US Teens Recruited to Drive Migrants from Mexican Border
2022-04-14
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1The United States Customs and Border Protection say American teenagers are increasingly recruited to transport migrants illegally across the country's Southwest border.
2Border control officials say in the Sunland Park-Saint Teresa area of New Mexico last year, about one in four drivers stopped for transporting migrants were children.
3Most were American citizens.
4Mexican youth have long guided migrants into the United States.
5Government officials, law experts, and local people told Reuters that recruiters trick the children.
6They said the recruiters tell minors that they will not face legal action because they are children.
7U.S. children as young as 14 learn about the possible employment from social media and friends.
8They transport mainly Mexican adults.
9The young drivers can earn hundreds of dollars per migrant, and local people jokingly call them "Ubers," after the transportation company.
10Some young people in Sunland Park see it as a way to get ahead.
11The area struggles with a poverty rate three times higher than the national average.
12The transport can be dangerous. Federal officials in New Mexico seem ready to enforce the law on the young drivers.
13Border Patrol officers say child drivers often flee at high speeds when officers try to stop them.
14That can lead to chases by Border Patrol and crashes.
15Gerardo Galvan is the officer in charge of the Sunland Park area.
16He noticed the rise in young drivers in 2021 after a 14-year-old fled officers and crashed into a Border patrol vehicle.
17"They're told that if they go fast enough we're going to stop pursuing them," Galvan said.
18Galvan said he was working with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Las Cruces, New Mexico, to charge child drivers.
19Amanda Skinner is an Assistant Federal Public Defender in Las Cruces.
20She said her office represented four minors for transporting migrants in the first few months of 2022.
21In all of 2021, Skinner said there were only six such cases.
22Unless the child has been in trouble before, the majority of cases involving minors result in probation until the age of 21, she said.
23"We don't typically see higher-ups charged," Skinner said, noting the large majority of arrests are of drivers.
24The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden expects another record-breaking year for border control arrests in the Southwest. A COVID-era policy that blocked most asylum claims is set to lift in May.
25Sunland Park Mayor Javier Perea sees no easy fix to the child driver problem.
26"The last thing we want to do is criminalize our youth," said Perea.
27The town provides work possibilities for working-age children and is planning an outreach program to stop drivers.
28Accidents on the road are a top worry.
29In 2020, a police chase of a migrant transport led to a deadly crash in El Paso, Texas.
30The 18-year-old driver was carrying ten people in a vehicle designed for five.
31The vehicle crashed as it tried to flee the police.
32Seven people were killed, including four local children.
33The American Civil Liberties Union and U.S. lawmakers are calling on Border Patrol to only chase suspects at high speed if they suspect violence has or will take place.
34I'm Gregory Stachel.
1The United States Customs and Border Protection say American teenagers are increasingly recruited to transport migrants illegally across the country's Southwest border. 2Border control officials say in the Sunland Park-Saint Teresa area of New Mexico last year, about one in four drivers stopped for transporting migrants were children. Most were American citizens. 3Mexican youth have long guided migrants into the United States. Government officials, law experts, and local people told Reuters that recruiters trick the children. They said the recruiters tell minors that they will not face legal action because they are children. 4U.S. children as young as 14 learn about the possible employment from social media and friends. They transport mainly Mexican adults. 5The young drivers can earn hundreds of dollars per migrant, and local people jokingly call them "Ubers," after the transportation company. Some young people in Sunland Park see it as a way to get ahead. The area struggles with a poverty rate three times higher than the national average. 6The transport can be dangerous. Federal officials in New Mexico seem ready to enforce the law on the young drivers. 7Border Patrol officers say child drivers often flee at high speeds when officers try to stop them. That can lead to chases by Border Patrol and crashes. 8Gerardo Galvan is the officer in charge of the Sunland Park area. He noticed the rise in young drivers in 2021 after a 14-year-old fled officers and crashed into a Border patrol vehicle. 9"They're told that if they go fast enough we're going to stop pursuing them," Galvan said. 10Galvan said he was working with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Las Cruces, New Mexico, to charge child drivers. 11Amanda Skinner is an Assistant Federal Public Defender in Las Cruces. She said her office represented four minors for transporting migrants in the first few months of 2022. In all of 2021, Skinner said there were only six such cases. 12Unless the child has been in trouble before, the majority of cases involving minors result in probation until the age of 21, she said. 13"We don't typically see higher-ups charged," Skinner said, noting the large majority of arrests are of drivers. 14The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden expects another record-breaking year for border control arrests in the Southwest. A COVID-era policy that blocked most asylum claims is set to lift in May. 15Sunland Park Mayor Javier Perea sees no easy fix to the child driver problem. 16"The last thing we want to do is criminalize our youth," said Perea. The town provides work possibilities for working-age children and is planning an outreach program to stop drivers. 17Accidents on the road are a top worry. In 2020, a police chase of a migrant transport led to a deadly crash in El Paso, Texas. The 18-year-old driver was carrying ten people in a vehicle designed for five. The vehicle crashed as it tried to flee the police. Seven people were killed, including four local children. 18The American Civil Liberties Union and U.S. lawmakers are calling on Border Patrol to only chase suspects at high speed if they suspect violence has or will take place. 19I'm Gregory Stachel. 20Andrew Hay, Nathan Frandino, and Adria Malcolm reported this story for Reuters. Gregory Stachel adapted it for our VOA Learning English readers and listeners. 21____________________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23recruit - v. to find suitable people and get them to join a company, an organization, or the armed forces 24pursue - v. to follow and try to catch or capture (someone or something) for usually a long distance or time 25probation - n. a situation or period of time in which a person who has committed a crime is allowed to stay out of prison if that person behaves well, does not commit another crime 26typically - adv. generally or normally 27We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.