Immigrant Heat Deaths Cause Enforcement Shift
From Times Wire Reports
The U.S. Border Patrol has shifted more agents and equipment into areas of the southern Arizona desert where illegal immigrants have been dying in alarming numbers.
In the last two weeks, more than 20 immigrants have died from exposure and dehydration while trying to make long treks in triple-digit temperatures.
David Aguilar, chief of the Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector, said he has moved planes, helicopters and agents to cover the “west desert,” a 15,000-square-mile area near Sasabe.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.