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Personal Safety of Federal Land-Management Field Employees Working Along the Mexican Border
Activities associated with illegal immigration comprise the second type of illegal activity that pose a threat to the health and personal safety of employees. These activities fall into two categories: the operations of those trafficking in illegal immigrants, or "coyotes," and the activities of the illegal immigrants themselves as they are being transported, or are transporting themselves, across the Mexican border into the United States.
Many of the employees we interviewed pointed out the safety problems they face when they encounter illegal immigrants who want water, medical aid, or rides near the border. Employees fear that an illegal immigrant, who appears to need help, may be a decoy to get employees out of their vehicles. Many employees fear that if they stop and get out of their vehicles they might get "bushwhacked" and their vehicles stolen by a group of illegal immigrants and their coyote (paid guide) hiding in the bushes.
There does not appear to be a uniform interagency policy instructing employees on the proper actions for rendering aid to illegal immigrants. As one employee said, "I’m not sure what we are allowed or not allowed to do." Employees appear to be using their own personal moral code to decide whether or not to render aid to illegal immigrants. For instance, one field employee we spoke to always stops and helps illegal immigrants if they appear to be in need. Some employees preferred to help immigrants from a distance. In these cases, they would drop water off for the immigrants down the road, where the employees were out of harm’s way. Other employees said they never stop and make contact with illegal immigrants. One employee even commented, "If you give aid to one alien, you become a magnet for others."
Law enforcement officers said that employees who stopped to render aid or to transport illegal immigrants could arouse suspicions. These suspicions could further increase the risk that the employees would be caught up in law enforcement activities, putting the employees at risk. Perhaps the most consistent advice we heard from employees about encounters with illegal immigrants was to call the nearest law enforcement officer and stay away from the potentially threatening situation.
Employees fear that illegal immigrants could be sick with hepatitis, tuberculosis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), or other diseases. They worry that physical contact with these immigrants, or with their trash, presents a risk of infection.
We heard many accounts of the tons of trash that accumulate from the estimated 2,500 to 3,000 illegal immigrants who cross the Mexican border each night. The employees see this trash as a continuous health problem, especially for the volunteers and employees who clean it up. Special caution is needed to handle this garbage because much of it poses a potential biohazard from used needles, human waste, moldy and rotten food, dirty clothing and diapers, toothbrushes, medications, unknown items with foreign labels, feminine hygiene products, and on rare occasions, dead bodies.
While most illegal immigrants simply want to be left alone in their desperate quest to come to the United States, the coyotes who traffic in illegal immigrants are a different story. The employees we interviewed said any coyote they suddenly encounter poses a threat to their personal safety. These coyotes are engaged in illegal activities, could be armed, and don’t want to be caught. Many of the employees we spoke with talked about how coyotes use the immigrants they transport as a way to make a lot of money without regard for the immigrants’ well-being.
The workers said that the coyotes prey upon those they transport by robbing, assaulting, and raping them. In addition, the coyotes often transport immigrants just across the border and drop them off many miles from the nearest town, telling them that Tucson is just over the hill. This practice accounts for many of the illegal immigrants who suffer and die in the desert or who ask Federal employees for aid.
Coyotes tend to blend into the group of illegal immigrants to avoid detection. An employee interacting with a group of immigrants does not know who among them might pose a threat. One employee told a story of meeting a group of immigrants on a trail and attempting to give aid to a person who was obviously ill. The other members of the immigrant group misinterpreted his actions and thought he was trying to detain them. The employee was able to convince the other illegal immigrants to go on their way, but it was a tense moment, because he had no idea who the coyote was and what the coyote might do if he feared he might be caught.
Coyotes use developed recreation sites as pickup and dropoff locations. Because of their desire to stay undetected, the practice of dropping immigrants off in the middle of nowhere, and the use of developed recreation sites as transfer points, employees face an increasing risk of encountering coyotes and illegal immigrants in remote field locations.
Many of the employees we interviewed worried about leaving their vehicles unattended when they work in the field. We heard about employees returning at the end of the day to learn that their vehicles had been broken into or stolen. Many employees are reluctant to work very far from their vehicles. One way field employees solve this problem is by stashing water and other provisions away from their vehicles. If they return from their work to find their vehicle has been stolen or vandalized, at least they won’t be stranded in the desert without food and water.
Several employees we interviewed had their homes broken into by illegal immigrants looking for shelter, food, and water during their journey north. In one instance, an employee came home and surprised several immigrants in her house. She was not hurt, but they pushed her aside as they ran out of the house. To keep themselves and their houses safe, some of the employees have installed fences, placed bars on windows, and in one case, mounted razor wire on a fence. Another employee said she was afraid to leave anything of value in her house. Whenever she left her house, she took everything important with her.
A major impact of these break-ins is to increase the overall stress for employees living and working in this region. Employees report feeling like "there is no safe haven." The stress of theft at home, along with the ongoing stress of living and working in a dangerous environment, represent a potential health concern for employees.
Some of the women we interviewed expressed a particular concern regarding sexual assault both at work and at home. Sexual assault occurring between coyotes and the illegal immigrant women they transport is well documented. Coyotes and illegal immigrants who break into homes are seen as a particular concern by women who may be victims of sexual assault.
A few of the employees briefly mentioned the language problem. We heard conflicting views on the importance of being able to communicate with illegal immigrants encountered in the field. Some employees believed being able to communicate their intentions to illegal immigrants prevented dangerous misunderstandings. Others said that since the primary goal is to avoid most encounters, it is largely unnecessary to communicate. One employee said, "The only Spanish you need to know is adios."
Spanish is not the only language spoken by illegal immigrants—people from many nations cross into the United States illegally through the Mexican border. Finally, a few employees thought knowing the language of immigrants might actually cause incidents. Employees who know the language may be more inclined to contact illegal immigrants or stay too long in unsafe situations.
Some field employees expressed concern about coming into contact with local vigilante groups. Two such groups, The Minutemen and Ranch Rescue, include hostile local ranchers who are trying to take the law into their own hands to get their land back. Although field employees are not the target of the vigilantes, some employees are afraid of them and want to avoid them because they fear getting caught up in violence and gunplay. Several employees said these groups are angry about some of the humanitarian measures taken near the border, such as establishing watering stations in the desert. These employees fear the vigilante groups may vent their anger at them.
| USDA Forest Service, Technology and Development Last Modified: 10/15/2016 23:43:26 |
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