“Crimes at the Border” Synopsis and Video – PBS’ Frontline segment (looks good, video available online – I am going to watch later) From: pbs.org

In a cemetery in the border town of Tijuana, there is a shrine to a young soldier, Juan Soldado, who is the patron saint for migrants trying to cross illegally into the United States. It’s the place where FRONTLINE/World reporter Lowell Bergman arranges to meet a smuggler, or pollero, who has agreed to talk about the business of human smuggling on condition that we not reveal his identity. We call him “Rafael.” He’s been a smuggler for ten years and he tells Bergman how he got started in the business.

“I had this friend who had a lot of money and he was like 16 and I was like 18 at the time and I was like, dude, how did you make all that money?” recalls Rafael. “He didn’t want to tell me at first, and then when he told me, I didn’t believe him. So he took me to the people and they offered me a job too.”

To show how the smuggling business works, Rafael drives Bergman around Tijuana, which, though peaceful during the day, has turned into one of the most dangerous cities in Mexico due to the drug trade and human trafficking. Rafael says danger is part of the allure of the business – “an adrenaline rush” when he sneaks people across the border.”*

watch the video or read more following link below

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