Page 6 - aruba-today-20190727

A6 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 27 July 2019

Smugglers offer cash to troops, others to drive migrants

By JULIE WATSON The 19 arrested at Camp
Associated Press Pendleton have not been
SAN DIEGO (AP) — On the charged yet.
surface, it seemed like a They are junior enlisted Ma-
simple task: Drive to a spot rines whose monthly salary
a few miles north of the can run between $2,000
U.S.-Mexico border, pick and $3,000 a month. None
up people and then drop was part of the Trump ad-
them off at a McDonald's ministration's efforts that
or other spot past the city sent troops last year to help
of San Diego, and make reinforce border security.
anywhere from $500 to Marine Lance Cpl. David
$1,000. No need to cross Javier Salazar-Quintero
into Mexico. told authorities that he was
Two Marines whose arrests recruited by a man he met
earlier this month for mi- in a swanky beach com-
grant smuggling led to the munity who offered him a
stunning arrests of fellow way to make extra cash by
Marines at Camp Pendle- simply picking up people
ton described in federal on the U.S. side of the bor-
court documents such an der and dropping them off
offer being made to them. north of San Diego.
The Naval Criminal Inves- Salazar said a fellow Ma-
tigative Service on Friday rine, Lance Cpl. Byron Dar-
said a total of 19 service In this Nov. 13, 2013 file photo vehicles file through the main gate of Camp Pendleton Marine Base nell Law II, introduced him
members have been ar- at Camp Pendleton, Calif. to the man, according to
rested at the base, includ- Associated Press federal court documents,
ing 18 Marines and one sail- ing onto Camp Pendleton corruption that smug- Francisco said. They have and that he had made
or, a Navy corpsman, who or floating in skiffs off the gling networks of all kinds, also placed ads online. such trips for him four times
all serve in the same unit. coast nearby. whether it involves people "They've advertised on but had not been paid.
The military personnel are The camp, dissected by or drugs, really look for," Craigslist before to get One trip was a bust be-
accused of various crimes Interstate 5 leading to Los said David Shirk, an associ- people looking for work cause no one showed up
from migrant smuggling Angeles, sits along a well- ate political science pro- by saying drivers needed at the pickup spot. He was
to drug-related offenses, traversed route used by fessor at the University of or people with cars and promised if he did another
but officials have not said smugglers. San Diego. licenses," Francisco said. job he would be paid then
exactly how they were in- Transporting migrants with It's ideal, he added, for crim- "Then they might call or and earn even more.
volved. American drivers can be inal networks to use corrupt text them and say they can Law told the agent that
U.S. Border Patrol officials more effective in avoid- officials or military person- get quick money by go- Salazar asked if he was in-
say smuggling rings have ing detection. Customs nel, including "young, gull- ing south to an area close terested in earning $1,000
been luring U.S. troops, po- and Border Protection has ible and greedy" troops, to the border and pick up picking up an "illegal alien."
lice officers, Border Patrol broad authority to question to help them in their illegal people." A U.S. Border Patrol agent
agents and others to work and search within 100 miles activities. The rings often don't pay stopped Law and Salazar
for them as drivers — a cru- of the border. So-called recruiters for but keep promising to pay about 7 miles (11 kilome-
cial component of moving If the driver is in the armed smugglers have chatted or bump up the money if ters) north of the border
migrants further into the forces, with a military hair- up people at casinos and more trips are done. A driv- on July 3 and found three
United States once smug- cut and credentials, that's bars, passing out their cell- er is not going to go to po- Mexican migrants who
glers get them over the a bonus for smugglers be- phone numbers and saying lice to report being stiffed, came into the country ille-
border from Mexico. cause they believe they are if they ever want to make Francisco said. If a driver gally sitting in the back seat
Border Patrol agents over more likely to get waved money as a driver to give gets arrested, smugglers of the black BMW driven by
the years have routinely through a checkpoint. them a call, U.S. Border simply move on to find a re- Law, according to the fed-
caught migrants walk- "This is the kind of official Patrol spokesman Theron placement. eral complaint. q

Girls are bearing the brunt of a rise in U.S. cyberbullying

By SALLY HO There's a rise in cyberbullying na- it just makes sense to me that it's recent years. The survey showed
Associated Press tionwide, with three times as many more predominant amongst girls." about 20%, or one in five students,
SEATTLE (AP) — Rachel Whalen girls reporting being harassed on- Many school systems that once reported being bullied, ranging
remembers feeling gutted in line or by text message than boys, had a hands-off approach to from rumors or being excluded
high school when a former friend according to the National Center dealing with off-campus student to threats and physical attacks
would mock her online postings, for Education Statistics. behavior are now making cyber- in the 2016-17 school year. That's
threaten to unfollow or unfriend The U.S. Department of Educa- bullying rules, outlining punish- unchanged from the previous sur-
her on social media and post tion's research and data arm this ments such as suspension or ex- vey done in 2014-15. But in that
inside jokes about her to others month released its latest survey, pulsion, according to Bryan Joffe, two-year span, cyberbullying re-
online. The cyberbullying was so which shows an uptick in online director of education and youth ports increased significantly, from
distressing that Whalen said she abuse, though the overall num- development at AASA, a national 11.5% to 15.3%.
contemplated suicide. Once she ber of students who report being school superintendents associa- Broken down by gender, 21% of
got help, she decided to limit her bullied stayed the same. tion. girls in middle and high school
time on social media. It helps to "There's just some pressure in that That change partly came along reported being bullied online or
take a break from it for perspec- competitive atmosphere that is with broader cyberbullying laws, by text message in the 2016-17
tive, said Whalen, now a 19-year- all about attention," Whalen said. which have been adopted in school year, compared with less
old college student in Utah. "This social media acceptance — states like Texas and California in than 7% of boys.q