Border Village Bustling Despite Bulldozing:

Posted By: Kirk Griffin

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ, Associated Press Writer

"They made us famous and the migrant flow got worse," said Ramon Guzman, who lets people sit on his patio until nightfall, when they set out for the border.

At least 2,270 migrants passed through Las Chepas in February, compared to 1,180 in January, according to Grupo Beta, a government-sponsored group that tries to discourage people from crossing and aids those stranded in the desert.

The 31 abandoned homes were demolished last year at the request of New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who had declared a state of emergency because of growing violence in his state's four border counties.

Richardson said Tuesday he was skeptical that the demolitions have attracted more people to the area. Still, he said he would like more border security.

"It means that the Congress has to give us more resources, more equipment, more detection equipment, more radios and more Border patrol agents to at least try to control the flow," Richardson said.

The government of Chihuahua state, which includes Las Chepas, has sent four officers to the border to watch for smugglers and give rides to migrants who decide to turn back. But it has made no effort to knock down any more buildings.

About 60 adobe and cinderblock houses remain on the gravel streets of Las Chepas, just across the border from U.S. onion and pumpkin farms. Dogs and chickens roam among piles of empty water bottles and tuna cans discarded by passing migrants.

The village of about 100 people has no public schools, no local government, no police station — and no children. But that doesn't mean it's not bustling.

Busloads of men and women carrying backpacks with a change of clothing and a few personal items arrive here daily from the town of Palomas. There, migrants meet their smugglers and buy comfortable shoes and warm clothing at street stands to prepare for the trek from Las Chepas.

The four grocery stores in Las Chepas are well-stocked with water jugs and canned food.

David Carvajal earns his living from the transients, employing at least five men to drive migrants and their smugglers from Palomas to an area just past Las Chepas. He charges $10 for the trip.

The groups wait until dark to walk across the border. Once over, they must walk about 40 miles, using various routes through the desert to reach U.S. Interstate 10, where they can hitch a ride to major U.S. cities.

"Here things have not slowed down. They can raze the whole village, but as long as we're on the border, they will keep coming," said Carvajal, who has put up as many as 300 migrants in bunk beds and old mattresses scattered about in a large room.

He says migrants can stay for free but he sells hamburgers and french fries for $3.50 and instant noodle soup for about $1 in a makeshift restaurant.

Since October, the U.S. Border Patrol has arrested about 70,000 migrants in the so-called El Paso sector, which includes the New Mexico border and two western Texas counties. That's an increase of about 15,000 over the same period last year, said Doug Mosier, a Border Patrol spokesman in El Paso, Texas.

Illegal crossings in the area have steadily risen over the past five years as the Border Patrol has strengthened security along the border in nearby Arizona.

On a recent afternoon, Joaquin Orzuna, 48, arrived in Las Chepas just before sundown along with 30 other migrants in a dilapidated bus.

Traveling from the central state of Puebla, he said he was heading to New York City, where his 20-year-old son has a job for him working as a restaurant cook.

Orzuna, who makes about $5 a day as a bricklayer and farmhand, said he has illegally crossed the border near California three times. He said he came to Las Chepas after hearing that it was an easier crossing.

Orzuna said he planned to stay in the United States long enough to save money to finish his house in Puebla.

Standing in a roofless building covered in graffiti, Benito Arzabala, 30, looked for the place where he scribbled his name two years ago when he crossed the border at Las Chepas with his pregnant wife and year-old child.

He couldn't find it. The names of other migrants had covered it up.

___

AP Writer Barry Massey contributed to this report from Santa Fe, N.M.

Courtesy Of: Yahoo! News

The information reported above is property of Yahoo! inc. and reprinted or modified with legitimate permission. We thank Yahoo! inc. for the kind cooperation with us and other shareholders.