Hourly Update

Thirteen motel operators accused of helping immigrant smugglers

PHOENIX (AP) - Thirteen operators of motels in suburban Mesa were indicted on charges that they rented rooms to undercover federal agents posing as migrant smugglers and coached them on concealing their activities, authorities said Thursday. Federal authorities said the 13 people, who either owned motels or used to own them, told the agents to register under false names, rent multiple rooms and park their vehicles in inconspicuous places. Each of the 13 people was charged with conspiring to harbor illegal immigrants. Prosecutors were seeking the forfeiture of five of the six hotels. Arizona is the busiest illegal entry point along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border. The state has been dogged by a heavy flow of illegal immigrants since the government tightened enforcement in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego during the mid-1990s.