Illegal Immigration in Puerto Rico? Si!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
By Carl Braun
Examiner.com
PR-BPAUX Agent Joel R and K9 Agent "Chiqui"
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Aguadilla, Puerto Rico---A rickety, fifty-foot wooden fishing boat or “Yola” drifts in the Caribbean about twenty nautical miles north of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. Onboard are 120 men and 37 women, all refugees from the Dominican Republic and all illegally attempting to enter the Untied States by way of the island.These 157 souls are actually the lucky ones though few of them would agree. For openers, it cost them each about $450 for the nightmare cruise but many simply perish as the boats, grossly overloaded, often wind up in the briney deep and not on the shores of America as the travelers had hoped. Some are adrift for days or weeks until they are found with the occupants sometimes resorting to cannibalism to survive. In one such group, according to a 2004 NY Times Report, survivors attacked and killed lactating women for their breast milk. These are desperate people.
This group however, was caught by the CBIG or Caribbean Border Interagency Group. In July 2006, CBIG was formally created to unify efforts of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), (ICE), the District Attorney of Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid action (FURA). Their common goal is securing Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands against illegal maritime traffic and gaining control of our nation's Caribbean borders.
Ten of the individuals were held for multiple violations and one was a wanted felon. The remaining 146 were repatriated to Dominican Republic Naval authorities later in the day.
The situation in the Dominican Republic is desperate and for many, this is a last chance effort at survival. Dozens of boats filled with people are spotted each week and turned back.
When Americans think of Illegal Immigration, few would conjure up a vision of “boat people” from the Dominican Republic. This however is a very real issue for Puerto Rico and the United States as gaining access to the Island is the same as jumping the fence in Arizona and getting away with it.
In 2008, citizens stepped forward to assist the Border Patrol in their efforts. The Puerto Rican Chapter of the Border Patrol Auxiliary (BPAUX) has approximately 30 volunteer members who patrol the beaches, day and night looking for boats full of drugs or people that sneak through.
Chapter Secretary & Leader Joel R. helped organize the volunteers who also teach students about a “drug free community”. The BPAUX Agents work closely with local police and have a K9 drug dog named “Chiqui” who assists them in their efforts. The unit is not related to the Border Patrol or the Department of Homeland Security. It is part of the California based Homeland Security Policy Institute Group.
“We are proud to be citizen border watchers helping the Border Patrol secure America.” Joel said. “We are like a neighborhood watch program. We observe illegal traffic, report it to the authorities and direct them to the location of the illegal activity,” he added.
There is apparently much work to do as The Ramey (Puerto Rican) sector of the Border Patrol arrests thousands of would-be border crossers each year with most being returned to their home countries. It is the only station located outside of the continental United States and has responsibility for some 8,760 square miles of coastal waters in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Local authorities recently received $500,000 in funding from DHS Operation Stonegarden to assist them in working more closely with Border Patrol.
Illegal immigration is not a new phenomenon for Puerto Rico. For centuries Chinese and even Irish immigrants settled here illegally. Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the US in 1898 after the Spanish American War. It has seen refugees from most of its neighbors whenever economic or political strife intercedes. Cubans, Haitians and others have sought safety here from time to time. Puerto Rico, though often lost in the battle of illegal immigration, is on the front lines it seems and DHS is putting more and more resources behind it.
Carl Braun is an analyst for the Homeland Security Policy Institute Group and he's logged 5,000-plus hours on the border. He has written several books including his most recent on Border Insecurity, “Above All Else”
. Contact Carl at Carl.Braun@BPAUX.org.
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