|
September 27, 2001
Border Patrol Apprehensions Down in Yuma
Alfredo Casillas, Border Patrol public affairs officer, told
the San Luis, Sonora newspaper La Crónica that the number
of Border Patrol apprehensions in the Yuma sector is down this
year from fiscal year 2000.
In the fiscal year 2000, the Border Patrol's Yuma sector apprehended
107,885 people, Casillas said. With just five days left in the
fiscal year 2001, the sector's agents had detained 68,064 people.
This represents a drop of almost 30%.
Following the September 11, 2001 attack on the US, Yuma-sector
daily apprehensions have been far below last year's levels. On
September 12, 2001 apprehensions were down 73% from last year.
Between September 19 and September 25, 2001, apprehensions were
down anywhere from 55% to 83% compared to last year.
Rita Vargas Torregrosa, the Mexican consul to Calexico, California,
told La Crónica that the number of detentions in the Yuma
sector began to decline after 14 migrants from one group died
in July, 2001.
Torregrosa also said that in the year 2000, 99 people died
in the region. So far this year there have been 97 registered
deaths although the body of a woman found on Tuesday, September
25 could bring the total to 98.
In the fiscal year 2000 there were 369 registered deaths of
migrants due to exposure and drowning.
To see a map of Border Patrol Sectors go to: http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/fieldoffices/sectors/index.htm
Source: La Crónica (San Luis Río Colorado), September
27, 2001. Article by Manuel Angulo.
September 20, 2001
Blackouts: Méxicali Schools Lack Adequate Electrical Wiring
Francisco Ramos Verdugo, the Méxicali director of
the Baja California Sistema Educativo Estatal (State Education
System, SEE), told Méxicali's newspaper La Crónica
that his office lacks the funds necessary to rewire the city's
public schools. Ramos' statement was in response to complaints
made by city school directors that a lack of electrical system
maintenance was to blame for school blackouts.
Ramos recognized that 120 Méxicali schools need to be
rewired at a cost of 30,000-70,000 pesos each (approximately
US$3,000-7,000). However, according to Ramos, the SEE only has
enough money to rewire 30% of the 120 schools that are in need
of work.
To remedy the problem, Ramos suggested that parents' groups
work with the SEE and other government offices to rewire the
schools.
Ramos also encouraged school directors to submit rewiring
plans to the SEE for evaluation.
Source: La Crónica, September 20, 2001. Article by Magdalena
López Cerecer.
August 29, 2001
Sonora Uses Funds to Help Endangered Maquiladora, More Maqs to
Follow
The Sonora state government has announced that it has a 10
million peso fund (approximately US$1.1 million) with which it
will support border maquiladoras that are in economic trouble
because of the US economic slow down. The program will be used
to prevent the firing of employees and will pay their salaries
for a period of three months, according to Adolfo Ramos Alarcón
of Fomento Industrial de la Secretaría de Desarrollo Económico
y Productividad (the Industrial Development Office of the Department
of Economic Development and Productivity, Sedepro). Ramos also
said that while the program targets border maquiladoras other
companies can apply for the program. Additional money may become
available later on if necessary.
Ramos also said that the first recipient of government money
has already been found. The unnamed maquiladora was about to
fire 200 people because of a drop in production linked to the
US economic slow down. However, because the state will pay the
workers' salaries for the months of September, October and November,
the workers' jobs will be saved.
Each maquiladora's situation will be closely reviewed on a
case-by-case basis to make sure that companies that have little
hope for survival will not be included in the program.
Source: La Crónica (Méxicali), August 29, 2001.
|
