Illegal immigrants Leaving Mounds of Trash on Tohono O'Odham Indian Sacred Lands

tucson tv ^ | 11/27/02 | Paul Cicala

[dennisw]

11/27/02
Immigrants Leaving Mounds of Trash on Tohono O'Odham Indian Sacred Lands

By Paul Cicala

The Tohono O'Odham Nation faces an environmental crisis. Every day, nearly 1,500 undocumented immigrants pass through the U.S.'s second largest indian reservation, leaving thousands of pounds of trash on tribal lands.

News 13 recently got a first-hand look at some of the areas on the reservation that appear more like a trash dump than sacred lands.

Piles of trash grow to mounds of trash on the Tohono O'Odham lands. In the process of searching for the American dream, some immigrants are trashing Arizona.

Henry A. Ramon, Vice Chairman for the Tohono O'Odham Nation, says, "Mother Earth is something very sacred, and here we see trash all over it."

Some sacred areas on the Tohono O'Odham Indian reservation larger than the size of a football field are littered with thousands of pounds of trash left behind by illegal border crossers.

Gerry Carrasco, a U.S. Border Patrol Agent in the Tucson Sector says, "This trash that they leave. This stuff isn't gonna go away any time soon. Who cleans it up?"

Ramon says, "It's the responsibility of the federal government."

Ramon says his people shouldn't be left with the burden of dealing with the mounds of trash. The Tohono O'Odham Nation shares a 71-mile-border with Mexico. Ramon says it's a federal border so it's also a problem of the federal government.

"With the amount of immigrants crossing our land every day, we just can't handle it. We just don't have the manpower," says Ramon.

The Tohono O'Odham Nation is the second largest reservation in the country, with a population of 22,000. Nearly 2,000 tribal members live south of the border.

Border crossers enter the reservation from Mexico on foot, and form makeshift camps near major pickup points for coyotes, or undocumented immigrant smugglers.

Carrasco adds, "They get to here (a spot about 30 miles north of the Sonora/Arizona border), and basically from here is where they're gonna load up. So, they don't need the extra clothes and water jugs. They leave trash here, because there's no where to put it as they get loaded up."

Ramon says, "It's a sore eye to go down the road and see all this trash."

Tohono O'Odham officials estimate each undocumented immigrant leaves behind more than 8 pounds of litter. With nearly 1,500 crossing tribal lands every day, that amounts to 13,000 thousand pounds a day, and almost 5 million pounds a year.

Tribal leaders are asking the federal, state and county governments to get involved. However, Ramon says it's an uphill battle.

"We do try to clean what we can, but, still we're overwhelmed," says Ramon.

If there's no solution soon, Ramon fears the "Mother Earth" that he and other tribal leaders worked so hard to preserve for future generations could all be thrown away.

O'Odham officials say, at this time, they still haven't received any indication that the federal, state and county government will help economically, or by providing manpower to clean the trash up. Thousands of O'Odham tribal members also live in Mexico on native lands south of the border. Mexican officials say those areas are also being trashed by border crossers.

 

[FITZ]

Have you ever tried picking? I have. It isn't easy work.

Of course I have ---I did it all the way from 11 years of age until I got out of high school. It isn't all that hard....you take your hands and put them around the fruit you're about to pick and pull....and then into the bucket tied around your waist. Not too hard. Lots of people have done farm work.

[Joe Hadenuf]

I'll take it a step further. Mexican immigrants do jobs that need to get done by someone. They are generally very decent people. They are also potential Republicans. They have family values that would put most of us to shame. All we really need to do is to teach them to speak English and to be fair with them. They pay us back in spades.

Lets see, you moved from the liberal mecca of Santa Monica to Virginia? Lord, I can only hope you took your friends with you.

Maybe you can convince the Virginians how good it is for America to have millions of illegal aliens crashing our borders and defecating on our laws and sovereignty. Potential future Republicans INDEED!

THANK YOU FOR LEAVING CALIFORNIA, NOW IF WE CAN ONLY GET RID OF A COUPLE MILLION MORE, ANTI BORDER, PRO-IMMIGRATION LUNATICS AND REPUBLICAN NEOCON LIBERALS.

California's gain, Virginia's loss! Spread the word, Virginia has millions of jobs for the uneducated, unskilled and non English speaking, and they welcome illegal aliens with open arms! Get the word out!

[FITZ]

Lets see, you moved from the liberal mecca of Santa Monica to Virginia?

Interesting when someone leaves the SW and doesn't head for a border county to live and work, then claims to know everything there is to know. How about the property tax rates in Texas border counties? Not much to know except they're the highest anywhere in the country. I wonder how these types explain the last election results in California ---where were all the new Republican voters?

[4Freedom]

Better than that, he can move his family to Mexico, so he can impart some of those great Mexican family values to his children.

Like teaching them that it's impolite for men to cut into the line out in front of the houses of ill-repute on a Friday night and equally impolite for children to point at the 'family men' they recognize in line.

LOL!

[ampat]

There once was a time that the braves would tie those illegals down and let them dry in the sun. There was a time that the illegals couldn't set foot on indian land without being spotted, and dealt with. It's time for that indian nation to act.

[Hildy]

1500 A DAY? That's ridiculous, I don't believe that statistic. that would mean they're coming over literally in droves. If that were the case, don't you think we could stop them? Something is fishy. Not saying that it's not happening, just saying that this is a trumped up statistic.

[Publius6961]

Immigrant bashing and $3.25 won't buy you admission to the Statue of Liberty. Nor will it win you the next election.

Long experience has me convinced that the dumbest illegal is still smarter than the smartest feel-good leftie.

Never heard of the cash economy huh?
Let's not even go into collecting food stamps, free education and medical care all at the same time.

Better go tune up your space ship.

[Publius6961]

You know... that propaganda is as effective as the "religion of Peace" thing.

You do realize nobody believes it right?

[Joe Hadenuf]

I wonder how these types explain the last election results in California ---where were all the new Republican voters?

You know, I am really beginning to wonder.

[dennisw]

Some in this Tohono O'Odham Indian tribe are making some money off the illegal immigrant smuggling. I've read this.

[Publius6961]

You don't know anything. You're a standard bigot. You are what makes Republicans wrong.

Name calling... the ultimate refuge of the clueless.

Let's focus on the main issue... cultural survival and national sovereignty.
All the rest is BS.

I will never welcome any individual whose first act is breaking our laws. Period.

If you can't address that, have fun talking to yourself.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Immigrant bashing and $3.25 won't buy you admission to the Statue of Liberty. Nor will it win you the next election.

It's the Statue of Liberty, not the Statue of immigration.

Thanks again for leaving California, we have enough political problems already.

[wku man]

In defense of our FRiend, Mr. Fitz, I don't think he's lumping us on this forum in with the rest of the nation.

I agree with him that most Americans, while paying lip service to border "reform", don't realize the absolute mortal danger our open borders pose to the survival of the country. They repeat the "hell yeah, something's gotta be done" mantra, but then quickly forget about it in favor of the bread and circuses mindset that's been cultivated over the years by the Socialists. We Americans, as a whole, could are less about who and what are pouring over our borders, as long as they don't cancel WWF Smackdown.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[Joe Hadenuf]

You forgot: /sarcasm

LOL! Pretty scary isn't it?

[Publius6961]

Advierten: habrá más decomisos...

LOL
Estas perdiendo tu tiempo, hermano.
Ese imbecil no tiene ni la menor idea de lo que actualmente sucede en el mundo real.

[SCalGal]

That was the best I could do.... I was laughing hysterically.

[FITZ]

De veras.

[Enemy Of The State]

Have you ever spent time on the Border? While stationed in Imperial Beach California I used to sit on the hillside that faces the border with my uncle and we would watch as they would litteraly try to cross in herds. About every 15 minutes a border patrol officer would come through and check on them periodically to mark their position. Knowing that I was in the Navy, On one instance one of the officers handed us his night vision binocs. and asked us to keep an eye on them while he run up the pathway to check on another herd of them coming over. He returned about 15 minutes later with several other officers who waited them out until they finally snagged them trying to make their move.

I happens, and if you dont believe it, go have a look for yourself.

[Hildy]

I believe it happens, and by the way, I live in San Diego! I was just saying that 1500 a day sounds like an awful lot.

[FITZ]

Maybe some of that 1500 are day workers who are going back and forth. You see quite a bit of that too ---they aren't the worst of the problem if they are a problem, they generally leave their families in Mexico and just cross over to work for cash.