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A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 15 January 2020

U.S. sending Mexican Officials: Dam at Mississippi lake

migrants 1,000 could soon fail

miles from border she said. The emergency

plan states that 108 struc-
By ASTRID GALVAN and EL- vember, according to tures would need to be
LIOT SPAGAT Syracuse University's Trans- evacuated in the event
Associated Press actional Records Access of a breach.
PHOENIX (AP) — The Trump Clearinghouse, about two- Campanella said a com-
administration said Tues- thirds of them Guatemalan munity safe room has
day it will start deporting or Honduran. been set up “as a staging
about 250 Mexicans a The policy, called "Migrant area” until a Red Cross
week on flights from Tuc- Protection Protocols," has shelter opens at a local
son, Arizona, to Guadala- expanded across the bor- church. The dam is about
jara, over 1,000 miles (1,640 der as the number of Cen- 8 miles (13 kilometers)
kilometers) from the bor- tral Americans arriving at northwest of Starkville.
der. the border has plunged. Mississippi has 5,886 dams
The move reflects how Mexicans accounted for County officials work on the Oktibbeha County Lake Dam, counted in federal re-
Mexicans have become a half of the arrests and Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020, near Starkville, Miss., after County cords. Of those, 375 are
higher priority in border en- people stopped at the U.S. Engineer Clyde Pritchard warned the dam's failure was high-hazard dams, mean-
imminent.
forcement as fewer Cen- border in December, more Associated Press ing they could kill some-
tral Americans head to the than three times more than one if they fail. Of those,
U.S. any other nationality and a STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — seepage problems that 35% are in poor or unsat-
The flights aim to deter shift from much of last year, Heavy rains could cause the owners — the Oktib- isfactory condition — the
attempts at crossing the when Guatemala and the failure of a dam in a beha County Board of fourth highest share in
border illegally by sending Honduras were the top rural northeastern Missis- Supervisors — said they the country among the
people deeper into Mexi- countries of origin. sippi county as officials on lacked money to fix. 44 states and Puerto Rico
co. "This is another example of Tuesday urged residents The report did not detail that had high hazard
Immigration authorities be- the Trump administration to evacuate as a precau- how much the repairs dams in bad shape.
gan the repatriation flights working with the govern- tion. would cost or how long Since the beginning of
to Mexico's interior in De- ment of Mexico to address Oktibbeha County Emer- the problem with seep- 2014, the Mississippi De-
cember. the ongoing border secu- gency Management age has existed partment of Environmen-
The Department of Home- rity crisis," Swift said. Agency Director Kristen The board has issued a tal Quality has counted
land Security said there will A similar program in place Campanella said the warning about the cur- 42 dams that have failed.
be two flights a week, start- from 2004 to 2012 also flew county engineer had in- rent danger of a breach At least nine others have
ing Jan. 24. Mexicans who had crossed spected the Oktibbeha and activated an emer- been drained, sometimes
Heather Swift, a depart- the border through Arizona County Lake dam, report- gency action plan, news in face of imminent haz-
ment spokeswoman, said deep into Mexican cities at ed extremely high water outlets reported. The ard. According to the Na-
the flights satisfy a long- the cost of $100 million over levels in the lake and not- plan, reviewed Tuesday tional Weather Service,
standing request of the its lifespan. ed the dam could fail at by the AP, says a breach the area of the Okitib-
Mexican government and The repatriation program any time. would lead to the closure beha Lake on Tuesday
will take people who are was meant as a deterrent Mississippi has one of the of nine highways. had received 2.5 to 3.5
deported closer to their for border-crossers who highest numbers of dams While the evacuation is inches (6.3 to 8.9 centime-
hometowns. might attempt the trek that pose dangers and not mandatory, Cam- ters) of rain over 24 hours.
Mexicans from states that again. are in poor or unsatisfac- panella urged residents Based on radar estimates,
border the U.S. will not be Mexican officials initially tory condition, according near the dam to relocate it received 2 inches (5.1
put on the flights. had doubts, but they em- to a two-year investiga- immediately to a safer centimeters) over six
Mexicans are exempt from braced the program as tion by The Associated distance. The number of hours, said meteorologist
a U.S. policy introduced a a way to save lives at a Press. people affected wasn’t John Moore.
year ago to make asylum- time when thousands of The Oktibbeha County immediately clear. Cam- Moore said the area has
seekers wait in Mexico for migrants were dying in the Lake dam was rated panella told the AP there recently gone through
hearings in U.S. immigration desert. Over 125,000 peo- “fair”the last time it was were about 130 property flash flood warnings.
court. ple were flown at no cost inspected in 2016. A Feb- addresses in the area. “A “They started the year
More than 56,000 asylum- to them. The program end- ruary 2019 report made lot are family properties, really, really wet and
seekers had been turned ed when the number of mi- available to the AP on though, so there are mul- haven’t gotten a break,”
back by the end of No- grants began to drop.q Tuesday noted ongoing tiple trailers on the land,” Moore said.q