Illegal Immigrant Surrenders to News Crew

In this 2006 story, photographer Micah Delacy and I went to Sierra Vista, Arizona to cover a story that had unfolded many hours earlier and at night: a truck transporting dozens of illegal immigrants had attempted to elude law enforcement, then crashed into a park fence.

It must have been a fairly slow news day, as I managed to convince my boss to allow me to go out of town for a story that was getting colder by the second.

Or so we thought....

After arriving in Sierra Vista, we found the park and the damaged fence. Not much to shoot, really. But then we knocked on doors and found some people who'd witnessed the arrests; one such person had even taken photographs of the Border Patrol arresting the illegal immigrants.

Just as strengthening thunderclouds began to release rain, we thought our job at the scene was finished. Micah had just put his camera and tripod into the back of the news vehicle and was reaching upwards to close the tailgate, when he remarked to me that there was a man coming out of the desert with his hands-up.

At first, I thought this was a classic Micah line in which he was trying to pull my leg. But when I turned to look where Micah had fixed his gaze, it became immediately apparent that he was not joking.

The young man that emerged from the desert that day did not speak any English. And I only speak a little Spanish.

After providing him with water and left over french fries (which he humbly scarfed from the bottom of my McDonald's bag), I called the Border Patrol to report what had unfolded.

As I recall, we waited for about an hour for the Border Patrol to respond to our location that afternoon. That surprised me. But that time allowed me to make several efforts at communicating with the border crosser. He appeared quite willing to answer my questions as best he could. And his story slowly emerged.

As I returned to Tucson that day, I knew full-well that this was an extremely sensitive topic; illegal immigration. The challenge would be to write and tell the story as fairly and responsibly as possible.

While I don't have the full clip to include my presentation from the newsroom, this is the taped portion ("package") of the report that aired that day.

If you wish, you can view more of my stories at www. markhorner.com/resume

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Illegal
• Immigrant
• Border
• Patrol
• Mark
• Horner
• Sierra
• Vista
• Tucson
• Crosser

[J4L1SC0]

@thenerd2009 im with you on that plus i mean they leave their families not knowing what will happen to them , especially with the cartels in the border now, and they still come looking for a better life , to me as long as they are not criminals and pay there taxes they deserve to be here!

[KingMEXxxx]

@theCuno100 do you not realise that it is impossible for a poor person to get a visa? If that guy wanted to get a bisa through his father, his father would have to have a certain income per year and show the US gov'troof that he makes that much. Theline for visas take a long longtime many years in most cases. So many say do it the legal way but it is impossible to do that , the govt would atomatically decline his aplication.

[mexican24dj]

I bet most of you guys don't know what it's like in Mexico the drug cartels control over there they get paid low wages and don't have all the great luxuries that we have over here. I am an American citizen and my parents have there OWN legal papers. They risk there lives conning over here to have a better life for there children they work hard they aren't all loud and annoying not all of them are poor but I still love them they're my family that's important to ME! Im a 15 year old kid and go a

[brokenarrowez]

In all reality, the illegals doesn't want to become a U.S. CITIZEN., They don't want to learn how to speak nor write in English.

Equally as guilty, is the employers of the illegals. Punish the corporations and employers who hire illegals. Don't just slap them on the hand. Assess heavy fines or close the business down. To those politicians who have illegals working for you, SHAME ON YOU!

Finally, if you're an illegal who can read “GO HOME”. If you are a legal immigrant “WELCOME”.

[brokenarrowez]

First, I feel sorry for the illegals. However, it's their fault and their problem. They broke the LAW. These same illegals have abandoned their children, wives, husbands, and families in Mexico to start new families in the United States. They have placed their new children in harms way. If the children are U.S. Citizens, take the children away from them and place them for adoption.

[medcsu]

@laodicea100 You assume again. You seem to be the King/Queen of assumption. I for one have never been spoiled, but just like calling me a Republican (you have issues with generalizations but do it freely) you are just grasping for straws. Bottom line is they are majorly not wanted here and that is enough to get them out. However, you work in a dry cleaning establishment so I shouldnt expect much from you in the way of intelligence.

[laodicea100]

You want every thing handed to you but your not willing to work for it dont kno bout being poor

[laodicea100]

@medcsu They are a plague realy ? I thought they were huma beings and im speaking from experience. I work in a dry cleaning place and every american person who worked there always quit cause the work was too hard and they had to press clothe in realy hot machines. Man you woulnd do that blacks and whites always quit but ppl from el salvador or quatelama always worked in the hot machines. Not every illegal immigrant is from mexico... Btw you can mexican plague well i call you spoiled american

[medcsu]

@laodicea100 1) Stop using the "they do what others wont". Any 16 year old, uneducated kid trying to get some extra money can pick lettuce. Dont for one second think they are some skilled worker, that is so played out and stupid. 2) I am not a Republican, when 70 percent of the country wants them out, that also means both sides do. 3) I am not white......nice try 4) I take out the trash every week, wow so hard. 5) I landscape every week, wow so hard. I am not glad, they are a plague

[laodicea100]

you white ppl just like to talk talk talk man you never had to struggle to feed your kids or work in a countyr where you make 5 dollers an ahour. Never you dont know about that. You only kno to talk down on poor hard working ppl. Thats what you do,you talk about mexicans as if they were dog shit. Its sad ppl like you are in america, go to germany and stay with skinheads.

[laodicea100]

@medcsu My question to you is why do you complain or even worry bout illegal immigrants when they are the ones doing the jobs, you dont wanna do, in the first fucking place.Thats what i dont understand about you republicans, you judge people who are not white, and i realy doubt you would work washing dishes, bagin shirts, pressing shirts. Would you realy take out trash ? lanpscape ? you know americans dont like working for 8 dollers an ahour so what are you complaining about ? Just be glad

[laodicea100]

@medcsu Well thats a terrible metaphor and that is why so many of non-whites such as myself think of you as another Hitler. Thats what hitler did he terminate jews because he felt they were less then humans.yes they are here illegaly but think about why are they trying to come here. For a better life and man there are jobs out there but when illegals do leave ? I never see any blacks or white americans doing dish washing jobs or even dry cleaning. I see some but they always leave the job