August 10, 2004
Daniel González
The Arizona Republic
PALOMA - At least 12 undocumented immigrants have been found dead in the southern Arizona desert since Friday, including five from a single group who perished Sunday, making this past weekend among the deadliest in years, authorities said.
They blamed the deaths on the extreme heat and smugglers who continue to guide migrants through some of the most treacherous areas in the country in an attempt to elude stepped-up enforcement along the southern Arizona border.
"As long as the smugglers continue to take the migrants out into the remote desert, the potential will always exist," said Rob Daniels, a spokesman for the Tucson sector of the U.S. Border Patrol. "Whenever you combine desperation on the part of the migrants and greed on the part of the smugglers, the potential for disaster is very high."
This weekend's deaths come at a time when the Border Patrol has added 260 agents, including 60 trained in search-and-rescue efforts, to the Tucson sector in an effort to control illegal immigration and reduce deaths in southern Arizona, the nation's main gateway for illegal immigration.
On July 12, in cooperation with the Mexican government, the Border Patrol also began flying undocumented immigrants arrested in remote desert areas to Guadalajara and Mexico City in an effort to reduce migrant deaths, which have soared in recent years.
The latest deaths occurred during one of the hottest weekends of the summer when temperatures climbed to 113 degrees Sunday in Gila Bend, near where at least five undocumented immigrants died after running out of water the day before.
Four undocumented immigrants were found dead Sunday south of Paloma Ranch about 70 miles southwest of Phoenix near Gila Bend. Another migrant from the same group died later at the hospital.
The five dead were part of a group of 10 undocumented immigrants who had crossed the border illegally Thursday afternoon, Border Patrol officials said. Two others remained hospitalized Monday, officials said.
The five deaths from a single group was the highest in Arizona since 14 undocumented immigrants perished over the Memorial Day weekend in 2001, Border Patrol officials said.
Mexican consular officials said the group belonged to two families from the states of Guerrero and Michoacan in Mexico.
Border Patrol officials said they believe the group's smuggling guide was among the dead.
On Monday afternoon, Border Patrol agents stopped searching for another migrant from the same group because a dust storm Sunday night had wiped out footprints. Agents equipped with all-terrain vehicles had been using the footprints to track the migrants on the Barry M. Goldwater Range, an unpopulated desert area used for bombing practice and training by the Air Force.
The migrant was presumed dead, said Agent Andy Adame, a spokesman for the Tucson sector of the Border Patrol. After searching for 10 hours Monday, agents gave up finding him alive, Adame said.
Besides the five migrants confirmed dead Sunday, the bodies of seven more undocumented immigrants have been found since Friday, authorities said.
On Friday afternoon, Border Patrol agents from the Tucson sector found the body of an undocumented immigrant east of Naco, Adame said.
On Saturday morning, Border Patrol agents from the Yuma sector found a woman in severe distress who had crossed the border illegally with her husband. The woman died Monday afternoon after being taken to the Yuma Regional Medical Center, supervisory Agent Joe Brigman said.
On Sunday, Border Patrol agents from the Yuma sector found the body of an undocumented immigrant on the bombing range, Brigman said. Another migrant from the same group of 16 undocumented immigrants was taken to the hospital and died Monday morning, Brigman said.
On Sunday, a rancher called the Border Patrol after finding the severely decomposed body of an undocumented immigrant near Sonoita, 48 miles southeast of Tucson, Adame said.
Pima County sheriff's deputies also found two badly decomposed bodies over the weekend in southern Arizona that are believed to be undocumented immigrants. One was found Friday in the desert area near Amado, 40 miles south of Tucson; the second was found Sunday morning south of Interstate 10 near Sonoita, said deputy Dawn Barkman, a spokeswoman for the Pima County Sheriff's Department.
According to Border Patrol officials, 118 undocumented immigrants have died in southern Arizona since Oct. 1, compared with 127 during the same period last year.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0810migrantdeaths.html