Fifty "coyote"-hunting federal agents have been sicced on Arizona's violent smuggling syndicates as part of a sweeping campaign designed to turn border predators into law enforcement prey.
"We're dealing with ruthless individuals who view human life as nothing more than cargo for profit," said Michael Garcia, assistant secretary at the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "A dollar is much more important to them than the value of human life. We're making a commitment to put an end to this violence."
The new program, dubbed Operation ICE Storm, was launched at a south Phoenix news conference Monday amid a blizzard of tough rhetoric from political and enforcement leaders.
Paul Charlton, U.S. attorney for Arizona, said the "coyotes" and robbers who abduct immigrants for ransom have become as brazen as drug traffickers.
"We need to begin to call them for what they are," he added. "They're killers, rapists and kidnappers. . . . We're going to stop these killers, and we're going to do it together."
Undocumented immigrants are regarded as easy prey by criminals because they are afraid to contact police, even when they've been robbed, kidnapped or raped.
As Border Patrol forces cracked down on illegal immigration in Texas and California during the past decade, Arizona became a funnel point for "coyotes" and crime.
The U.S. Attorney's Office reported a 51 percent increase in human-smuggling cases from 1998 to 2003.
And Maricopa County is regarded as the nation's underground hub for drop houses in the human smuggling network.
Operation ICE Storm is the latest initiative in a long line of government efforts to secure the state's southern border against illegal immigration and a related crime wave.
Just last week, the Border Patrol and local police teamed up to begin cruising Arizona roads and airport terminals in search of smugglers.
That program includes checkpoints along some highways.
Plans in the works
On Monday, ICE followed up, making known the existence of
the new task force, which secretly began Phoenix operations seven weeks ago. In addition, the government announced a confidential public tip line, most-wanted posters targeting smuggler fugitives and plans to build 300 detention beds for criminal aliens.
The campaign is expected to cost $750,000 a month for agents, plus more for jail space, prosecutors, courts and other expenses.
Authorities emphasized that Operation ICE Storm was planned before bandits hijacked a load of undocumented immigrants near Marana last week, then got into a morning rush-hour confrontation along Interstate 10 south of Phoenix. Four people were killed and five wounded as rival gangs brought coyote violence into the spotlight.
Garcia said that incident was "only the latest and bloodiest example" of violence that is unique to Arizona.
No other border state has seen such an "incredible spike" in smuggling-related murders, assaults and kidnappings, he said.
Garcia held up an AK-47 assault rifle to demonstrate the sort of firepower used, then pointed out the poster of a "coyote" wanted in connection with an October gunfight that killed a 15-year-old boy in Phoenix.
Talking tough
"We're dedicated to keeping the people responsible for these crimes - the threats to public safety - off the streets," Garcia said. "The help of the community and public is critical in fighting this organized crime."
Other officials took turns piling on the tough talk.
Phoenix Police Chief Harold Hurtt described a recent smuggling case to illustrate the ruthless tactics: In October, a rip-off team kidnapped a group of immigrants from a band of "coyotes," bound them from head to toe in duct tape, then terrorized them for six days while awaiting a $15,000 ransom from Mexico.
"This, ladies and gentleman, is simply unacceptable," Hurtt said. "We will utilize all of our available resources to send a message: This will not be tolerated."
Rep. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz., said the I-10 shootout was "a sobering wake-up call," not just for law enforcement but for the nation's political leaders. He said the United States needs a new, overarching immigration policy that secures borders, builds the economy and prevents crime.
"We do not have the luxury of political correctness or political pandering," Hayworth added. "Illegal aliens are not undocumented citizens."
Rep. Jake Flake, R-Ariz., also called for a change in the immigration system, but one allowing Mexican workers to come to the United States legally so they don't have to hire "coyotes" or endanger their lives.
Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., welcomed the federal government's investment in Operation ICE Storm, saying, "it's about time" local agencies got some help.
Garcia vowed that ICE, a new federal agency under the Department of Homeland Security, will combine immigration, smuggling and financial investigative powers to go after the criminal rings on both sides of the border.
"We have to go after the money," he added. "We're taking the approach that this is organized crime."
Reach the reporter at dennis. wagner@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8874.
