The Foreign Service Journal, October 2007

heavy-duty pickup trucks. These will carry them along roads too damaging for a normal van’s suspension to their final drop-off points, where they will wait for sun- set to dash across the border. Armed only with gallon jugs of water, and whatever other meager supplies they’ve managed to fit into their backpacks, the intend- ing immigrants begin walking north, led by their group leader, who is colloquially known as their “coyote” or “pollero.” The coyote will quickly abandon the group at the first sign of trouble and often collaborates with the bandits who plague the immigrants as they progress northward. The formidable desert that lies ahead has been described to the migrants as an “easy walk of a few hours,” but the reality soon becomes jarringly apparent. The truth is that it will require a minimum of three days’ hard hiking through challenging terrain before any sort of paved road appears, offering the chance of a ride in a pickup truck to a safe house. Walking at night to avoid detection, travelers greatly increase their odds of slipping and falling into a canyon. During the day, low-growing scrub mesquite and cre- osote trees offer little shade. The plastic gallon jug of water each migrant carries is emptied and discarded dur- ing the first day, contributing to huge piles of garbage that mark their increasingly desperate passage. It is a race against time, against the Border Patrol and, increasingly, against groups of criminals lurking among the hills. This recent trend is an indicator of how frustrated the human smuggling and narcotrafficking industries are becoming at enhanced U.S. border security initiatives. As the passage across the border has become more difficult, opportunistic criminals have taken to poaching loads of drugs as they are smuggled into Arizona, and the coyotes sometimes attack the clients of rival human traffickers, holding them hostage for ransom. Each part of the Mexican border has a different reali- ty. My tour here in Nogales has been a true adventure, as well as a crash course in the heartbreak and dangers of illegal immigration. F O C U S 32 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 7 SERVING THOSE WHO SERVE AMERICA S I NCE 1 9 7 1 2007 represents our 37 th year helping to maintain America’s fleet of vehicles throughout the world. All of us at D & M consider it an honor to have worked with all of you through these years. We are aware of the importance of your official and private vehicles, forklifts, generators, tools and equipment. We look forward to continuing this service in a professional manner. We are here to help, just ask! Gary Vlahov www.dmauto.com (516) 822-6662; FAX: (516) 822-5020; E-mail: info@dmauto.com