Illegals use local rest areas for pickup

Rest areas along the Interstate 19 are becoming hot spots for illegal immigrant activity, Sgt. Jim Murphy, head of the Sheriff’s Department’s Border Crimes Unit, said.

With the I-19 checkpoint near Tubac and a temporary checkpoint set up on Arivaca Road, immigrant-smuggling “coyotes” are getting “desperate,” he said, skirting around the main arteries and increasing their activity at the Canoa rest area and on more remote roadways such as Elephant Head Road.

“The rest areas are kind of like a beacon for some of the illegals coming across,” Murphy said. “This has been going on for a while, but it’s more prevalent now because of the Border Patrol checkpoints.”

In one night last week, the Border Crimes Unit discovered two loads of illegal immigrants waiting to be picked up near the Canoa Rest Area just south of Green Valley, Murphy said.

“Pickups” like these occur mostly at night and pose little danger to the public, he said. So far, the unit hasn’t witnessed any drug-smuggling at the rest areas, he said.

“Residents shouldn’t be alarmed, but they can help us out by being observant and calling us if they notice any suspicious activity,” he said. “A lot of our leads come from the public, and we appreciate their help.”

Robert G. Daniels, a public information officer with U.S. Border Patrol, says that a great deal of planning goes into setting up a checkpoint and that surrounding areas — include rest stops — are not neglected.

“We’ll utilize horse patrols on trails around checkpoints, or have plain-clothes agents set up near rest stops,” he said. “We’re there working on the problem, even if there’s no Border Patrol vehicle in plain sight.”

A number of different agencies work together to deal with the people trying to circumvent the checkpoints — to form a kind of containment net. That includes the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the Department of Public Safety, he said.

Funding comes from Operation Stonegarden, a Department of Homeland Security program begun in 2005 that pays state, local and tribal agencies to assist with special border operations, he said.

jrichardson@gvnews.com | 547-9726