Western Arizona, Part 1

The western Arizona border area is under the control of the United States Border Patrol Yuma Sector. The Sector's western boundary runs just inside the California state line and then eastward to include the United States Marine Corps' huge Barry M. Goldwater bombing range. The vast open spaces make for easy traversal by illegal aliens and drug smugglers. When strings of illegal aliens and drug smugglers enter the training ranges all training must stop. Our soldier's lives are being put at risk because they can't train with illegal aliens and smugglers on the ranges -- about 60 days a year are lost.

Portable watchtowers equipped with night vision equipment now block the illegal alien's path. While ungainly on the ground they become true oddities when erected.

The larger of these devices can carry three agents. While "sitting duck" might come to mind, each of these observation posts is fully armored and will stop even armor piercing bullets. The glass is five inches thick. These boxes weigh even 13,500 pounds. The Agents are safe.

The image to the left is of a watchtower fully erected.

The manufacturer has an interesting and detailed video.

Rolling your mouse over the image will show you the interior of a less robust version of the tower looking across the Colorado River at Yuma, Arizona during a small sandstorm.

Just to the south of Yuma is the town of San Luis, Sonora, Mexico. The town is a jumping off point for smugglers of all types. Unfortunately, the town also is home to those supporting the interesting business of scavanging explosives from unexploded ordnance on U.S. bombing ranges.

The US Border Patrol must use specially protected vehicles along this part of the border. Five pound rocks and even Molotov cocktails are used by the illegal aliens in their attacks upon the Agents.

 

Just a few miles east of the California / Arizona border is a gray granite "spine" -- a low mountain range. The effects of thousands of years of sand laden wind have pockmarked these mountains with shallow caves. Dozens of Mexican lookouts habituate these tiny caves and warn the lines of illegal aliens and convoys of drug smugglers of any Border Patrol Agents nearby. It seems that the explosives scavengers operate on their own.

Gangs of illegal aliens enter the United States from San Luis and return with high explosives for later use. Illegal alien smugglers operate here too and have lookouts hidden in mountain caves. Lastly, drug smugglers race north night and day in convoys even ten pickup trucks long.