Vehicle theft task force turns up heat in Yuma
BY JEFFREY GAUTREAUX, SUN STAFF WRITER

In only eight days in late January, law enforcement recovered more than 30 stolen vehicles, busted a chop shop and made 10 arrests as part of an overall effort to decrease vehicle theft in the Yuma area, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

With Arizona as the No. 2 state in the nation for vehicle theft, DPS Sgt. J.B. Wisner said there is more than enough work for law officers to handle when it comes to stolen cars. He said that an infusion of manpower thanks to state grants allowed for the successful recent details.

Vehicle theft has always been a problem in Yuma because of the proximity to the border.

Many vehicles are sold for parts by chop shops, others have their VINs switched and are sold in Mexico and some are placed on container ships and sent overseas to be sold. Also, large numbers of vehicles in Arizona are swiped to be used for smuggling.

"We've seen a real increase in the amount of stolen vehicles being used to smuggle people and drugs. They get stolen in Phoenix or Yuma, get stripped down and come back across in only a couple days," Wisner said.

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Border Patrol agents bust pot smugglers
FROM STAFF REPORTS

Border Patrol agents seized a smuggling vehicle and more than 300 pounds of marijuana inside it Monday afternoon in Yuma.

Monday's seizure took place after Border Patrol agents watched smugglers load a sport utility vehicle with 333 pounds of marijuana near the Colorado River, according to a patrol news release.

Agents tried to follow the Hyundai Santa Fe as it headed into Yuma. They lost sight of the vehicle, but then found it abandoned at a residence near Pageant Avenue and 8th Street, according to the release.

Two suspects were found nearby, one of whom was in possession of an ounce of methamphetamine, the patrol said.

The seized drugs, valued at nearly $270,000, the unidentified smuggling suspects and the vehicle were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration, according to the release.

The incident brings to more than 15,000 tons the total amount of pot that the patrol has seized in the Yuma sector during the fiscal year, which started Oct. 1. The street value of the marijuana is estimated at more than $12 million.

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3 drug busts in 1 day at border net about $1 million in cocaine
By Alexis Huicochea
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Customs and Border Protection officers arrested three people authorities said tried to smuggle cocaine into the United States on Monday in three incidents at the Nogales port of entry.

The arrests resulted in the seizure of $1 million in cocaine, according to a news release from the agency.

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Group opposed to illegal entrants seeks to halt just about all benefits

By Howard Fischer

CAPITOL MEDIA SERVICES

PHOENIX — The attorney for an anti-illegal-immigration group asked the state Court of Appeals Tuesday to force state officials to deny virtually all public benefits to those not here legally.

David Abney, who represents the group, argued Attorney General Terry Goddard was wrong when he issued a legal opinion that Proposition 200, approved by voters in 2004, makes only a small number of health and welfare "public benefits" off-limits to illegal immigrants. He wants the Court of Appeals to order Goddard to rescind his opinion and issue a broader one.

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U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Newsletter - Frontline News

In this issue...

1. Commissioner helps celebrate International Customs Day

2. DHS, CBP seek industry partners in securing U.S. borders

3. CBP detector dog named after canine that perished in World Trade Center

4. Commissioner presides over CBP agriculture specialist graduation

5. Chief visits southern border to address threats to agents

6. Border Patrol arrests 5 gang members in southern Texas

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Governor avoids driver's license-citizenship controversy
Mike Sunnucks
The Business Journal

Gov. Janet Napolitano is steering clear of the tenuous issue of whether the state should grant driver's license to illegal immigrants.

Napolitano, in 2003, voiced support for a proposal that would allow illegal immigrants to get state driver's licenses.

Now, the Democratic governor is staying away from the issue, declining to take stand on the matter or a proposal but forward by state Rep. Ben Miranda, D-Phoenix, that would allow illegals to get licenses.

The Miranda plan lifts a state provision that require driver's license applicant be U.S. citizens or legally in the country and requires only proof of Arizona residency and that they have been in the country for at least three years.

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Ex-U.S. agent pleads guilty in smuggling
By Onell R. Soto
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

A Mexican man who lied about his citizenship to become a U.S. Border Patrol agent has pleaded guilty to several crimes in San Diego federal court and is scheduled to be sentenced May 12.

Oscar Antonio Ortiz, 28, admitted he helped smuggle more than 100 illegal immigrants into the United States. Ortiz is being held without bail.

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US Ambassador: Border under "yoke" of immigrant, drug smugglers

MEXICO CITY U-S Ambassador Tony Garza says Mexico's border with the United States is under "the yoke" of drug and immigrant smugglers.

Garza says Mexicans want to see authorities do more to combat such crimes.

In an open letter, Garza says that "difficult discussions are inevitable in any long term and significant friendship."

He says "Mexicans have taken to the streets to protest growing violence in their cities and the border," and they want more done to combat criminals.

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Bank of Mexico Reports Remittances Sent Home by Mexicans Living Abroad Rise to $20B in 2005

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Remittances sent home by Mexicans living abroad rose to US$20 billion (euro16.5 billion) in 2005, a 17 percent increase over the year before, the Bank of Mexico reported Tuesday.

Remittances climbed by more than US$5.3 billion (euro4.4 billion) in the fourth quarter of 2005 alone, the bank said. They totaled US$16.6 billion (euro13.7 billion) in 2004.

Remittances have been climbing steadily for years, surpassing the amount the country receives from tourism, which totaled US$10.7 billion (euro8.8 billion) in 2005.

The country's top source of foreign income is oil, whose exports totaled US$31.7 billion (euro26.2 billion) in 2005. Approximately 11 million Mexican natives reside abroad, with 98 percent of that number residing in the United States.