VZCZCXRO1717
RR RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHME #0909/01 0852321
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 262321Z MAR 09 ZDS
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5862
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RHMFIUU/HQ USNORTHCOM
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MEXICO 000909 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y (PARA MARKINGS) 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM SNAR KCRM MX
SUBJECT: CONSULATES NOGALES AND HERMOSILLO'S CONSULATES 
NOGALES AND HERMOSILLO'S "MIGRANT TOUR" 
 
MEXICO 00000909  001.4 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) On February 24 and 25, Hermosillo and Nogales conoffs 
toured a common staging area in northern Sonora, following 
the well-worn route that &polleros,8 or migrant smugglers, 
use to move people from southern Mexico through the desert 
into the United States.  Conoffs spoke with those who provide 
information and services to border-crossers while visiting 
shelters, flophouses and a returning migrant processing 
center at the Mariposa Point of Entry (POE), as well as one 
for minors in Nogales, Sonora.  Border Patrol (USBP) in 
Nogales led a night run, showing first-hand how agents locate 
and apprehend fence-jumpers. 
 
Altar and Sasabe 
---------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The only industry to speak of in Altar is illegal 
migration.  The town's square is surrounded with kiosks 
selling backpacks and clothing -- black and desert camouflage 
the only colors.  For its size, Altar has an impressive 
number of low-end restaurants which offer a mixture of 
southern Mexican and Central American cuisine, reflecting the 
make-up of Altar's temporary residents. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Altar's flophouses are overcrowded with as many as 18 
beds in a 12,x15, room.  Nightly rates for a wooden plank 
that serves as a &bed8 start at 30 pesos ($2.18), with 
guests given the option to pay extra for mattresses, 
blankets, and pillows.  Even in the cool 80  degrees of 
February, unwashed travelers rendered the rooms warm and 
fetid.  Security in the temporary lodging facilities is a 
concern and several people mentioned the need to keep track 
of their valuables and apparel ) most notably shoes ) at 
all times. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Conditions were better at a no-charge Catholic-run 
shelter which provides food, clothing and lodging, but is 
reserved for those turned around at the border.  Many of its 
residents were in poor condition following their attempted 
trips through the Sonoran Desert and had few reserves, 
physical or financial, with which to survive.  The shelter 
also housed a "make shift" training center to teach 
migrants how to identify desert vegetation that could aid (or 
hinder) their journey and how to locate sources of water set 
up by American NGOs north of the border. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Once ready to depart Altar, migrants board one of the 
fleet of vans in the town center arranged by their 
"pollero" to begin the drive north to the desert just 
outside Sasabe.  Polleros curiously sell only round-trip 
tickets for the Altar-Sasabe one-way journey at the cost of 
USD 50 
 
¶6. (SBU) New fencing stretches out a total of seven miles at the 
Sasabe port of entry.  Migrants have to make their way either 
east or west from the tiny village, usually on foot, to a 
point where they can cross the border unseen.  At that point, 
most migrants have only begun the most difficult part of 
their journey, however, as they have yet to cross 100  miles 
to the nearest population center north of the border. 
 
Night Run with Border Patrol in Nogales 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Border Patrol agents in Nogales have put to use 
significant additional resources, such as new vehicles, 
armor, and weapons, new  bollard, fencing and National 
Guard technical support to greatly increase their ability to 
detect and apprehend illegal crossers at the border. 
Transported by fully-loaded Chevy Suburbans, conoffs came 
face-to-face with three illegal entrants apprehended by BP 
bike patrols on the patio of a private home.  Minutes later, 
BP reported another apprehension: one woman limping from a 
twisted ankle and lacerated shin suffered during her jump 
over the border fence; the agent had a man in the back of a 
BP vehicle; and, another woman was quickly identified as the 
third  jumper.,  Initially, she presented her Nevada 
driver's license and said she was an LPR that just "happened 
to be in the area."  However, she soon thereafter confessed 
that she had been in the United States illegally before and 
had just returned from a visit with her family in Mexico. 
¶8. (SBU) On the outskirts of Nogales dark, rolling hills were 
 
MEXICO 00000909  002.5 OF 003 
 
 
visible to conoffs with the aid of BP,s night vision 
goggles, and the tour ended with a visit to the Nogales BP 
Station evidence room.  The BP hosts said many individuals 
would be caught three or four times before finally heading 
back to their places of origin, explaining that the polleros 
often provided their "clients" with multiple crossing 
attempts included in their fee.  According to the Border 
patrol, it was not a lack of determination, the dangers of 
crossing dessert, or the efforts of BP that ended an 
immigrant's attempts to cross the border, but rather the lack 
of funds to pay for another try. 
Mariposa Migrant Center Visit 
------------------------------ 
 
¶9. (SBU) The morning of February 25, the Hermosillo contingent and 
one officer from Nogales were scheduled for a "quick tour" 
of a center at the Mariposa POE, which provides food, 
clothing, and medical attention to repatriated migrants.  The 
visit unexpectedly turned into a media event with over 100 
U.S. and Mexican volunteers, NGOs and journalists in 
attendance.  One NGO, "No More Deaths," presented a report 
for Secretary Clinton criticizing U.S. migration policy in 
general and the Border Patrol's treatment of migrants more 
specifically.  Highlighting alternatives to illegal entry, 
Hermosillo CG Breidenstine briefed the group on ways in which 
Mexicans could work legally in the United States, outlining 
the H2A and B visa program.  While one NGO volunteer called 
the comments naive, as they did not address the policy issue, 
most participants welcomed more information about the H visa, 
as they had never before heard of the program. 
 
Nogales DIF Center for Repatriated Minors 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶10. (SBU) Conoffs visited the Nogales-based new, 80-bed, secure 
DIF center for an intimate look at the processing of 
unaccompanied minors repatriated via the Nogales POE.  DIF 
reported that it was working closely with U.S. Border Patrol 
to ensure that the unaccompanied minors, repatriation took 
place during the day to facilitate check-in at the shelter. 
As a matter of course, BP turns the minors over to the 
Mexican Consulate in Nogales, Arizona, which coordinates with 
DIF to pick them up, create a file for each child and 
photograph them.  DIF then uploads the photos onto a website 
(http://www.camino-a-casa.org/index2.html) under &Menores 
Albergados8 to facilitate reuniting the children with their 
families. 
 
 
Conclusions 
----------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) Conditions for migrants are stark, and the ones in Altar 
are the poorest of the poor.  These trips prove to be 
expensive, uncomfortable, unhygienic, extremely dangerous, 
and sometimes even fatal.  It is hard to comprehend why so 
many people continue to throw their fate into the hands of 
the polleros in hope that they will make it across the 
Sonoran desert and into the United States alive. 
Surprisingly, not one of the migrants, nor any of the NGO 
volunteers we met, had ever heard about the H2A or H2B worker 
visas.  Clearly, more needs to be done to reach out and 
educate both U.S. companies and the potential Mexican 
laborers on both the H2A and H2B visa programs. 
 
Next Steps 
----------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) ConGen Hermosillo has assigned an officer to lead the 
outreach effort in its district, starting with the Hermosillo 
airport, through which many Altar-bound migrants pass, and a 
local shelter, where stowaways on the Nogales-bound train 
from southern Mexico stop for a free meal, bed and medical 
attention.  A plan is also in place to look at ways to 
educate those who provide services to returning migrants so 
that they can encourage the migrants to consider legal 
alternatives.  Furthermore, ConGen Hermosillo is working on a 
PowerPoint presentation to brief U.S. companies on the 
petitioning process for the H2A, H2B and other worker visas. 
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity and the North American 
 
MEXICO 00000909  003.4 OF 003 
 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y (PARA MARKINGS) 
 
Partnership Blog at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / 
BASSETT