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Jose Luis Salena
"I just arrived here and am waiting to cross tonight . . . with a little bit of luck we'll make it to our destination in the United States."
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Jose Luis Salena has arrived in Palomas, Mexico where he and a group of five men wait for a coyote (human smuggler) to take them across the border. Hundreds of men just like Jose arrive daily to Palomas, Mexico where they secure a guide to lead them through 40 miles of treacherous desert. We sit down with Jose and talk with him about his motivations, fears and goals for his journey north into the United States.
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Bob Wright
Minute Men Civil Defense Corps
"The responsibility for that border is just as much mine or yours as it is the Border Patrols' . . . we are the government, it is every Americans duty to protect the homeland."
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Bob Wright is the Director of The New Mexico Minute Men Defense Corps. Along with about 40 other armed members, Bob patrols the southern area of the New Mexico border with Mexico. We accompany Bob and the Minute Men through their tactical meetings, deployment and eventual capture of 18 illegal immigrants crossing through their lines in the dead of night.
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Ken Riley
Columbus EMT
"We lose a lot of people from heatstroke. I've seen parents holding their dead children in their arms. They're out here in the desert trying to get to a better life . . . it's a tragic situation."
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Ken Riley is a Paramedic/EMT with the Columbus ambulance department. Ken and his colleagues receive multiple daily calls from the Mexican port of entry. Many of Ken's patients are pregnant women who come to the port of entry to give birth so that their children may have US citizenship. Ken also responds immigrants who are dying in the desert. We interview ken about his experiences and "ride along" as he responds to various emergency calls.
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Alex Esquinca
The Beta Group
"Temperatures in the hottest months can reach 110 degrees and in the colder months can be around 20 degrees…these are the most significant dangers for migrants trying to cross the desert."
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Alexander Esquinca is the lead agent for the Mexican sponsored Beta Group. The Beta Group advises would be illegal immigrants about the dangers of crossing the desert into the United States, their rights under the law in the United States/Mexico and of steps that can be taken to ensure safety when crossing. We accompany Alex and the Beta Group as they show us common staging areas, prayer sites and the terrain immigrants traverse to cross the border.
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Clare May
Columbus Chief of Police
"I have automatic machine gun fire going off in my community because of narcotics trafficking . . . it's the real thing . . . you never know what to expect."
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Columbus Police Chief Clare May deals with illegal immigration and drug trafficking on a local level. He feels it's his duty to do all he can to protect the community of Columbus which is overrun by large numbers of both drug runners and illegal immigrants. We tour an immigrant stash house with the chief and get a look at the arsenal he has assembled to deal with the increased violence in Columbus.
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Heidi Chavez
"I remember sitting down in a ditch and asking my children, 'Do we continue or turn back?' . . . it wasn't a hard decision for me, there just wasn't the opportunity in Mexico."
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Heidi Chavez successfully crossed the border and has assimilated into American life in New Mexico. Heidi currently works at a funeral home on the border that is called to recover dead migrant bodies from the desert that she once traversed. We get inside the funeral establishment and its protocol for processing deceased migrants, Heidi's current life and what has changed since she arrived in the United States.
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Jack Jeffries
US Border Patrol
"You see some pretty strange things out here . . . I arrived in '96 and it was a slow sleepy sector but over the last few years we have seen activity increase dramatically."
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Jack Jeffries is a senior field agent for the Border Patrol Agency. Along with hundreds of other officers, Jack is responsible for border security in the Columbus sector of New Mexico. Throughout our time with Jack Jeffries we are exposed to "a day in the life" of a Border Patrol Field agent, including drug busts, coyote (human smugglers) sightings and detaining of illegal immigrants.
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Pancho Villa
Mexican Revolutionary
"Pancho Villa is everywhere and nowhere all at once."
In 1916 Pancho Villa attacked the small town of Columbus, New Mexico killing some 18 Americans. After the raid American troops were sent to the border and beyond to track the Mexican outlaw and prevent further attacks. We interview local historian Richard Dean about the attack, historic sites and the implications for the community as a whole.
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