Pages - Menu

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Smugglers are using camouflage ladders to climb border wall, feds say

 Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat   TY BBB Follower   Source

EL PASO, Texas – Smugglers in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, have engineered camouflage hook-and-ladders made of rebar that blend in so well with the border wall that it can be hard to detect, according to U.S. Border Patrol. The ladders are the same rust brown color as the mesh panels or steel beams of the fence.

El Paso's urban stretch of border is littered with the rusted rebar ladders at the base on both sides — ladders lying in wait on the Mexican side, ladders pulled down by border agents or abandoned by smugglers on the U.S. side. One of the rebar ladders was poking out of a dumpster in a lot near the Chihuahuita neighborhood on Thursday.

"Somebody is making money off those ladders," said Agent Joe Romero, pointing to a mangled version tossed in the dirt on the U.S. side. "The agents pulled it off the wall and cut it up so it can't be used again."


The ladders appear to be made with two poles of ⅜-inch rebar and four thinner poles, outfitted with steps and bent over at the end in a U, to hook on the top of the wall. It's the sort of cubed rebar support structure used in construction in Mexico, called castillo.

Romero said the rebar ladders started turning up in large numbers in the El Paso sector last year in May, around the time that construction of the most recent replacement wall finished downtown. They've been a go-to method for scaling the fence in the urban footprint since.

Border patrol agents Joe Romero and Fidel Baca look at discarded ladders migrants use to climb over the border fence Thursday, Feb. 13, in El Paso.
Border patrol agents Joe Romero and Fidel Baca look at discarded ladders migrants
use to climb over the border fence Thursday, Feb. 13, in El Paso
.

The Trump administration has funded construction of about 100 miles of border wall during his presidency, mostly to replace existing barriers. The president has proposed spending an additional $2 billion for border wall construction under a draft White House budget.

Border Patrol apprehensions of single adults — those most likely to use the ladder method — have nearly doubled year over year in the El Paso sector, which includes West Texas and New Mexico. From October through January, Border Patrol apprehended 10,030 adults, compared with 5,150 in the same period a year ago.

Apprehensions of family units and unaccompanied minors have dropped sharply in the first four months of fiscal 2020 versus a year ago, in large part due to policy barriers created by the Trump administration to deter asylum seekers.

But illegal crossings are on the rise in El Paso, according to Border Patrol.

"We’re starting to see a lot of evading activity," said Agent Ramiro Cordero, the sector's spokesman. "We’re starting to see the criminal organizations working hand-to-hand on either side to avoid detection. More and more we are seeing 'failure to yields' — they are utilizing ladders to go over the fence and diversionary tactics."

Follow Lauren Villagran on Twitter: @laurenvillagran

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Border Patrol: Migrants climb wall with camouflage ladders

24 comments:

  1. Thirteen this, thirteen that. Feb 13? Of course El Paso TX has the presence of mexican mafia gang members aka la eme, m.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wtflip are you talking about

      Delete
    2. 5, 13, 15, etc. For some reason they keep mentioning those numbers alot what's the plot?

      Delete
  2. Invention is the mother of necessity.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's just great creativity i'll give them that.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Impressive tactics.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I live on the Frontera all my life, sorry wall don't work, a young boy can climb in 14 seconds. Bodies on the border work. All those inland checkpoints don't work, everytime I go thru one they wave me and 18 wheels thru. No inspection. When encounter a illegal and call border patrol they never show up. Wall is dumb

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 5:55 estoy 💯 % de acuerdo contigo , la Ultima vez ke cruze un trailero me metio al camarote y kuando el trailer yego al checkpoint, la neta nomas disminuyo la velocidad pero no izo alto total y todo zalio de maravilla , lo uniko ke no me gusto era ke ze calentaba bien gacho pues me metieron abajo del camarote , el bizne fue como ala 1 A.M. ,, si el BORDER PATROL no tiene pitazo ellos nunka paran a un trailer y le meten el X RAY

      Delete
    2. Finally someone smart that realizes the facts.

      Delete
    3. Unfortunately, its the reality that border patrol officers face. Not enough manpower nor resources to inspect every vehicle.
      If such technology were in place to accommodate all security at our borders. We would not have a surge of drugs in our country. Along with monies and firearms south of the border.
      Politics has always played a role in our security measures.

      Delete
    4. antes no te violo el trokero ...
      son bien largos

      Delete
    5. Start knocking them off like the invaders they are.

      Delete
  6. Pre made castillos can be purchased at ferreterías anywhere in Mexico.They come in 6 m. and can be wired together in seconds.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Where are the fools that say build the wall? Notice that doesn't help alot. Just a big waste on tax payer money.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just make them concrete. It works for Israel. Isn’t it funny how the same people who put out stories saying walls don’t work are the same people building walls between themselves and Palestine. Makes you wonder...

      Delete
  8. Por mas alta ke agan la beautiful wall uno es mas iteligente ke trump,si no podemos cruzarla por arriba, le metemos soplete o alfinal chingue su madre por abajo , esa wall no funcionara y ay te voy minnesota.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dam los chapitos cartels de sinaloa have some wild and crazies ideas since papi is in the pokey. I knew they were gonna take this business more serious after getting kidnapped...

    El mentiroso

    ReplyDelete
  10. the wall is worthless
    worse investment
    #told you so

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. its not worthless, the wall provides food and employment to the easy minded and makes the smart guys rich.

      Delete
  11. This shit should become a sport

    ReplyDelete
  12. Infrared cameras make camouflage uselless

    ReplyDelete

Comments are moderated, refer to policy for more information.
Envía fotos, vídeos, notas, enlaces o información
Todo 100% Anónimo;

borderlandbeat@gmail.com