I don’t post articles very often on this blog but this one is a “must read.” So here you are, America!

If you’re following the “Amnesty Trail” with me as I write Lawless Borders and not checking on my other blog, Border News – You Decide… then you “need” this information… please read it and then please read it again…

And then, look at the map of the United States... do you see all of those “border towns” scattered across the map along the U.S.-Mexico Border?

Drop this story into EVERY ONE of those towns!

It’s real… it IS what is happening… scroll down for "Border War"...

Jan McCracken, Author, Lawless Borders

"Border War!"

A real border war...

The war on drugs comes to Paloma, Mexico, and creates at least one refugee -- the police chief.

Los Angeles Times, March 27, 2008

For those in the know, the little village of Palomas offered up a glimpse of Old Mexico that has become scarce in the border towns that often are little more than transit points for Mexicans heading farther north. Once home to folk-hero and bandit Francisco "Pancho" Villa, it had a bustling, dusty charm, with street vendors hawking tooled leather saddles and Popsicles to American tourists. More recently, it had become a destination for uninsured Americans seeking dental, medical and optical care.

But no longer. The bandits are back. Mexico's drug war has come to Palomas.

The town has literally become lawless. Last week, its terrified police chief fled across the border, seeking asylum in the United States, saying his two deputies had abandoned him and that he feared for his life. News accounts quoting U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Doug Mosier reported that Emilio Perez presented himself at the international port of entry in Columbus, N.M., just a few miles north of Palomas. Mosier said he'd never seen such a thing. And Perez's plea for sanctuary, first reported by the Associated Press, zipped from one news outlet to another with all the shock value of a "Man Bites Dog" story -- or rather, "Cop Flees Robbers."

But this is a sobering turn of events, and it should focus attention on the escalating violence on our border. Mexico's drug war is not just a metaphor, it's a war. More than 2,500 people a year die in the conflict, and those law enforcement officials who take on the drug cartels are prime targets for assassination.

As The Times' Richard Marosi reported earlier this year, one outspoken opponent of the cartels was attacked at his home by gunmen three days before he became Tijuana's secretary for public security. Fortunately, Alberto Capella Ibarra had sent his wife and children to live elsewhere, and by defending himself in the shootout, he survived. Still, his enemies merely shifted targets. Three of Capella's senior officers were later gunned down, along with the wife and two daughters of one of them.

Yet if Capella's determination to stay in the job shows almost superhuman bravery, that doesn't mean Perez's flight is an act of cowardice. Both men, and thousands of others like them, have been forced into death-defying feats and no-win choices because of a war whose ferocity, so far, has no end in sight.

On the "Amnesty Trail" & Discovery in a Lay-up Area with Jan McCracken, Lawless Borders

I just drove in from a very large central post office... As I walked in to mail a package, it seemed dark even though the Arizona sun was shining brightly... As I looked around, the huge front windows were boarded up with heavy plywood and reinforcement... looking beyond and back outside the windows, I noticed yellow tape with "Sheriff Line Do Not Cross"...

My heart quickened as I tried to get in touch with what I was feeling... violation... I felt violated... uneasy... I wanted to get out of there quickly...

But as I walked to my car the feeling lingered... it was a "familiar" feeling... that feeling of violation... where was that coming from? As I drove away, it hit me like a lead balloon... the lay-up areas that I visit often in the desert... the ares of the desert where illegal aliens rest... often before their final stint to meet up with their coyote... the places in our deserts that are trashed... when the illegal aliens drop everything... backpacks, drugs, water bottles, jackets... you name it, you'll find it there...

Lay-up areas that are contaminating our water tables... eroding the environment... killing cattle daily... messing up the ecosystem for the wildlife... a place where the illegal aliens change their clothes... putting on the clean ones that they've been coveting in their backpacks... the ones that hopefully will make them look more "American" so they will blend in better with the people on the street and prevent them from being arrested and sent back to Mexico or another country of origin (these folks crossing the border are NOT just from Mexico!)...

That wave of nausea overcame me once again... if you've been following my steps in the field, you'll discover that this nausea happens more and more often these days...

I share with you some photos from a recent trip into one of the huge lay-up areas near Sasabe, Arizona and up towards Three Points... This photo is of a relaxation drug... Not only did I find the box but along with the box, the bottle of the actual drug plus a hypodermic needle for injecting the drug! With this left behind, cattle and wildlife can swallow drugs that aren't in glass bottles and swallow hypodermic needles... doing damage to the cattle, resulting too many times in death of the animal at the rancher's expense...

Violation? Nausea? Becoming more and more frequent, for good reason...

Jan McCracken, Author, Lawless Borders

The children... oh my, the children!

If you’re following my blog, you’ve probably been to my main website, www.lawlessborders.com... If you’re wondering what the significance is of that black and white photo of those two pair of jeans laying on the ground… there’s a “big” pair that would probably fit me… and the other pair is a size 4T… yes, that would be a toddler’s pair of jeans…

I discovered these two pair of jeans months ago on one of my first trips into a huge lay-up site near Three Points not too far from Sasabe… we were just approaching the main lay-up site and these were on the perimeter… when I saw the size 4T jeans, I dropped to my knees on the desert floor with tears running down my face… my gut was retching... I’m a grandmother... the brutality of the desert is not for “big people” much less “little ones”…

I continued on with the group and stopped in the middle of the lay-up area and pulled one of my counterparts aside… I said, “I have to go back… I have to get those jeans… they are a reminder of why I’m writing this book, Lawless Borders… it’s for ALL of the children… ALL of them… red and yellow, black, brown and white…” Those jeans with their little red belt today hang on my office door as a stark reminder to keep me writing Lawless Borders… to remind that there is a REAL reason for getting this book to press…

Jan McCracken, Author, Lawless Borders

On the "Amnesty Trail" and "Down the Road" with Jan McCracken, Lawless Borders

I thought that you might like to see "the road" that I talked about in an earlier post that I have to trek down (it's 8 miles of dirt!) and then down to a neighboring ranch to get a clear signal on my cell phone. This is "the road" that I also mentioned where the "coyotes" (not the 4-legged ones) are leaving infant babies by the side of the road for "bait" in order to steal vehicles to get them to their destinations.

It seems that some IA's (illegal aliens) wandered into camp the other day asking for food and water and a ride to Phoenix. They told the staff that there were a total of 13 of them with the majority of them still in the desert (these 2 had been sent as scouts). The IA's were told to go get the others and come and sit down and they would have their ride.

Well, all 13 of them got their ride, but it wasn't to Phoenix... Border Patrol was dispatched and arrived to see that the 13 IA's were escorted back to Mexico (you'll read more of these kinds of stories in the book... some with much different endings)!

Jan McCracken, Author, Lawless Borders

Virtual fence debacle demands investigation

Denogean: Virtual fence debacle demands investigation

Boeing profits despite the failure of its border work

Tucson Citizen, March 7, 2008

By Anne T. Denogean

The high-tech virtual fence meant to secure 28 miles of U.S. border near Sasabe officially is known as Project 28. But after revelations that the $20.6 million fence built by Boeing Corp. doesn't work right, elected officials from Arizona are calling it "a disgrace," "a boondoggle" and "a fiasco."

The virtual fence was part of the Department of Homeland Security's Secure Border Initiative, a multibillion dollar program launched in 2005 to protect the U.S-Mexico border with physical barriers (including 370 miles of pedestrian fence and 300 miles of vehicle fence) and enhanced surveillance and communication technologies.

DHS accepted the project from Boeing on Feb. 22. Days later, a representative of the Government Accountability Office testified before a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee that Project 28 "is not an optimal system" and would soon have to be replaced with newer technologies.

Boeing developed and designed the system with only minimal input from the Border Patrol, the agency using it, according to the testimony. Technical issues delayed delivery of the system. The software Boeing selected was intended for law enforcement dispatch and was not designed to handle the type of information being collected by the cameras, radar and sensors, according to GAO testimony. It was taking too long for radar information to display in command centers. And the radar systems "were being activated by rain or other environmental factors, making the system unusable."

As Boeing worked to correct the problems, others arose. As of February, the resolution of camera images was limited to five kilometers (3.1 miles), when the cameras were expected to work at twice that distance. Project 28 was a pilot program. Instead of deeming it a failure and moving on, DHS has thrown two more contracts at Boeing. One is $64.5 million to, among other things, upgrade the software used in Project 28. The other is $69 million to begin planning for virtual fence systems in other areas of the Border Patrol's Tucson sector and the Yuma and El Paso sectors.

The debacle has left questions about where we go from here with border security. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., said the most disturbing thing about this whole episode is that it was predictable."There was a rush on the part of administration and Homeland Security to do something on the border,'' he said. "And I think every time you make a political response in haste in order to satisfy a political agenda and not really look at what the ramifications and the consequences are going to be, you end up with these boondoggles."

He said Project 28 shows that a fence is not the silver bullet of border security. Solutions to securing the border must be as multifaceted and complex as the border itself, he said."I hope this causes people to stop and say, 'We can't continue to keep throwing money at this issue. We have to do it in a way that is effective and this is not effective.' "

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., who supports the use of technology and other innovative techniques to secure the border, blames the shortcomings of the fence on the failure of DHS and Boeing to consult with the Border Patrol."These are the men and women who are on the ground, in the field, securing our borders and they weren't consulted at all," Giffords said.She filed a bill, the Border Security Accountability Act, on Thursday to demand more accountability from DHS.

For fiscal 2008, which started Oct. 1, DHS received $32 billion in regular appropriations and $1.8 billion in emergency supplemental funds, yet the department has no regular reporting requirements, Giffords said. Her bill would require reports every 90 days. "With my legislation in place I think that we would have been able to prevent the Project 28 fiasco," she said.

Randy Graf, a former state representative who was the Republican candidate for the seat held by Republican Jim Kolbe and won by Giffords in 2006, said the best assessment of the virtual fence came from U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter of California. "He said, 'The virtual fence is virtually useless.' And I would agree with that."

Graf said virtual fences and unmanned aerial drones, even when they work, only detect activity and do not actually stop people from crossing the border. He said the solution to stopping illegal immigration is real fences, augmented by an increase in Border Patrol and military manpower at the border. He calls for tripling the Border Patrol force, increasing the National Guard presence at the border and bringing in military forces if needed.

"It's just the physical presence as a deterrence, saying 'This isn't where you cross. We've got ports of entry where you can cross legally, just going through the process.' And I think we could bring order to the border in very short order."

State Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, a hard-liner on illegal immigration, said border security can be achieved by a combination of regular fences, double-layer fences enhanced by technology and virtual fences. Despite the failure of Project 28, the technology exists or can be developed for a working virtual fence, Pearce said. The real problem, he said, is the "scoundrels" in Washington, D.C., who continue to ignore the will of the American people, who want the laws enforced and the border secured. It's up to Americans to vote politicians who won't protect them out of office, he said.

A total of 168 miles of pedestrian fence and 135 of vehicle fence have been built, but delays in finishing a promised 670 miles total are anticipated. "We have the ability, the technology and the resources to secure that border. The only thing preventing us is the (lack of) political will to protect Americans as they have a right to be protected," he said.

Kolbe, the former Republican congressman whose district included 100 miles of the U.S. border with Mexico, believes this debacle should lead back to where the discussion started - comprehensive immigration, reform. "I think the lesson that ought to be learned is that attempts to build a physical barrier, whether you do it as a virtual fence or whether you do it with wire or steel, are bound to fail in terms of keeping out people. They'll always find ways to get into the United States," Kolbe said.

"You can't solve the problem if you don't deal with all the pieces of the puzzle. And that means to provide for work permits for people to come in and work temporarily in the United States, for ways for employers make sure they know who they are hiring and to deal with the people who are here in the United States on an illegal basis."

Please go to the full article for some great photos of Project 28!

Jan McCracken, Author, Lawless Borders

Disturbing News from Sheriff Joe Arpaio...

Jan McCracken, Author, Lawless Borders at Tent City, Phoenix, Arizona

As those of you that have been following me along the "Amnesty Trail" know from a previous post, I was honored to have a one on one interview with Sheriff Joe Arpaio (see below for details).

And, I didn't just fall off the turnip truck as I know that Sheriff Joe is almost as controversial as the "illegal immigration" issue. Just so you know, my alignment with a lot of Sheriff Joe's practices are a result of his dedicated belief of the old fashioned enforcement of the "rule of law".... what a concept? If you chose to call this "political posturing" on my part, so be it...

I just now ran across this article in my morning research and wanted to share it with you... think about it, America... and then, it's your job for YOU to decide!

ILLEGAL ALIEN SERIOUS CRIME ESCALATING

FOUR HOMICIDES IN FOUR DAYS

Borderfire Report, February 28, 2008

Phoenix, AZ -Undocumented aliens, mostly from Mexico and Central America, now total 1953 inmates in the Maricopa County Sheriff’s jail system.

That number represents 21 percent of the overall inmate population of men and women housed in the nation’s third largest jail system.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio says that is just small part of the story about those incarcerated in his jails. He says that recent figures show that serious crime (class four felonies and above) are committed substantially by illegal aliens.

During two recent surveys, between 27 and 53 percent of all suspects booked into the jail on serious felonies had immigration holds placed on them. The vast majority of those with holds were in the United States illegally.

According to the Sheriff’s figures, illegal alien inmate population numbers have grown steadily in Arizona and other border states over the last several years. In March 2005, the illegal alien population in Arpaio’s jails totaled approximately 700.

The increase in inmate population comes as 160 federal immigration trained Sheriff’s officers have begun investigating the immigration status.

Meet “Isolation” on the “Amnesty Trail” with Jan McCracken…

If you really want to meet “isolation” up close and personal… come to this part of the desert in Arizona… as you drive down the road with early spring bursts of flowering cacti, it “appears” beautiful… as you hike the desert the “natural beauty” around you remains, however, desolation and isolation set in very, very quickly!

When I was on a media tour on the King Anvil Ranch at Three Points, word came in from one of the owners that one of their cowboys had been up in one of the canyons on the 50,000 acre ranch and had discovered a skull and bones… the remains of a “human being.”

Ranch Security was dispatched as well as the Sheriff’s Department. The trek up to the GPS location of the “remains” was tough going and almost impossible in 4-wheel drive. The cowboy, of course, had been on horseback.

The Sheriff’s Department came to claim the remains the following day and the skull and bones appear to be that of a younger woman.

Go to the Lawless Borders website and photos are now posted of these skeletal remains.

My point in sharing this with you is multi-fold… this is an every day occurrence in this area - the discovery of human remains. The reports of desert deaths is so inaccurate! The number of deaths reported don’t include those that are out there in the “isolation” of the desert… the number of deaths reported are the ones that are discovered on the “well traveled” trails.

Once again, how can something so beautiful as the desert be so UGLY?

Please stay tuned, as I hate to break the news to you... it gets even “uglier!”

Jan McCracken, Author, Lawless Borders

One Man Arrested on 80 Counts of CHILD RAPE!

Are you listening, America? Has the light bulb gone on yet? Is it at least "glimmering?"

Child Rape Suspect Caught In Polk County

By Elaine Silvestrini of The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 26, 2008

TAMPA – An illegal immigrant wanted on more than 80 counts of rape on children in North Carolina was captured tonight in Haines City, the U.S. Marshals Service announced.

Israel Trejo Sr.

At about 7 p.m., agents with the U.S. Marshals' Tampa Bay Area Futigive Task Force and the Polk County Sheriff's Office found and arrested Israel Trejo, 30, on Hinson Avenue East, according to a news release.

No further details were available.

Along the "Amnesty Trail" with Jan McCracken & Lawless Borders

I've had responses from so many of you inquiring as to why my entries on the blog have sometimes been so far in between and why there aren't MORE... so I wanted to let you know the answer...

When you have to drive 10 miles to get a signal on your cell phone and when you may have an internet connection for an hour or "maybe 5 minutes," you kinda have to roll with it! In order for me to have my "boots on the ground" to document these final "personal experiences" for Lawless Borders to go to press, I have had to make some major sacrifices as well as some huge trade offs... all are well worth it... however, being in constant touch with the outside world is not one of my luxuries... a trade off...

I have so many more stories to share with you and you're probably going to find them posted in "bunches" due to my circumstances.

Thanks for coming along with me on the Amnesty Trail and please be sure to watch the website for some great photos and more information on my new book, Lawless Borders... that's another thing, sending photos to my web gremlin doesn't work very well at present as the files are way to large for those saguaro cacti and cholla cacti to transmit them!

For now from what is sometimes called the "Trail of Tears" and "Devil's Highway"...

Jan McCracken, Author, Lawless Borders