Reply #73: But I'm damn sure they haven't had to deal with it on a personal [View All]

[lapfog_1]

level.

Just two days ago, a family (man, wife, and 10 year old boy) were dumped and robbed by their coyote in a wash not to far from where I live. The man speaks a little English (better than I speak Spanish). He is on his way to his cousin's in XXX city where he will have a job washing dishes. He was to be taken all the way to XXX and paid the coyote $2500 US for the trip. Instead, he is beaten and robbed within 40 miles of the Mexican border. It's been very cold here (for Southern Arizona) and night time temps are down in the mid 30's. His 10 year old boy is now very sick. I found them sleeping in my van two days ago (I left it unlocked). They didn't steal anything or disturb anything. The man had stitched $100 into his belt in case something like this happened. He offered it to me to let them sleep in my van until his relative could show up and drive them to XXX.

I have no idea what to do. I didn't take their money. I found some people who live nearby who have more space than me so their son could sleep in a bed and the couple on the couch. Gave them some warm food. Allowed them to use my phone to call their relative. I'm not in favor of illegals entering the country. And given the state of things here, I don't know why they WANT to come here. The man said that they lived in a 1 room shack in Mexico... that a year ago he had covered all of the windows with wood and sheet metal because they were afraid of stray bullets from the gangs in Mexico. His wife and child never left the shack and he had been robbed many times by extortionists and gangs while traveling to/from his job as a mechanic. So I guess as bad as things are here, things are getting much worse in Mexico. One year ago I would go to our border town to get dental work done (good dentist, 1/4 of the price of US dentists). But now I wouldn't go there on a bet, even though the dentists office is 3 blocks inside the border.

I don't know what the right answer is for immigration. Should I have called INS and turned them in? Just to be deported back to Mexico with no money and no hope.

I couldn't do it. I hope they are OK and living with their relative now.

I have one nephew who is a deputy sheriff and another who is in the Border Patrol. I suspect that I've broken some law or another by letting them stay the night here and giving them some food. I don't care. A police state is not the answer.

I refuse to be a "criminal" by helping some very poor people find a warm place to sleep and some food to eat. Even though I am now very poor (by US standards) myself.

Shooting people crossing the border, even when suspected of being drug smugglers, is not the answer.