Hourly Update

Migrant traffic apparently shifting to avoid border volunteers

Border Patrol apprehensions of illegal immigrants have dropped notably in the Naco area since civilian volunteers began gathering there to watch for undocumented migrants and smugglers trying to sneak into the country. Agency spokesmen credit an increased presence by Mexican authorities south of the border and say it's too soon to tell whether the volunteers are having an impact or causing smugglers to shift elsewhere, but others are reporting such a swing. Gov. Janet Napolitano said Wednesday that her office has been told by the Border Patrol and others that migrant traffic is surging in areas beyond the roughly 20-mile line formed by volunteers for the Minuteman Project. That includes the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation to the west, a favored crossing point for illegal immigrants. "The traffic flows through Arizona because they tightened down in California and Texas, and when you pull on the border, it is like a bedsheet, and the traffic moves," Napolitano said. "And until you have operational control of the entire Arizona border, you cannot say that progress has been made. And we don't have it, and the Minutemen can't give it to us." The volunteers, many of whom were recruited over the Internet, plan to watch the border in shifts 24 hours a day throughout April and report any illegal activity to federal agents. It's an exercise law enforcement officials fear could lead to vigilante violence or an accidental confrontation between armed volunteers and authorities. Project organizers say they want to draw attention to problems on the Arizona-Mexico border, considered the most vulnerable stretch of the 2,000-mile southern border. Of the 1.1 million illegal immigrants caught by the Border Patrol last year, more than half crossed into the country at Arizona. Apprehensions in the Naco area began to dip after the volunteers began gathering in southern Arizona last week, fluctuating between 302 on March 30 and a low of 74 on Tuesday. Andrea Zortman, a Border Patrol spokeswoman, said the dip is being attributed to "the enhanced presence of authorities in Mexico _ military, law enforcement and Grupo Beta," a Mexican organization that aids people stranded in the desert and attempts to discourage them from crossing the border illegally. "Every time they have an increased presence on the south side, our apprehensions decrease," Zortman said. Andy Adame, another Border Patrol spokesman, said there haven't been dramatic shifts in apprehensions along other segments of the Arizona border. For instance, apprehensions at Douglas, east of Naco, ranged from 271 on March 30 and 446 on March 31 to about 260 on Tuesday. Apprehensions have held steady around Nogales. Fluctuations are normal, Adame added. Border Patrol officials said the volunteers have remained peaceful, though they have continued to unwittingly trip sensors that alert the agency to possible intruders, forcing agents to respond to false alarms. Adame said volunteer footprints have also made if difficult for agents to track illegal immigrants. "That is our bread and butter in terms of apprehensions," he said, "follow the foot sign and arrest them." Organizers said more than 1,000 volunteers had signed up and more than 800 were expected to take part over the month of April. As of Tuesday, 517 volunteers "have spent at least one shift on the line," Minuteman spokesman Grey Deacon said. There is no way to verify the count independently since authorities aren't keeping track of the numbers.