Illegal immigrants found on test range
Stananger
Illegal immigrants found on test range
By Karen Schaler, Globe Correspondent | April 7, 2005
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz. -- Marines preparing for combat in Iraq
or Afghanistan have lost significant amounts of training time because
undocumented immigrants from Mexico have constantly wandered onto a bombing
test range in Arizona, according to the commander of this base along the
border.
Virtually every Marine squadron headed to Iraq or Afghanistan receives
combat training at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, which for nearly
40 miles touches the US-Mexico border in the southwestern corner of
Arizona. The Border Patrol's focus in recent years on tightening the border
in the eastern part of the state, where volunteer citizens this month have
established their own observation posts, has pushed more undocumented
immigrants westward.
Since July 2004, the training range has been shut down more than 500 times
because of immigrants spotted on the range, causing a loss of more than
1,100 training hours, said Colonel James J. Cooney, the base's commanding
officer.
''That's equivalent to almost 46 days of training. We're getting overrun
here," he said in an interview. ''Any moment we take away from a Marine's
experience base could cost him his life in combat."
Cooney said Marines intercepted more than 1,500 undocumented immigrants on
the training range last year and, in the first three months of this year,
more than 1,100. Base personnel detain the immigrants and call in Border
Patrol agents to pick them up.
''I have to use Marines that aren't trained in that to do that, which puts
me at a liability," said Cooney, a Boston College graduate. ''It's
completely counterproductive to our whole training operation."
Another big concern, he said, is the potential danger to undocumented
immigrants: ''We just don't want them to come here, because we're firing
lasers, we're shooting machine guns, we're shooting 209-millimeter cannons,
and we're dropping practice bombs, and we don't want to hurt anyone."
Last summer a Marine pilot dropped a practice bomb on a target and seconds
later, a few feet away, a small group of illegal immigrants scrambled from
underneath a bush and ran down the range. The near miss was caught on a
training tape that Cooney has reviewed.
So far the Marines said there have been no deaths of immigrants in the
training exercises.
''My overall concern is that we'd have an unfortunate incident out there
where we'd inadvertently harm an illegal entrant that we did not spot or
see, and that in turn would cause a moratorium on training until we sorted
out what exactly happened," said Cooney.
Two other bases in Arizona, one the Army's and another the Air Force's, have
experienced similar problems.
At the Army Yuma Proving Ground, near the Marine Corps Air Station but about
30 miles north of the border, an increasing number of undocumented
immigrants have invaded military space and disrupted training.
''The smugglers just drive them up the highway and dump them off, and these
illegal immigrants stumble right onto our testing range," said Chuck
Wullenjohn, spokesman for the Army base.
As one of the largest military installations in the Western world, the Army
Yuma Proving Ground is constantly conducting tests for ground forces on
artillery and ammunition, including tank rounds, mines, mortars, and
helicopter guns.
''Having anyone on this range that doesn't belong here is extremely
dangerous," said Wullenjohn. ''The illegal immigrant issue is becoming a
bigger problem all the time."
The Air Force said it has had to interrupt exercises with F-16 pilots after
undocumented immigrants were spotted on a bombing range east of Gila Bend,
north of the border.
''In 2004 we suspended range operations 55 times for a net loss of 122
hours," said Jim Uken, director of the 56th Fighter Wing range management
office.
There is some concern that, besides wandering immigrants, foreign terrorists
could cross the Mexican border and infiltrate the Arizona bases to conduct
intelligence gathering or commit acts of sabotage.
''The potential exists, and that is a key reason we are vigilant about
securing our training ranges," Cooney said.
Robert C. Bonner, the commissioner of the Bureau of Customs and Border
Protection, said last week when he was visiting Arizona that more than half
the undocumented immigrants entering the United States come through the
state.
He promised that federal help is on the way.
dwo'ski
to be courteous but could you post an OT in front of what's sure to be a
continuing newly found long-term political hobby for you? TIA! :-) :-)
:-)
jupiter49
airport.
This country is refusing to protect itself. It would be amusing that we're
bombing the living hell out of far-away lands that are no threat to us
except for the fact that it's a human tragedy 100 times bigger than the WTC.
We bomb bomb bomb, and then turn our backs on the most glaring, obvious,
hideous problem that is killing us slowly.
Greed is the only answer to the cause of this dilema. Greed and votes;
votes and greed. The elected conservatives aren't actually conservative at
all except for sex and reproduction issues, and their support base is
chicken-shit to speak their minds. We're locked into a two-party system that
is filth from top to bottom, an abomination that is greed-based, lie-based,
and totally opportunistic (for the children, of course.)
It doesn't matter which party is in the White House.
Stananger
I agree, something has to be done.
But then again the reason the government is letting all these illegals in is
to keep Social Security solvent. Many of these illegals are paying in, but
few will ever collect. We abort our babies, dont educate our children and
continue to throw God out of the country. you expect a different result???