Immigration Series from the Yuma Sun

Lives on the Line

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‘Problem’ considered fact of life here
Immigration has dominated the headlines across the country for weeks now with protest marches, boycotts and opposing plans for reform. But while the issue has only recently become important for many Americans, for the residents of Yuma County it has been, and is, a part of day-to-day life. May 19, 2006

The fear factor
Illegal immigrants may stop by the Yuma Community Food Bank or get in the serving line at the Salvation Army, but fear of deportation keeps most from seeking assistance from Yuma-area social service organizations, say officials of some of those organizations.
May 19, 2006


No emergency
Yuma Regional Medical Center doesn't turn away anyone in need of care, and given its proximity to the border, some of its patients are illegal immigrants. May 19, 2006

Wading across Colorado River near Yuma, man and wife become illegal immigrants
As Omar and Juana Rocha trampled through wheat and cotton fields in Mexico west of San Luis Rio Colorado, Son., the sun began to wane. The border - marked by tall green brush lining the banks of the Colorado River - slowly appeared on the horizon. May 19, 2006



San Luis Rio Colorado: a staging place for illegal crossers, deportees
SAN LUIS RIO COLORADO, Son. - The coyote told her it would be a six-hour walk through the desert. Instead, it took four days.
"And four nights," said Maria Hernandez as she took off her sock to unveil the blisters covering the bottoms of her feet. May 19, 2006




Smugglers and immigrants link up in San Luis Rio Colorado
SAN LUIS RIO COLORADO, Son. - The immigrants were ushered off two U.S. Border Patrol buses and herded into a fenced-in walkway that funneled them back into Mexico one by one at the U.S. Port of Entry at San Luis. May 19, 2006

Immigrant protection group patrols desert, trying to save lives
SAN LUIS RIO COLORADO, Son. - Out in the middle of the desert, a head pops out of a ditch, peering into the United States to find that the coast is not yet clear. A green and white Border Patrol vehicle is still in sight. May 19, 2006




Illegal immigration costing local law enforcement time, resources
To Yuma County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Leon Wilmot, illegal immigration really comes down to a quality of life issue.

"When you have people that go out to dump their trash in the trash bin and they open it and find there is an illegal hiding there, or when you have them running through your back yard, or dumping trash in your citrus grove, that's a quality of life issue," Wilmot said. "There is just a whole gambit of problems associated with illegal immigration."
May 19, 2006

Technology, manpower help Border Patrol stop illegals
When the U.S. Border Patrol was established back in 1924, agents were given a badge and a revolver.

They had to furnish their own horse. The government kicked in a supply of oats. The pay? $1,680 a year. They didn't even get uniforms until 1928. In the early days, those first agents — made up mostly of former Texas Rangers, city police officers, sheriffs and deputies — basically were there to make sure liquor wasn't coming into the country during Prohibition and to enforce the numerical restrictions on immigrants. May 19, 2006

Not On Our Watch: Yuma Patriots celebrate a year doing patrols
When Flash Sharrar set out to start a local civilian border watch group a year ago, nobody took the group seriously, the co-founder of the Yuma Patriots recalled.

Sharrar, a former soldier, was serious.

The event that motivated him was the loss of his son's Ford Explorer in an alleged holdup in the Imperial Sand Dunes. The robbers, suspected of coming from Mexico, robbed his son — who had recently returned, unscathed, from a tour in Iraq with the Army - at gunpoint in his own country. May 19, 2006

On path to citizenship, first step can be hardest
A Foothills man who helps hundreds of people every year become U.S. citizens says the biggest roadblocks people face are becoming permanent residents in this country and finding the strength to continue through the process. May 19, 2006

Part of the problem or a part of the solution?
Every single politician and, lately it seems, individual has a solution to the illegal immigration issue. From more fencing to a tamper-proof identification card to mass deportations, a variety of ideas are on the table. May 19, 2006