Pubdate: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 Source: Sun, The (Yuma, AZ) Copyright: 2006 The Sun Contact: http://yumasun.com/opinion/sendletter.php Website: http://www.yumasun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1258 Author: Jonathan Athens, Sun Staff Writer FEDS BUILDING VEHICLE BARRIER TO REPEL SMUGGLERS Federal authorities said they will begin installing reinforced steel vehicle barriers starting next week near San Luis, Ariz., in an effort to halt illegal drug and alien smugglers from driving across the desert from Mexico into Yuma County. At a cost of $1.1 million per mile, the initial portion of the barrier - -- a 2.25-mile stretch costing about $2.5 million -- will be installed near Avenue C about seven miles from the U.S. Port of Entry at San Luis, Ariz., said Yuma sector Border Patrol spokesman Michael Gramley. In late July, federal authorities unveiled their long-range plans to build the largest continuous vehicle barrier in the nation along the Arizona-Mexico border, starting with a 37-mile stretch from San Luis, Ariz., to the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. Federal authorities then said they plan to build vehicle barriers to run from the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument south of Ajo to San Luis, linking them to an existing a 30-mile stretch of vehicle barriers along a portion of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The barrier to be built in the desert area near the San Luis port of entry is a pilot project, Gramley said, adding that federal authorities intend to test the effectiveness of that barrier before going forward with their plans to build the longer barrier. Later this month, Arizona Army National Guardsmen are slated to erect a three-mile long corrugated metal fence, filling in the gap from the existing metal fence to the point where the vehicle border is to begin, Gramley said. Gramley said the site where the vehicle barrier will be built is an area often used by drug and alien smugglers. On Monday, two suspected Mexican marijuana smugglers drove a sport utility vehicle across that site and were arrested shortly after they abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot into a San Luis residential area. Both are in custody and facing federal drug smuggling felony charges. At that same location on Dec. 30, two alien smugglers transporting 12 illegal aliens in a vehicle struck a canal embankment, launching the vehicle more than 100 feet before crashing. All 14 were injured as a result. Three illegal aliens suffering from serious back and spinal injuries remain in a Phoenix hospital. The two suspected smugglers are being held for prosecution along with three material witnesses and the rest of the illegal aliens were voluntarily returned to Mexico. Gramley said there were just over 2,700 reported incidents last year of drug and alien smugglers driving across the border from Mexico into the United States in the Yuma sector. Gramley said that figure has dropped recently owing to federal authorities conducting more air patrols. "We've already seen a significant decrease in vehicle drive-throughs. A lot of that is due to an increase in air patrols and the ability to rapidly respond and deter those entries," Gramley said. Since Oct. 1, there have been 278 reported drive-throughs, down from 580 drive-throughs during the same time frame last year, according to statistics provided by the Border Patrol. The barrier consists of poles or "bollards" made of steel and filled with an unspecified type of resin material in order to prevent smugglers from cutting them down with a cutting torch, Gramley said. Each bollard will be spaced approximately four feet apart and they will alternate in height from 5 feet to 7 feet tall in order to prevent smugglers from placing a ramp on the barrier and driving over the top, he said. The barriers are expected to be able to withstand crashes of up to 40 mph without damage, Gramley said. Gramley said the Arizona barriers won't impede the movement of wildlife, a concern for conservationists. An environmental specialist will be on site during installation to ensure that endangered species of animals aren't harmed, Gramley said. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake