Hinojosa said.
"We wouldn't treat animals that way," said Jerry Robinette, special
agent in charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "Yet
human beings are being treated that way."
In addition to investigations by law enforcement, the public can be a
key partner in stopping the criminal enterprise by calling
authorities, Hinojosa said.
"If the house was vacant and all of a sudden you have 40 people
living in it, there's something wrong," Hinojosa said.
When asked about the Palmview rollover where nine immigrants from
Mexico were killed, Hinojosa said it was a "tragic incident."
While human smuggling may be overlooked by individuals thinking it is
a harmless crime, in reality it has many victims and large profits,
Robinette said.
"We have addressed it as (a criminal enterprise), seizing assets
whenever possible in order to disrupt the activities," he said.
ICE agents will investigate the criminal structure of the
organization, working to not only arrest a smuggler but dismantle and
prosecute the organization as a whole, Robinette said.
Many times the smuggling is directly connected to transnational
criminal organizations in Mexico and Central America, and federal
authorities have to work with their international counterparts to
target their operations locally, Robinette said.
ENCUESTAS
¿Cree usted los candidatos del PRD a los cargos de elección a nivel
local trabajarán unidos para buscar la victoria en las elecciones del
primero de Julio?
NO (69%, 44 Votes)
SI (31%, 20 Votes)
Total Voters: 64
EDITORIAL
EDICIÓN IMPRESA
Publicado abril 20, 2012, 1:32 AM
VARIAS TARIFAS PARA CRUZAR LA FRONTERA
Venden traficantes 'paquetes' a ilegales
Ante el complejo modus operandi de estos grupos, la cooperación
regional e internacional es indispensable para combatir el fenómeno.
Lo más preocupante es que ya lucran con inmigrantes incluso de Asia y
África
Excélsior
México, DF - Nuevo Día
http://www.nuevodia.com.mx/nacional/venden-traficantes-paquetes-a-
ilegales/
Las mafias que se dedican al tráfico ilícito de migrantes ofrecen
"paquetes" que oscilan desde los 3 mil hasta los 20 mil dólares por
el paso a otro país, de acuerdo con la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas
contra la Droga y el Delito (UNODC). El monto depende del grado de
sofisticación de los servicios que ofrezcan.
"El primer paquete es el del migrante que paga simplemente para una
asistencia para traspasar fronteras y luego tiene una asistencia
mínima cuando llega al país de destino, de ese paquete podemos estar
hablando de hasta unos 6 mil dólares; si vemos un paquete mucho más
complejo: asistencia en cuanto a facilitación de documentos
falsificados, ya podemos estar hablando de más de 20 mil dólares",
detalló Amado Philip de Andrés, representante regional en Panamá de
la UNODC.
Tan sofisticado se ha vuelto el negocio que, incluso, una de las
prácticas de los grupos que se dedican al traslado ilícito de
migrantes es llevar a las personas a un país que no es el suyo,
presentarlas ante el registro civil para que sean reconocidas como
nacionales, con lo que tienen un documento para tramitar un pasaporte
que será auténtico.
"Para el africano es muy difícil distinguir a una hondureña de un
guatemalteco o un español de un francés, para nosotros es difícil
distinguir un chino de un taiwanés, o japonés".
; las mafias saben eso y utilizan este paquete complejo con
documentos falsificados con mucho apoyo logístico en la llegada",
explicó.
Además, agregó, hay veces que, incluso, se le brinda apoyo al
migrante en el país de destino durante sus primeros tres meses de
estancia para encontrar trabajo, servicio por el cual aumenta el costo.
Durante la clausura de la Conferencia Internacional sobre el Tráfico
Ilícito de Migrantes, que se realizó en nuestro país, el
representante regional de la UNODC destacó la importancia de ir tras
el dinero de las mafias que trafican con migrante y que, se calcula,
suman cada año 7 mil millones de dólares.
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