Human smugglingCoyotes using GPS and smartphones to smuggle immigrants, avoid capture

Published 1 December 2011

Human smugglers, or coyotes, have increasingly taken advantage of GPS equipped smartphones to sneak illegal immigrants across the U.S.-Mexico border; using the GPS capabilities of smartphones, coyotes stand at elevated points to carefully guide groups of illegal immigrants

 

Human smugglers, or coyotes, have increasingly taken advantage of GPS equipped smartphones to sneak illegal immigrants across the U.S.-Mexico border.

When talking about alien smuggling it’s always a cat and mouse game and everybody is all into technology now. So, one of the things that we found is the use of GPS and cell phones,” saidRick Sandoval, the assistant special Agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in El Centro, California.

Using the GPS capabilities of smartphones, coyotes stand at elevated points to carefully guide groups of illegal immigrants.

Sandoval said this method is particularly effective because smugglers can direct immigrants without being present and avoid capture.

“By giving the smuggler a cell phone he can direct and bring in the aliens from Mexico into the U.S. and when apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol or ourselves then we’ve got the illegal aliens but don’t have a smuggler because the smugglers on the phone and he’s in Mexico,” Sandoval explained.

In addition, smartphone apps have been developed to help immigrants cross the border.

For instance, the Transborder immigrant tool, developed by a University of California San Diego professor, points immigrants to safe routes where water, clothing, and blankets can be found.

Sandoval acknowledged the fact that DHS does not want immigrants to die while crossing, but that helping immigrants cross the border illegally is against the law. He added that any individual found assisting immigrants would face legal action.

If the law says they can’t come in then were going to go discourage them or apprehend them and if we find anybody that’s out there assisting we will process as the law dictates to us,” Sandoval said.