In an interesting twist, US Border Patrol Agents are now setting up checkpoints at the US-Mexico border and are catching illegal migrants ON THEIR WAY OUT.
From the Los Angeles Times:
U.S. border authorities no longer apprehend illegal immigrants only as they enter the country. Now they’re catching them on the way out.
At random times near the [...]
The US city of Houston is confronting a flood of fake identity documents that are being sold to illegal immigrants.
From the Houston Chronicle:
Illegal immigrants fearful of being caught in stepped-up workplace raids are fueling a growing market in Houston for phony immigration and work documents.
The result, experts say, is a glut of false, altered and [...]
The Associated Press has an interesting story about the discretion US Border Patrol Agents maintain when dealing with immigration violations.
From the AP (via Yahoo News):
Josefa Gonzalez Loya has sneaked across the Mexican border at least 128 times in the past eight years. And each time, the Border Patrol has been nice enough to give her [...]
The Government of Mexico estimates that up to 20,000 children are trafficked within Mexico to provide for the commercial sex industry.
Source: United States Department of State, “2005 Trafficking in Persons Report,” Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, June 3, 2005.
The violence in Mexico between drug cartel and federal troops shows no signs of easing.
Last week, a shootout in the border town of Tijuana once again demonstrated the violence that is occurring on a daily basis.
From the AP (via the Washing Post):
Even in Mexico’s most violent city, jaded residents feel caught in the crossfire between [...]
Carlos Landin Martinez, the diamond pendant wearing cartel leader previously mentioned, has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in the global drug trade.
From the AP (via Google News):
A retired Mexican state police commander who led a secret life as a drug boss was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday on federal drug [...]
Telephone scammers in Mexico are capitalizing on the fears of parents in Mexico by committing “Virtual Kidnapping”, a phone scam that creates the impression that a child is held hostage.
From the New York Times:
The phone call begins with the cries of an anguished child calling for a parent: “Mama! Papa!” The youngster’s sobs are quickly [...]
Mexico is considered the third-largest consumer market for pirated CDs, videos and clothing after China and Russia.
Source: Omar Millan Gonzales, “Fighting foreign fakes,” San Diego Union Tribune, January 12, 2008, http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20080112-9999-1b12bootleg.html (accessed: January 14, 2008).
Source: IFPI, “IFPI Digital Music Report-2008,” January 24, 2008, pg. 18.
Source: 2007 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, “Canada, Mexico, and Central America: Mexico,” United States Department of State, March 2007.(accessed: March 2, 2007).