Reuters/San Antonio
Texas Governor Rick Perry has ordered the Texas National Guard to search for the bodies of undocumented immigrants who have died by the hundreds in a remote part of the state as they attempted to walk to southern cities hundreds of miles away.
The guard troops have been deployed to Brooks County, a rural area about 120 miles (190km) north of the Texas border with Mexico, to search for the corpses of undocumented immigrants who died trying to walk through the desolate region known as the “Brush Country,” in hopes of reaching San Antonio or Houston.
“For many years, law enforcement and landowners in this area have been overwhelmed by the tragic impacts of human smuggling across our county,” Brooks County Sheriff Rey Rodriguez said.
Smuggling gangs who bring undocumented immigrants into Texas frequently stop in Brooks County before they reach an immigration checkpoint in the community, according to border control agents.
The smugglers kick the immigrants, including the elderly, pregnant women, and families with infants, out of their trucks and tell them that Houston, 200 miles (320km) away, is a few hours by foot, according to agents.
Ranchers find the bodies of the undocumented immigrants with disturbing regularity after they die in the rugged conditions where summertime temperatures frequently exceed 110F (43C).
Rodriguez said that since 2011, 332 sets of human remains have been found in Brooks County alone and the bodies of hundreds or thousands more are believed to lie in the barren countryside.
Officials did not say how many troops would be deployed. They will begin work immediately in groups of 20 to 25, scouring areas where authorities expect to find bodies.
Areas where bodies are found will be treated as crime scenes and the Texas Rangers will be called when necessary.
Local officials during the summer investigated a portion of a pauper’s cemetery in Brooks County where more than a dozen bodies, believed to be those of undocumented immigrants, were found buried in trash bags or tossed in groups into graves.
Protesters drop border blockade plan
A plan by US protesters against illegal immigration to block traffic at more than a dozen border crossings in the southwest yesterday was cancelled after organisers said they received online threats from Mexican drug cartels.
Billed as a “Shut Down All Ports Of Entry” protest against the Obama administration’s immigration policies, demonstrators had said they would try to stop incoming and outgoing traffic at 17 locations in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
But lead organiser Stasyi Barth posted a warning on the event’s official website saying that a combination of violent threats and “suspicious activity” on the group’s Facebook page prompted her to call off the action.
“If you attend, you are not just putting yourself in danger, but the law enforcement officers, as well,” Barth wrote. “Risking anyone’s life is not worth it!”
Another organiser, Rob Chupp, said the threats came from Mexican drug cartels, but did not elaborate. He said that while the protest was officially canceled, he and some others still planned to demonstrate in Brownsville, Texas.
US Customs and Border Protection said in a statement on Friday it has been coordinating with local police departments to respond to any situation near the ports of entry.
