The difficulty comes in surviving the desert. More and more people are trying. Increased traffic has brought tragedy. The Border Patrol has recently stepped up its efforts to help those struggling in the desert. Acting, in most cases, on tip-offs from members of groups who have managed to survive, the Borstar team has made over 1,000 rescues this year, up from just below 300 in 1999.
Agents have harrowing stories to tell of the suffering endured by the immigrants.
Last month, near the small town of Ajo, Bor- star agents found two Mexican men on the brink of death under a mesquite bush. They had filled water jugs with their own urine in a desperate attempt to stay alive. The infant survived only because she had been given the last of the water by her mother. The coyotes had to shift tactics after the Border Patrol clamped down on the urban border crossings. They now bring groups through the desert, often along trails once used by Pancho Villa s army.