Back to Basics

If you listen to Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Department of Homeland Security, you would think the southern border is secure. This could not be further from the truth. A recent trip to the Port of Naco and surrounding area was an eye opening experience proving just how much of a national security threat our southern border really is.

This is part 1 of 3 in the series of the trip in April, 2011. Part 1 is our trip to the Casa Grande area, Part 2 the Naco border and meeting with residence in the area, and Part 3 the American Border Patrol station and border fence. All pictures presented here are actual photos taken on this trip.

Layup Area off Casa Grande

Our first stop was about 5 miles west of Casa Grande just ½ mile south of I-8 known as Vekol Valley. This is the area the Department of Homeland Security has declared is too dangerous for American citizens to enter and had warning signs installed. Since the public became aware of these signs they then became an embarrassment to the Obama administration and have since been removed from the most prominent areas, so I wasn’t able to obtain a photo.

After departing the highway, the paved road ended and we continued on a well traveled dirt road. Many tire tracks were obvious as well as having to traverse an established set of ruts. The area we entered is off limits to Border Patrol, with a border patrol station located just 5 miles away in Casa Grande. Border Patrol cannot enter the lands south of I-8 all the way to the southern Arizona border by orders from the Department of Homeland Security. This area is approximately 125 miles north of the border.

Looking at I-8 from layup site

The layup area we visited is one of many where the illegals hide out until the drug cartels pick up the drugs the illegals have brought into the country. The illegals then receive instruction as to when they will be picked up for further transport. The area is in the desert of Arizona and one could see the flat lands were well traveled with all vegetation killed off from vehicles. Desert trees and bushes provide the much needed cover for the illegals to hide in.

Layup site littered with clothing, backpacks, water bottles and trash

Clothing, backpacks, shoes, water bottles, blankets, spent shells and other trash is left in these desert areas. Leather shoes and boots that have gotten wet during the travel along the river routes are discarded as they have since shrunk and curled from the water. Women’s underwear hung in the trees marks the spot where a woman was raped, a trophy of the rapist. Burlap bags left behind are the only residue from the drugs brought across the border.

Burlap drug bags

While I had seen pictures of these layup areas before, what struck me most when we got out of our vehicle was the smell. It was so sickening I had to cover my nose and mouth to prevent getting sick. A dead body could have been in the area and no one would have known.

This is part 2 of 3 in the series of the trip in April, 2011. Part 1 is our trip to the Casa Grande area, Part 2 the Naco border and meeting with residence in the area, and Part 3 the American Border Patrol station and border fence. All pictures presented here are actual photos taken on this trip.

Naco Port of Entry

On the way to visit the Naco Port of Entry we did get to observe the Border Patrol in action. Along the road we spotted a border patrol vehicle detaining 4 alleged illegal aliens on the side of the road. While we slowed to take photos our vehicle was approached by one of the agents and we were instructed to move along.

Border agents at work (Photo obscured to hide detainees; sitting in front of border agents)

At the Border Patrol Station in Naco we saw a border patrol vehicle waiting to enter the facility. Behind the fenced area a bus is parked which is used to transport the illegals caught and return them back to Mexico.

Bus transport at Naco Border Patrol Station

The Tucson Sector has a catch and release policy in which when they capture an illegal they complete the paperwork, fingerprint, feed them a meal and then return them to Mexico; hardly a deterrent at illegal entry. A Burger King in Tucson has a standing order for 300 hamburgers and fries a day just to feed the illegals picked up that day.

We again saw the numerous GM border patrol vehicles parked in the secured border patrol lot with razor wire on top of the fence.

Border patrol vehicles at Naco station

During previous visits to Border Patrol Stations the group had been able to visit and talk with border agents. However, under the direction of Janet Napolitano, this has been halted and border agents are now instructed not to talk to anyone. So much for transparency in government. We were not allowed to enter the facility.

Naco Border Patrol Station

At the Naco border we saw the current border fence in the area. Installed years before, it is rusting and shows obvious signs of repair. You could observe the many areas where people had dug under the fence and had damaged bottom sections in order to gain access to the US. Repairs are done by putting boards, rocks, dirt or other materials in front of the openings; again not a serious attempt to secure the border.

Border Fence at Naco

Naco fence repairs

While this fence was in need of obvious repair/replacement, on the other side of the street is the new 18 foot border fence materials which had been delivered to the site as the replacement fence. When funding was pulled all work stopped and the material has been left on the side of the street. Our tax dollars at work.

Naco new fence parts

We drove past the actual port of entry, which is secured by fencing. Signs are posted indicating that no guns are allowed in Mexico. We did not stop or engage with the agents at the port of entry.

This is part 3 of 3 in the series of the trip in April, 2011. Part 1 is our trip to the Casa Grande area, Part 2 the Naco border and meeting with residence in the area, and Part 3 the American Border Patrol station and border fence. All pictures presented here are actual photos taken on this trip.

American Border Patrol

Our final stop was the testing site of the American Border Patrol. The property sits at the Mexico/US border. We had previously seen a demonstration of the technology being used at this site, but now we could see it in live action.

The Department of Homeland Security has been using incomplete statistics to try to show their contention that the border is secure. They know how many illegals they apprehend but they have no idea how many illegals actually cross the border. They further manipulate their statistics by instructing border agents to reduce the number of apprehensions they make, and then claim the border is secure because the number of apprehensions is down. That would be like the highway patrol claiming no one is speeding simply because they decided not to stop anyone!

The technology developed by American Border Patrol would count each entry across the border. They can distinguish between human, animal and vehicles, as well as small aircraft. This would give US citizens and the federal government and Border States real data, but potentially would prove just how porous our southern border really is. At a fraction of the cost of a fence, this technology can identify an approach upon the border and could be utilized to identify crossing points as well as dispatch border patrol agents to apprehend the illegal crossing suspects. Used in tandem with secure border fencing and agents it could provide a serious solution to a secure border without the moat and alligators suggested by Obama.

American Border Patrol has also used low flying aircraft and has documented the fence, or lack of it, for the entire southwest border. If you would like more information on the American Border Patrol visit: www.americanborderpatrol.com.

From the porch of the home we could see the location where Coronado first entered the United States and the route along the river they followed. Off in the distance you could see what used to be John Wayne’s ranch, which is located on the Mexican side. This ranch is now headquarters to one of the drug cartels and is in close proximity to the border.

John Wayne's Ranch now owned by the drug cartels

Cameras have been installed on the American Border Patrol property so they can observe the movements around this land at the border.

During our presentation we began to hear gun fire near the border, just yards from where we were sitting. Our host contacted his people to be sure no one was using the shooting range and then contacted border patrol to report the incident. Border patrol showed up later to drive the fence line and the gun fire stopped. We were unable to confirm where it was coming from.

Our host also conveyed to us the risks of living at the border.