Opinion: Border wall of fire
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Turns out that 1,000 degrees might just beat a fence of wire and concrete. The 80,000-plus acre Harris fire straddling the California-Mexico border east of San Diego is causing a few would-be illegal immigrants to think twice about crossing the border into the United States, according to the Associated Press. The story — a few days old, for the record — reports:
Many illegal immigrants appeared to heed the advice of the Border Patrol and the Mexican government, aired on television and radio in Tijuana, Mexico, to stay away from the fires. The Border Patrol radio was unusually quiet Tuesday. Its motion sensors laced throughout the canyons, which escaped damaged, did not set alarms. Some illegal immigrants, however, took the risk. About 50 migrants have surrendered to the Border Patrol since the fires began Sunday, fearing for their safety. One was seriously burned Monday when he and five others sought help from firefighters and they were all taken to a San Diego hospital, according to the Mexican consulate in San Diego. No deaths have been reported.
The Harris fire has also cleared some of the desert flora border-crossers use to their advantage:
The Harris Fire, which has burned 70,000 acres (28,329 hectares), will almost certainly cause migrants to rethink whether it makes sense to cross in the area. Mahler said the exposed hillsides mean migrants can no longer hide in the thick brush. ‘Sometimes fire makes our job a little easier, I hate to say it,’ [Border Patrol Agent Mark Mahler] said.