Arizona sector becomes No. 1 hotspot for migrant crossings, despite border walls and treacherous terrain
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Source: CBS News
Updated on: February 24, 2024 / 11:47 PM EST
Sasabe, Arizona — Migrants from all corners of the globe come here to cross into the U.S. through breaches or gaps in the border wall, which covers miles of a rugged landscape featuring steep hillsides, dirt roads, cows, cacti and desert shrubs.
While the towering Trump-era wall is by far the most visible man-made object, if visitors venture far enough into this section of the U.S. southern border, they will also see construction crews fixing parts of the wall damaged by erosion or smugglers, clothes, blankets and other belongings abandoned by migrants — and water stations maintained by volunteers hoping to prevent tragedies in the unforgiving desert.
The nearest U.S. community, Sasabe, is a hamlet with 51 residents, according to the Census Bureau. It has an official port of entry to facilitate legal travel from and to Mexico, several modest residences, a post office and a store that sells burritos, cowboy hats and souvenirs, including t-shirts that pose a question many newcomers may ask themselves: "Where the hell is Sasabe?" Nestled between the Tohono O'odham Nation Reservation and a highway that connects Tucson with Nogales, Mexico, this area in southern Arizona is one of the most remote stretches of the U.S.-Mexico border.
For the past months, it has also been the busiest region for Border Patrol apprehensions of migrants entering the U.S. unlawfully. Undeterred by miles of border wall, violent Mexican cartels and a treacherous terrain with extreme temperatures, migrants have been crossing into the Tucson sector of Arizona by the hundreds, and sometimes by the thousands, each day — often with the help of smugglers.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/arizona-sector-no-1-hotspot-migrant-crossings-border-walls-treacherous-terrain/
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