SONORAN DESERT, Ariz. — In May 2001, 26 undocumented aliens walked into one of the most brutal stretches of the Sonoran Desert along the Arizona - Mexico border for reasons as varied as the number of men. At some point in the journey, their guide, a.k.a. the coyote, abandoned the group, leaving them to fend for themselves. When agents of the U.S. Border Patrol found five of the men from the group ranting and delirious from so many days in the blistering sun with no water and no food, what followed was a rescue operation and tragedy of such proportions that it would forever leave its mark on the history of the Border Patrol.
“Ellos se mueren (They’re dying),” said one of the men to the agent who first came upon the group. All told, 14 souls paid the ultimate sacrifice for attempting to cross El Camino Del Diablo – The Devil’s Highway.
In response to what became known as “The Wellton 14,” U.S. Border Patrol initiated “Operation Desert Grip” in 2002 to try to ensure that the events of that fateful May night would never happen again. Headquarters for the operation became known as Camp Grip and ever since the operation, the camp, and the agents who man it have maintained their vigil.
Deep in the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refugee, Camp Grip is the definition of “the middle of nowhere.” Giant saguaros stand sentinel over the wildlife that call this area home as seven mountain ranges enclose the valley once swept over by lava flows. Cell phones don’t work here and you'd better have a really rugged four-wheel drive truck to even think about getting here – cars and low-clearance vehicles need not apply.
The camp is manned by agents of the Wellton and Ajo U.S. Customs and Border Protection. They volunteer to come out here for seven days at a time, working 12-hours on/12-hours off shifts. Agents such as Angel Ochoa, who’s made the “trip to Grip,” as it’s known in Border Patrol vernacular, nine times.
“You’re almost guaranteed to find something when you come out here,” said Ochoa. “Whether it's illegals, or drug smugglers, it’s always interesting.”
A two and a half year veteran of the Patrol, Ochoa notes the harsh terrain and the near constant wind that sweeps across the valley floor makes sign cutting here, the art of reading the landscape and footprints to track a group’s progress, some of the most difficult anywhere in the U.S.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Lumpy
This is some good reportage. Did u go interview the boarder patrol guys directly? More original reporting like this is what we need around here. Way more interesting than rehashing news of the day like every other blog.
You've got to do something about that picture though. It doesn't exactly scream serious photojournalist.
2 - Benjamin Cossel
I would tend to agree, the only problem is it does represent one of the few images of me around, I'm usually on the business side of the camera.
And yes, I did talk with the agents. I spent a few nights @ Camp Grip
3 - Dave Nalle
The photos are good, but if you're going to do all this great original fieldwork, why not provide even more photos? I'd love to see them.
Dve
4 - Benjamin Cossel
Once I get them released, I will. If you're truely curious, I've
posted a lot of stuff from deployments to Iraq, Katrina and Central America here
5 - Deano
Some recommended reading on the Wellton 14 - The Devil's Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea. It was nominated for the Pulitzer and is quite good.
6 - moonraven
I am really mystified by the term, UNDOCUMENTED ALIEN.
Are there aliens running around where you are who ARE documented?
The term in general usage HERE IN MEXICO in the articles about this topic is UNDOCUMENTED WORKER.
7 - Baronius
Very interesting article. Well done.
8 - moonraven
Watch out--Baronius is buttering you up so that you will tell him where he can go to eat recently-expired Mexicans.
Real vultures hanging out on blogcritics.
9 - Baronius
Friendly advice, Moon: I had no idea what you meant by this comment until I checked another thread. Whenever possible, keep a conversation within a thread. Now I'm sure you want to yell at me for saying that, so go ahead. I'm just saying that not everyone reads every thread.
10 - Dr Dreadful
Interesting piece, Benjamin. It sounds like a job for the contemplative type - especially those who aren't into sports. Do they even have the internet out there?
I also wonder how many bodies are lying around out there of people who didn't make it and didn't even cause a blip on the Border Patrol radar.
11 - moonraven
Bodies, none. (There are buzzards in the Sonora Desert even bigger and more omnivorous than the ones on this site.)
Skeletons, plenty.
12 - STM
Fantastic to see Benjamin has his US cavalry hat on too. Great titfer! Not as good as Clav's, but not bad. Perhaps I can dig out a few feathers from the toybox Ben, and we'll see whose looks best.
On a serious note, I have been pulled over three times by the border patrol, once in New Mexico and the other times on the Arizona-Mexico border.
All within the space of a couple of days ... I was in a Virginia-registered Ford Bronco, with surfboards on the roof (and the steering wheel wrongly placed on the passenger side of the car, like all cars over there).
My mate and I were on a surf trip and were driving across the US to Florida, so that we could surf some spots up the east coast, ultimately heading for Cape Hatteras and then to New York and New Jersey.
I have blue eyes and in those days, had near-white blond hair from being in the sun and saltwater 24/7.
My mate, also an Australian and a surfer, looks pretty anglo too, and also had blond surf hair.
The border patrol asked if we were US citizens. Perhaps they were fooled by our suntans and the skin peeling off our noses.
We had to show them our passports. One bloke didn't know where Australia was, and had to radio in to see if it was a real country because he wasn't sure the passport was genuine. Not having been to Australia, the others didn't realise that we'd prefer to go home after our trip rather than stay in the US (and in those days, the $A was worth the same as the $US so we had plenty of cash, too, plus return airline tickets). When we showed our New South Wales drivers licences, one guy said: "What's this? That's a state? Man, you guys could've bought these in a drugstore".
On the third stop, when I asked: "Mate, fair dinkum, do we look like #%&*#@!* Mexicans?", it probably didn't help our case. They went right through the car, and our gear, and left us standing there for half an hour. Luckily, I'd managed to talk my mate out of buying a small bag of pot in a bar the night before.
Meanwhile, I suspect 30 illegal immigrants had probably slipped across the border about a mile down the road while the border patrol was humming and hawing over the potentially illegal Aussies and the veracity of their passports/drivers licences.
But at least they were thorough the last time. I have to give 'em that.
13 - bliffle
"I am really mystified by the term, UNDOCUMENTED ALIEN."
I have no idea what that means. But my foster-daughter is an undocumented legal resident. Her papers were demanded and then held by her high school several years ago as "standard operating procedure". Subsequently, the school burned down along with her papers. None of those officious bureaucrats who demand much but return nothing has any interest in her burned papers. FOIA, several expensive lawyers, nothing helps in spite of numerous people who know the young woman and how things came to pass. So she lives here "illegally" moving from home to home and job to job.
The lesson? Never hand over your passport to, e.g., a European hotel when you checkin. It is NOT for 'safekeeping', it is so they can blackmail you later. For identification you might give them a copy. Or better, a copy of your drivers license so they can't run it out the backdoor to counterfeit.
14 - STM
Bliff, I don't think you'd have much to worry about in Europe, but then I've never had them keep my passport. They just have a quick look and hand it back.
Given that the Euro is worth a squillion these days compared to the greenback, such a scenario is more likely to play out in the good ole US of A. Asia, however, is a place where you do have to be careful. I don't even use credit cards over there. I take Aussie dollars and switch them to the local currency outside the hotels, so you get the best rate. But credit cards, ATM cards or debit cards - never, never, never.
On the other bit, I can tell you of some very worrying situations here in Australia in recent years involving the immigration department.
In one case, a German-born woman who had lived here nearly all her life and was a permanent resident was arrested and held as a result of an incident that occurred because of her psychiatric illness. She was locked up in one of our disgraceful immigration detention camps (the Aust govt requiring all illegal aliens including asylum seekers to reside in the camps while their bona-fides are checked out or their court cases heard). She was locked up for about 12 months, I believe. Only the intervention of her sister and the media saved her, and it was later established that she'd been mistreated because of her condition. Of course, the department just thought she was putting it all on.
In another situation, a wheelchair-bound disabled Filpino-born Australian citizen who had lost her passport and documentation was deported to the Phillippines, because no one believed her. Eventually, a shamefaced government had to pay to bring her back. I believe it all took a couple of years. Again, only the media and a group of immigration activists saved her.
And recently, it was discovered that a Chinese-born permanent resident was locked up in one of the camps for FIVE years - yes, five - because it was suspected he was an illegal immigrant.
He wasn't. He was living here perfectly legal and would have been eligible for Australian Citizenship at the time.
All such cases are then subject to litigation and probable compensation, which the taxpayer ultimately pays for. So yes, you are right on that score: governments aren't to be trusted with this stuff.
15 - daryl d
Wow, Benjamin! That was a great read. Seriously, we need more writers like you here.
16 - Moonraven
WRITERS. Period. Are needed here.
[Personal attack deleted by Comments Editor]
Nor folks who do not speak English. The Comments Editor has dictated that English is the only language permitted on this site.
17 - troll
there you go again with the foul mouth...dedicated to the proposition that you have the right to write like a clown
[Personal attack deleted by Comments Editor]
18 - Ray Ellis
I can't remember a time I've seen reportage of this calibre on Blogcritics. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it rivals mainstream magazines.
Benjamin-- you are a real journalist. You just don't see factual reportage like this often these days. Well done, sir.
19 - Dr Dreadful
Australian immigration policy under the Liberals is certainly known around the world for being draconian.
And is seriously preposterous for anyone who knows anything about the place. I mean, what does Howard think is going to happen? That the entire continent will fill up and people are going to start falling into the sea in the struggle for room?
Get a grip, Johnno.
20 - Moonraven
I see the pot is back to complain about the kettle's language.
Too much chemical turkey has fried his brain.
21 - STM
MR, why don't you write some pieces for the site?
Seriously.
22 - STM
Doc, our current immigration policy is racist, pure and simple.
They talk about queue jumping and the like, when processing asaylum seekers from places like Afghanistan, whilst forgetting to tell people that there aren't any queues to jump in the back-of-beyond in many of these places.
I hope Labor wins the fedearl election tomorrow. I want to live in a nation that's a compassionate country built on community, not just an economy built on a foundation of fervent right-wing nationalism.
There is no compassion any more at the top level of government in this place. We've gone the American way - it's every man/woman for him/herself.
Not my idea (nor that of many others here), of what this nation should be. Just think that Howard, sadly, will sneak back in by a whisker - three seats or so. Remember Doc, you read it here first.
23 - Dr Dreadful
Tomorrow? I thought the election was on Sunday? What day are you on down there? And who added more International Date Lines while I wasn't looking?
Good luck Kev... you old rascal you!
24 - STM
No, no elections on Sunday! That's barbecue day or sorrow-drowning day, depending on who wins and where you stand. As you know, I'll be going to church :)
Always on a Saturday Doc. We should know the result by around 10pm if it's clear cut. Amazingly, last time I voted (in the state election) it only took 10 minutes. I drove to the tech college up the road from my joint, parked, dodged the Liberal Party volunteers handing out how-to-vote instructions, walked in, got my name crossed off the electoral roll, received the ballot papers, went to a booth, ticked off my choices (Labor), stuck 'em in a giant cardboard box guarded by election scrutineers and buggered off.
I hope it's like that tomorrow. Can't see why it wouldn't be as it's the same people voting, and the trend is to have polling places all over the place to make it easier.
You know where my vote's going DD, but I still think that wily old drop-kick (that's the strongest term I can use here) Howard will sneak back in by a measly three seats. I hope it's an omen that I saw a poster of Howard lying on its side in the rain yesterday morning as I was driving onto the freeway. Instead of frightening children like he normally does, he looked like he was appealing directly to God - his only recourse.
Rudd requires 16 seats to win, and I just don't think he can do it. People in this country have become selfish and are suckers for the Liberal Party's pea-and-thimble tricks with tax and what have you. We've been lied to for 11 years, and people still think he's God's gift. All he ever talks about is the economy. We don't live in an economy though. It's a country last time I looked. Go figure, as they say up your way.
They always target the hip-pocket nerve, and depend on low-rent scare campaigns about rising interest rates (which paradoxically is a problem in a strong economy), and unions.
Australians notoriously dislike changes of government, so if it's not a landslide to Rudd and looking obvious by 9pm, Howard's won. I'll keep you posted, interested observer that you are.
Cheers.
25 - STM
BTW, I agree with all the posts here about the quality of Benjamin's work. It's excellent, a really interesting and informative piece especially for someone 10,000km away who's not fully cognisant of what goes on along the border - and sadly spoiled only by Ben's insistence on keeping that picture of him wearing a US Cavalry titfer.
Wait till Clav gets his out. Now THAT's a titfer.