����vlog

TO DETAIN YOU. WE’RE GOING TO ARREST YOU, AND WE’RE GOING TO PUT YOU IN REMOVAL PROCEEDINGS. THE STRUGGLE FOR SO MANY. I WAS WALKING PREGNANT AND WITH A ONE AND A HALF YEAR OLD CHILD ON MY SHOULDERS, THE FRUSTRATION OF LIVING ON THE FRONT LINE, THEY JUMP ON THE YARD, YOU KNOW, THEY GO ON OUR PROPERTIES AND THEY DESTROY OUR PROPERTIES. WHAT IT WAS LIKE BEFORE IT PRETTY MUCH SEEMED LIKE THE US HAD GIVEN UP THIS AREA, WHICH IS IN THE UNITED STATES. AND ONE THING MANY CAN AGREE ON, THE BORDER IS BROKEN. EVERYTHING IS BROKEN, THE WALL IS BROKEN, AND THE IMMIGRATION IS BROKEN. GOOD EVENING. I’M DOUG FERNANDEZ AND I’M SHELLY RIBANDO. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US IN THIS TARGET 7 SPECIAL INVESTIGATION. BROKEN BORDER FOR DECADES HOW OUR COUNTRY ACCEPTS IMMIGRANTS HAS BEEN A HOTLY CONTESTED PARTIZAN ISSUE. HOW PEOPLE COME TO OUR COUNTRY TO LIVE AND WORK IS CONSTANTLY DEBATED, AND HOW OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS ARE ENFORCED AT THE BORDER AND IN OUR COMMUNITIES HAS LED TO FEAR AND FRUSTRATION. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HAS PLEDGED TO END THAT FRUSTRATION WITH A BORDER CRACKDOWN AND MASS DEPORTATION THAT HAS LED TO FEAR FOR IMMIGRANTS WHO LIVE IN OUR COUNTRY LEGALLY AND ILLEGALLY, AND IT HAS BEEN APPLAUDED BY THOSE WHO LIVE JUST YARDS AWAY FROM THE WALL HERE IN NEW MEXICO. WE’VE BEEN ON THE FRONT LINE, AND TONIGHT, TARGET 7 TRAVELED TO THE BORDER. WE TALKED TO IMMIGRANTS, DOCUMENTED AND UNDOCUMENTED. WE SPENT TIME WITH FIRST RESPONDERS, BORDER AGENTS AND THOSE WHO LIVE JUST YARDS AWAY FROM THE WALL. WE FIND OUT WHAT HAS CHANGED SINCE PRESIDENT TRUMP TOOK OFFICE EARLIER IN THE YEAR. AND WE LEARNED THERE IS ONE THING EVERYONE CAN AGREE ON OUR BORDER IS BROKEN. HERE’S CHRISTIANA RAMOS. SO WE ARE HEADED TO THE BORDER DOWN THIS GRAVEL ROAD IN LUNA COUNTY, NEW MEXICO. THIS IS AN EMERGENCY BUTTON SO AN ILLEGAL CAN WALK UP TO THIS. PUSH THE BUTTON AND THE BORDER PATROL WOULD COME AND PICK THEM UP. IF THEY’RE IN DISTRESS. LESS THAN A MILE FROM THE BORDER. YEP, THAT’S THE WALL. SO YOU CAN SEE WHERE PARTIAL WALL HAS NOT BEEN FINISHED. AMANDA ADAMS HAS SPENT THE MAJORITY OF HER LIFE HERE, LIVING LESS THAN A FEW MILES FROM MEXICO. I HAVEN’T SEEN ANY TYPE OF IMMIGRATION REFORM. I’VE SEEN THE WALL, WHICH IS GREAT, WHICH IS A GREAT FIRST START THAT WE’RE ACTUALLY GOT A BORDER. HER FAMILY HAS OWNED THIS RANCH FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS. SHE GREW UP HERE HERDING CATTLE ON THIS LAND COUNTLESS TIMES. SHE’S RUN INTO MIGRANTS, SMUGGLERS AND DRUG RUNNERS. IT WAS AN EVERYDAY OCCURRENCE. AND THEY WERE BRINGING. NOT ONLY WERE THEY TRAFFICKING DRUGS, THEY WERE TRAFFICKING PEOPLE AND THEY WERE TRAFFICKING ARMS. AT ONE POINT, SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS GOING TO BE KILLED ON HER FAMILY’S LAND. I COULD SEE SOMETHING AT ONE OF OUR WATER TROUGHS. AND SO I STOPPED AND GOT MY BINOCULARS OUT, AND THERE WAS SEVEN MEN, AND EACH ONE HAD A BLACK ARMY RIFLE STRAPPED TO THEIR BACK. AND I KNEW THAT IF I HAD GONE DOWN THERE WITHOUT PAYING ATTENTION, SOMETHING PROBABLY WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO US. IT WAS THAT SCARY. AND SHE MAKES THE TRIP TO WHAT’S BEEN CALLED PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S BORDER WALL. SHE RECALLS HOW IT’S CHANGED OVER THE DECADES. YEP, IT WAS A BARBED WIRE FENCE. IT WASN’T EVEN MAINTAINED BY THE GOVERNMENT. IT WAS MAINTAINED BY ALL THE RANCHERS. AND IT’S STILL THAT WAY ON MANY PARTS OF THE BORDER HERE IN LUNA COUNTY, A HOLE THAT DOESN’T KEEP HUMANS OR COWS ACROSS. YOU COULD PROBABLY SNEAK OUT AND GET UNDERNEATH THERE. THIS WHITE MONUMENT MARKS WHAT’S REFERRED TO AS THE BOOTHEEL. WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS MEXICO. AND ON THE OTHER SIDE, THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT. THIS IS THE CORNER OF NEW MEXICO. THIS IS WHERE THE EAST AND WEST WALL FENCE STOPS AND IT STARTS TO GO SOUTH INTO THE BOOTHEEL. IT’S CALLED MONUMENT 40. IT’S THE 40TH MONUMENT DOWN THE BORDER. AND EVERY SO MANY YARDS OR MILES, THERE’S ONE TO SIGNIFY THE TREATY THE UNITED STATES REACHED WITH MEXICO IN 1848. IT’S HERE WHERE THE WALL STOPPED BEING BUILT IN 2021, SHORTLY AFTER THEN PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN TOOK OFFICE. CONSTRUCTION STOPPED AND IT HASN’T BEEN RESUMED SINCE. AMANDA’S BEEN FRUSTRATED HER ENTIRE LIFE OVER HOW OUR COUNTRY HAS HANDLED THE BORDER AND ITS IMMIGRANTS. THE BORDER IS BROKEN. EVERYTHING IS BROKEN. THE WALL IS BROKEN, AND THE IMMIGRATION IS BROKEN. IF THERE WAS A WAY THAT WE COULD FIX IT ALL, THAT WOULD BE A BLESSING IN DISGUISE. THESE ARE PICTURES OF JUST SOME OF THE MIGRANTS WHO SHE FOUND ON HER 40 SQUARE MILE RANCH OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS. THEY HAD JUST CROSSED THEIR BORDER. IT MAKES ME FEEL BAD FOR THE PEOPLE WHO COME, WHO ARE LOOKING FOR AN HONEST. WAY TO COME ACROSS THAT ARE MISLED FROM COMING TO COME ACROSS BECAUSE THE COYOTES BRING THEM OVER HERE, THEY CHARGE THEM ASTRONOMICAL AMOUNTS OF MONEY, BRING THEM OVER HERE, DUMP THEM, POINT TO THE NORTH AND SAY TUCSON IS THAT WAY. COYOTES, ANOTHER NAME FOR HUMAN SMUGGLERS. AMANDA IS HAPPIER NOW WITH THE STATE OF THE BORDER THAN SHE’S BEEN IN THE PAST. MAYBE A COUPLE OF TIMES A MONTH, SHE’LL SEE A MIGRANT WALKING THROUGH HER RANCH. ON THIS TRIP, THOUGH, THERE’S NO SIGN OF BORDER PATROL NEARLY 100 MILES TO THE EAST IN SUNLAND PARK, THINGS LOOK DIFFERENT. THIS HAS BEEN THE BUSIEST SECTOR AREA IN THE WHOLE NATION. BORDER PATROL CAN BE SEEN EVERYWHERE, AND SO CAN THE NATIONAL GUARD. BUT THERE ARE STILL SPOTS WHERE THERE’S NOTHING TO SEPARATE THE U.S. FROM MEXICO, NOT EVEN BARBED WIRE. THE AREA WHERE WE’RE GOING, THERE’S NOT THERE’S NOT A BORDER WALL. THERE’S NOT A PERMANENT INFRASTRUCTURE. IF YOU CROSS INTO MEXICO AND YOU COME BACK, I HAVE TO DETAIN YOU BECAUSE YOU JUST MADE AN ILLEGAL ENTRY. ORLANDO MARRERO HAS BEEN A BORDER PATROL AGENT FOR 16 YEARS. THIS IS AN AREA THAT WAS BEING EXPLOITED BY THE BY THE SMUGGLERS USING OFF ROAD VEHICLES HERE IN SUNLAND PARK. THEY’RE NOT AS BUSY AS THEY HAVE BEEN IN THE PAST. THE NUMBER OF MIGRANTS APPREHENDED FOR TRYING TO CROSS THE BORDER ILLEGALLY IS DOWN 64% FROM THIS SAME TIME LAST YEAR. WOULD YOU SAY THAT IT WAS AS SOON AS NEW POLICIES WENT INTO PLACE? THAT IS, THAT’S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DRAMATIC DECREASE THAT WE HAVE SEEN? WELL, I CAN TELL YOU WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT REGARDLESS, REGARDLESS OF WHO’S IN THE WHO’S IN OFFICE, WE HAVE WE HAVE LAWS AND POLICIES TO FOLLOW. RIGHT? SO WITH THAT SAID, I WANT TO SAY THAT YES TO YOUR QUESTION. IT WASN’T THAT LONG AGO WHERE THEY WOULD DETAIN HUNDREDS OF MIGRANTS CROSSING THE OPEN DESERT. YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN THEM CROSSING WHERE THERE’S NO THERE’S NO VEHICLE BARRIER. YOU WOULD SEE THEM CROSSING WHERE THERE’S NO BORDER WALL. YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN CLIMBING THE WALL INTO THE UNITED STATES. AGENT MARRERO SAYS ONE NEW POLICY IMPLEMENTED BY PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP CHANGED A LOT BEFORE PRESIDENT TRUMP TOOK OFFICE, WHEN SOMEONE WAS CAUGHT, AGENTS WOULD GIVE THEM A CELL PHONE OR AN ANKLE MONITOR AND A DATE TO APPEAR IN IMMIGRATION COURT. MANY TIMES THEY WOULD NEVER BE HEARD FROM AGAIN. BEFORE WE WERE DOING THE POLICY OF CATCH AND SUBSEQUENTLY RELEASE. THAT’S NO MORE THE PRACTICE. WE ARE MAKING SURE THAT OUR MESSAGE GETS ACROSS. IF YOU COME INTO THE COUNTRY, IF YOU ENTER THE UNITED STATES IN AN ILLEGAL MANNER BETWEEN PORTS OF ENTRY, WE ARE GOING TO DETAIN YOU. WE’RE GOING TO ARREST YOU, AND WE’RE GOING TO PUT YOU IN REMOVAL PROCEEDINGS TO YOUR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN. AND FOR MEMBERS OF THE SUNLAND PARK FIRE DEPARTMENT, THEY VIEW STRICTER BORDER POLICIES AS A HUMANITARIAN EFFORT. ANY SPECIFIC AREA WHERE YOU WANT TO STOP FIRE? CAPTAIN ABRAHAM GARCIA TOOK US FOR A RIDE TO LOCATIONS WHERE THEY’VE HAD THE MOST CALLS. SOME OF THESE AREAS ARE UNREACHABLE FROM THAT DIRT ROAD TO HERE. IT LOOKS VERY SIMPLE, BUT ONCE YOU GET THERE, YOU’RE MET WITH DIFFERENT OBSTACLES. GETTING OVER THE BORDER WALL IS ONE OF THOSE OBSTACLES. THE WALL IN THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY, OR THIS PART OF THE SOUTHWEST. IT’S ABOUT 20FT TALL, MAYBE 25FT. GIVE YOU, YOU KNOW, GIVE ME ON THE LOCATION. SO. A MIGRANT WILL GET EITHER STUCK ON THE TOP AND WE HAVE TO RESCUE THEM FROM THE TOP, OR THEY’LL ACTUALLY FALL WHEN THEY’RE TRYING TO COME ON TO THE UNITED STATES SIDE. SOME LOSING THEIR LIVES. SUNLAND PARK FIRE CHIEF DANIEL MEDRANO SAYS IN 2024, THERE WERE FOUR MIGRANT DROWNINGS IN THE RIO GRANDE. LAST YEAR, WE HAD, ASIDE FROM RESCUES, QUITE A BIT OF BODY RECOVERIES WHERE WE ASSISTED OTHER AGENCIES WITH ACTUALLY PICKING UP BODIES IN THE DESERT. LAST YEAR WAS ONE OF THE BUSIEST, RESPONDING TO OVER A HANDFUL OF CALLS A DAY. WE SEE A LOT OF OPEN FRACTURES, MEANING THE BONE WILL ACTUALLY BREAK THE SKIN, COME OUT BILATERALLY. SO BOTH BONES, ESPECIALLY THE LONG BONES OF THE OF THE LEGS, WILL WILL ACTUALLY BREAK THROUGH THE SKIN. AND THAT’S A VERY TRAUMATIC INJURY. IT HURTS A LOT. UNFORTUNATELY WE DO SOMETIMES SEE HEAD OR SKULL FRACTURES. SO IT REALLY RUNS THE GAMUT TO PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE HOW DANGEROUS THIS TREK IS. I’M TAKING THE STEPS SO MANY BEFORE ME HAVE TAKEN. THE SAND IS SUPER SOFT. YOU’RE CLIMBING UP MOUNTAINS OF DESERT, THE SUN IS BEAMING DOWN ON YOU. THE SUMMER OF 2024. I MEAN, IT WAS JUST CRAZY WITH THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT WAS UP HERE AND YOU COULD SEE THEM JUST LINED UP AGAINST THE ROCKS, LOOKING DOWN A COMB RIGHT HERE, BURIED UNDER THE SANDY DESERT OF SUNLAND PARK, ROSA FOUND A STORY OF SURVIVAL AND NEW BEGINNINGS. YEAH, A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE. THAT’S ALL THEY HAVE. THAT’S ALL. THEY COME HERE WITH. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO A THOUSAND CALLS A YEAR FROM PEOPLE TRYING TO CROSS THE BORDER AT A VICTIM. I WAS MY PARTNER’S VICTIM, NOT PHYSICAL ABUSE, BUT EMOTIONAL ABUSE. ROSA COULD HAVE BEEN ONE OF THOSE VICTIMS WHEN WE RETURN, I HAD FRIENDS THAT THEIR PARENTS WERE DEPORTED. IT WAS HARD. IT WAS TOUGH. I DECIDED TO COME SO MY CHILDREN WOULDN’T GROW UP THERE WITH THAT PERSON. FOR SOME, IT’S A LEGAL PATH, AND FOR SOME IT’S AN ILLEGAL PATH. BECOMING A U.S. CITIZEN IS NOT AN EASY PROCESS. IT TAKES TIME AND MONEY. MANY CHOOSE TO TAKE A DIFFERENT PATH, ONE THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP WANTS TO PUT A STOP TO. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE LIVED IN OUR COMMUNITY FOR DECADES. THEY’VE GOTTEN AN EDUCATION, PAID TAXES, AND RAISED A FAMILY. AND SOME SAY THEY’VE BEEN DOING IT ILLEGALLY FOR DECADES NOW. PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE LEGALLY AND ILLEGALLY SAY THEY ARE MORE AFRAID THAN EVER. ONCE AGAIN, HERE’S CRISTIANA RAMOS THE SOUND OF THE FOOT KICKING THE BALL. IT’S ONE THAT’S FAMILIAR TO OSCAR GARCIA. EVERY DAY WE’LL GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY WITH MY NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS PLAYING SOCCER. IT’S A SIMPLE GAME THAT’S LIVED WITH HIM SINCE GROWING UP ON THE STREETS OF MEXICO. THAT’S WHERE I’M FROM. NEW MEXICO. I NEVER PLAYED ON A PLAY ON A GRASS FIELD UNTIL I WAS 17. UP IN MEXICO, WE PLAY ON DIRT FIELDS AND NOW THESE ARE THE SOUNDS HE HEARS. FANS ROARING AND SOMETIMES YELLING AT NEW MEXICO UNITED GAMES, NOT ONLY AS A REFEREE, BUT IN LIFE. YOU KNOW, WHEN I TRY TO DO SOMETHING, I GIVE IT MY BEST. THE JOURNEY ACROSS THE BROKEN BORDER TO BECOME AN AMERICAN CITIZEN, AN ACCOUNTANT, A SOCCER REFEREE AND A HUSBAND WAS NOT AN EASY ONE. IT’S A BLESSING AND I FEEL BLESSED THAT I HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY. AND AT THE SAME TIME, RECOGNIZING THAT. NOT EVERYONE GETS THAT OPPORTUNITY AND THEY WISH THEY HAD IT. GARCIA’S JOURNEY STARTED WHEN HE WAS IN SCHOOL IN MEXICO, STUDYING TO BE A COMPUTER PROGRAMMER. AND I WAS PROGRAMING AT THE TIME, BUT I DIDN’T HAVE A I HAVE PROBABLY ZERO KNOWLEDGE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. EVENTUALLY HE MET AN AMERICAN WOMAN WHILE IN SCHOOL, MARRIED HER AND HAD THREE KIDS. BUT IT TOOK YEARS. THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND NUMEROUS MEETINGS WITH IMMIGRATION AGENTS IN WHICH THEY ASKED HE AND HIS WIFE DOZENS OF QUESTIONS. I REALLY FELT LIKE INTERROGATED TO LIKE, SHOW THAT I, I LOVED HIM AND HE WASN’T JUST GIVING ME MONEY UNDER THE TABLE. WHILE PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS DECLARED THERE WILL BE A MASS DEPORTATION, IT WAS THEN PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA WHO HAD THOUSANDS REMOVED FROM THE COUNTRY TWICE DURING THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION. THE NUMBER OF DEPORTATIONS AND REMOVALS HAD SPIKED TO OVER 40,000 IN 1 MONTH. IN TRUMP’S FIRST TWO MONTHS IN OFFICE, IT WAS JUST OVER 20,000. OBAMA IS KNOWN IN THE COMMUNITY AS THE DEPORTER IN CHIEF. HE DEPORTED SO MANY PEOPLE. BUT HERE IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OBAMA OR BIDEN. I WANT TO SAY IT VERSUS OUR CURRENT PRESIDENT. PRESIDENT TRUMP. PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS AN INCENDIARY LANGUAGE AGAINST IMMIGRANTS. WE ARE ALL VERY SCARED AT HOME. THE CURRENT POLITICAL CLIMATE HAS US SCARED. IT IS A PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE THAT IS ALREADY IN THE CHILDREN FOREVER. MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO, SHE CAME ACROSS AN OPEN MESA LIKE THIS ONE, WHERE THERE WAS NOTHING TO SEPARATE THE BORDER. I WAS WALKING PREGNANT. AND WITH THE ONE AND A HALF YEAR OLD CHILD ON MY SHOULDERS. SHE WAS ESCAPING AN ABUSIVE HUSBAND AND HIRED WHAT’S CALLED A COYOTE TO GET HER ACROSS. I DIDN’T THINK ABOUT MYSELF. I THOUGHT ABOUT MY CHILDREN. SHE RESTARTED HER LIFE IN PHOENIX, BUT EVENTUALLY CAME TO NEW MEXICO. THAT’S BECAUSE OF NEW MEXICO’S SANCTUARY LAWS FOR UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS. IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE PROBLEMS. THIS CITY GAVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY. AND FOR ME, IT WAS TRUE. I STARTED STUDYING. I GOT A GOOD JOB. I GOT AHEAD. I LOVE THIS CITY. AT THE TIME ROSA MOVED TO ALBUQUERQUE, IT WAS CONSIDERED A SANCTUARY CITY. THAT BASICALLY MEANS THAT NO CITY RESOURCES WILL BE SHARED WITH ICE TO HELP FIND AND DETAIN UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS. THAT CHANGED IN 2010, AFTER REPUBLICAN MAYOR RICHARD BERRY TOOK OFFICE. HE ESTABLISHED A PRISONER TRANSPORT CENTER AND GAVE ICE AGENTS AN OFFICE THERE. EVERY PERSON ARRESTED IN ALBUQUERQUE HAD THEIR IMMIGRATION STATUS CHECKED. IT KEEPS APD OFFICERS FROM DOING CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATION WORK, WHICH IS IMPORTANT. WE WANT THEM FIGHTING CRIME IN THE STREETS OF ALBUQUERQUE. EIGHT YEARS LATER, UNDER MAYOR TIM KELLER, THE SANCTUARY POLICIES WERE REINSTATED BY ORDINANCE AND BY VALUE. WE ARE AN IMMIGRANT FRIENDLY CITY. IT’S BEEN A CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC IN OUR CITY, WHICH HAS A HISTORY OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS COMMITTING SOME HEINOUS CRIMES, LIKE THE 2009 KILLING OF A COOK AT THIS DENNY’S DURING A ROBBERY THAT WENT BAD. THREE EL SALVADORIAN NATIONALS WERE CHARGED. YOU HEAR ABOUT THESE THINGS ON TV, BUT YOU NEVER CAN BELIEVE THIS. YOU KNOW WHAT COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN IN OUR OWN NEIGHBORHOOD? AND THE MURDER OF THIS MOTHER OF A STATE POLICE OFFICER IN HER OWN DRIVEWAY BACK IN 2019. THIS MAN, A MEXICAN NATIONAL IN THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY, WAS CONVICTED IN HER DEATH. HER WIDOWER, SANDY HILL, SPEAKING AT THE WHITE HOUSE. EVERY TIME I GO TO BED, EVERY TIME I GO OUT INTO THE DRIVEWAY, THAT THAT MEMORY COMES BACK AND IT HAUNTS ME. AND JACKIE, MY WIFE, DID NOT DESERVE TO BE KILLED THAT WAY. SINCE 2002, THERE HAVE BEEN TEN PEOPLE WHO’VE BEEN REMOVED AFTER BEING ACCUSED OR CONVICTED OF MURDER IN NEW MEXICO. 35 HAVE FACED SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGES. 21 WERE ACCUSED OF ROBBERY. IT’S CRIMES LIKE THESE THAT SOME SAY OUR IMMIGRATION POLICIES ARE BROKEN, AND IT’S THESE TYPES OF CRIMES THAT HAVE CREATED A STIGMATISM FOR PEOPLE LIKE ROSA. I’M NOT A RAPIST. I’M NOT A MURDERER. I DON’T STEAL FROM ANYONE. ROSA GRADUATED WITH AN ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE IN EARLY CHILD CARE. SHE’S BEEN DOING THAT FOR NINE YEARS. SHE’S PROUD OF THE SUCCESSES HER CHILDREN HAVE ACHIEVED. MY SON IS VALEDICTORIAN. THE LAST YEAR, AND ONE HIGH SCHOOL. I HAVE MY DAUGHTER IS ALMOST DONE. AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING. AND I HAVE OTHER DAUGHTER. AND THE HOSPITAL. NOW SHE’S A NURSE. AND. I THINK I MADE THE BEST FOR MY CHILDREN. BUT ROSA LIVES IN FEAR NOW. SINCE PRESIDENT TRUMP TOOK OFFICE. WE DON’T LET OUR CHILDREN LEAVE THE HOUSE. I THINK OUR CHILDREN DON’T LEAVE US BECAUSE THEY ARE AFRAID FOR US. ONLY ONCE IN THE LAST TWO DECADES, SHE’S GONE HOME TO MEXICO. THAT WAS FOR HER FATHER’S FUNERAL IN 2005. BUT YET AGAIN, SHE NEEDED THE HELP FROM A COYOTE TO GET HER BACK INTO THE UNITED STATES. IT WAS GOING TO COST HER BIG $10,000 RIGHT NOW. ROSA’S MOTHER IS SICK AND DYING. SHE WANTS TO SEE HER, BUT SHE’S NOT SURE. UNDER THE CURRENT POLICIES ESTABLISHED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP THAT SHE WOULD BE ABLE TO GET BACK INTO THE STATES. AND THE BLACK MARKET COST OF HIRING A COYOTE IS TOO EXPENSIVE. NOW. I HAVE MY MOM IN THE HOSPITAL RIGHT NOW, VERY SICK, AND I CAN’T GO OUT OF THE COUNTRY. SO I’M DIVIDED BECAUSE I CANNOT GO SEE HER. BUT I AM. MY MOM’S ONLY DAUGHTER. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE LIKE ROSA, LIVING IN NEW MEXICO. TARGET 7 OBTAINED IMMIGRATION COURT DATA THROUGH SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY. IT SHOWS SINCE 2001, THERE WERE 1300 IMMIGRANTS WHO LIVED IN NEW MEXICO FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS AND WENT THROUGH DEPORTATION HEARINGS. AND OF THE 45,000 THAT HAVE BEEN SENT TO IMMIGRATION COURT, 12% HAD BEEN CHARGED WITH ANOTHER CRIME. SOME OF THE UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS DETAINED IN ALBUQUERQUE WILL END UP HERE IN OTERO COUNTY, WAITING FOR A HEARING TO DETERMINE IF THEY’RE GOING TO BE DEPORTED. ABOUT 3% OF ALL DETAINED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. ARE HELD IN NEW MEXICO. 380 HERE IN TORRANCE COUNTY, 163 IN CIBOLA COUNTY AND 820 IN OTERO COUNTY. THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE BEING DETAINED IN ONE OF THOSE FACILITIES HAS RELATIVELY STAYED THE SAME SINCE TRUMP TOOK OFFICE. IT DID SPIKE IN OCTOBER 2023 WHEN JOE BIDEN WAS PRESIDENT. ROSA IS DOING EVERYTHING SHE CAN TO MAKE SURE SHE DOESN’T END UP AT ONE OF THOSE FACILITIES. SHE’S CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF BECOMING A CITIZEN. HOWEVER, SHE’S WORRIED BECAUSE THEY HAVE ALL MY INFORMATION. WHEN WE RETURN. LATELY, I HAVE BEEN INTERROGATED A LOT. YOU DON’T HAVE THE PERMISSION TO BE HERE, BUT YOU DO HAVE THE PERMISSION TO PAY TAXES. HE CALLED ME AND HE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS BEING DETAINED BY ICE. WE HAVE TOLD YOU HOW THE COUNTRY IS WORKING TO FIX THE BROKEN BORDER. CURRENTLY, THERE IS AN ESTIMATED 11 MILLION UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES. BUT AS FOR THE PROCESS TO GET THEM TO LIVE HERE LEGALLY, SOME SAY THAT’S BROKEN TOO. SO HOW ARE IMMIGRANTS WHO HAVE NOT GONE THROUGH THE PROCESS ABLE TO WORK IN OUR COUNTRY? HERE AGAIN, CHRISTIANA RAMOS SUSANA CISNEROS CROSSES THE BORDER EVERY DAY TO GET TO WORK. I CROSS BACK AND FORTH. I’VE BEEN DOING IT FOR. ALMOST THREE YEARS, AND THIS IS BECAUSE I GOT MARRIED AND MY HUSBAND IS FROM JUAREZ, AND HE HAS HIS BUSINESS IN JUAREZ. EVERYTHING IN JUAREZ. ALTHOUGH SHE’S A U.S. CITIZEN, I HAVE MY REGULAR PASSPORT. US PASSPORT. SHE SAYS SINCE PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP ROLLED OUT NEW POLICIES CRACKING DOWN ON ILLEGAL CROSSINGS AT THE BORDER, IT HAS BEEN HARDER. THERE’S WAIT TIMES AT THE AT THE PORTS OF 3 OR 4 HOURS. YOU KNOW, JUST A LOT OF QUESTIONS. IN MY PERSONAL LIFE, LATELY, I HAVE BEEN INTERROGATED A LOT. EVERY MORNING AT THE CRACK OF DAWN, HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE COME ACROSS THE BORDER TO COME TO WORK. IT’S DIFFERENT BECAUSE OF THE CROWDS OF PEOPLE NOW. RIGHT NOW THERE’S A LOT MORE SURVEILLANCE. THEY CHECK WHAT WE ARE BRINGING IN AND THEY ASK A LOT MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR IMMIGRATION STATUS. AS FOR SUSANA, SHE GREW UP ON A LITTLE RANCH IN JUAREZ, MEXICO, UNTIL SHE WAS 12 YEARS OLD. SHE WAS NEVER TAUGHT ENGLISH WHILE IN JUAREZ. WELL, I REMEMBER IT WAS TOUGH FOR ME AT FIRST BECAUSE I DIDN’T KNOW THE LANGUAGE. OF COURSE, I IN MEXICO, I STUDY AT A REGULAR SCHOOL WHERE THEY DIDN’T TEACH ENGLISH. SO WHEN I CAME HERE, IT WAS LIKE TOTALLY NEW. HER PARENTS DECIDED TO MOVE TO THE UNITED STATES NOT ONLY TO FIND BETTER PAYING JOBS. YOU HAVE A BETTER OPPORTUNITY OF GOING TO A BETTER UNIVERSITY. SO I REMEMBER THAT WAS ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS WHY MY PARENTS WANTED TO COME. THEY BROUGHT SUSANA AND HER THREE SIBLINGS WITH THEM, EVENTUALLY HELPING THEM BECOME U.S. CITIZENS. A DA SUSANA PROUDLY REMEMBERS, I WAS A YOUNGEST PERSON TO GET THE CITIZENSHIP THAT DAY, SO I WAS THE FIRST ONE. AND I REMEMBER EVERYONE CLAP AT THE CEREMONY. AND IT WAS IT WAS PRETTY NEAT. THAT LITTLE GIRL WOULD USE HER NEW STATUS TO BECOME THE FIRST IN HER FAMILY TO GRADUATE FROM A UNIVERSITY. I REMEMBER MY MOM TOLD ME, YOU KNOW, SUSAN, SUSIE, IT’S GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT HARD FOR US TO PAY FOR COLLEGE. YOU KNOW, IT’S IT’S GOING TO BE ANOTHER EXPENSE WE’RE GOING TO HAVE. BUT WE DO WANT YOU TO GO TO UNIVERSITY. A SIMILAR STORY FOR THOUSANDS OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO CAME TO THE UNITED STATES SEEKING BETTER OPPORTUNITIES. BUT SHE SAYS IT’S BECOME DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO OBTAIN CITIZENSHIP. SHE’S CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS FOR HER HUSBAND. SHE HAS HAD TO HIRE AN ATTORNEY AND PAY OVER $5,000. THE PROCESS HAS ALREADY TAKEN TWO YEARS. WE DID IT THE RIGHT WAY BECAUSE WE WANTED TO HAVE THAT SECURITY THAT IF SOMETHING WENT WRONG, THAT IF WE DIDN’T, I DON’T KNOW, FILE SOMETHING OTHER ATTORNEY WAS GOING TO APPEAL. BUT THERE ARE OTHERS WHO ADMIT THEY DID NOT DO IT THE RIGHT WAY. THEY DIDN’T HAVE THE MONEY, COULDN’T GET THE ATTORNEY, OR THEY WERE ESCAPING LIKE ROSA. IT’S EXPENSIVE. SHE DIDN’T HAVE THE TIME OR THE MONEY TO DO IT THE RIGHT WAY. SHE WAS ESCAPING HER ABUSIVE HUSBAND. NOW SHE’S HIRED AN IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY. SHE’S TRYING TO BECOME A CITIZEN THROUGH THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT. THIS IS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE VICTIMS. I HAVE A YEAR AND A HALF IN PROCESS. BUT STILL NO ANSWER. A PROCESS THAT SO FAR HAS COST HER THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. AND THE LAWYER CHARGED ALMOST $5,000. SO HOW WAS SHE ABLE TO WORK? THAT’S WHAT I DON’T UNDERSTAND. YOU DON’T HAVE THE PERMISSION TO BE HERE. BUT YOU DO HAVE THE PERMISSION TO PAY TAXES. FOR DECADES, MANY IMMIGRANTS USE WHAT’S CALLED AN INDIVIDUAL TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER. THIS IS ISSUED BY THE IRS AND ALLOWS THEM TO PAY TAXES, WHETHER THEY’RE DOCUMENTED OR NOT. SINCE THE MID 90S, THE IRS HAS BEEN ISSUING THESE INDIVIDUAL TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS TO PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT QUALIFIED OR WHO DO NOT QUALIFY FOR A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER. IMMIGRATION RIGHTS ACTIVIST MARCELA DIAZ SAYS OTHERS SIMPLY DON’T PAY TAXES. SOME TAKE JOBS THAT PAY ONLY CASH. THE INFORMATION COLLECTED BY THE IRS WAS WAS NEVER SHARED WITH ICE UNTIL NOW. UNDER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, THE IRS IS NOW SHARING WITH ICE WHO THEY’VE ISSUED THESE NUMBERS TO TO POSSIBLY GET THEM DEPORTED. IT’S VERY UNSETTLING. IT WILL HAVE A DEEP IMPACT, NOT JUST ON NEW MEXICAN FAMILIES, BUT ALSO ON OUR TAX BASE. RECENTLY, ICE HAS PICKED UP ITS EFFORTS IN ALBUQUERQUE. LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS TELL TARGET 7 THEY’RE ACTIVELY SERVING MORE THAN 300 IMMIGRATION WARRANTS IN THE DUKE CITY, LIKE THE ONE GREGORIO WAS SERVED. HE CALLED ME, AND HE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS BEING DETAINED BY ICE. GREGORIO WAS APPREHENDED BY ICE IN ALBUQUERQUE WHILE HE WAS COMING HOME FROM WORK IN JANUARY. EVELYN IS HIS DAUGHTER. HE WAS SENT TO THIS FACILITY IN ESTANCIA AND LATER DEPORTED BACK TO MEXICO. HE LIVED HERE FOR THREE DECADES. HE WORKS AT A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY. HE’S ACTUALLY. HE WORKED HIS WAY UP TO BEING A SUPERVISOR. SHE SAYS HER FATHER OWNS A HOME, HAS A DRIVER’S LICENSE, A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER AND A FEDERAL WORK PERMIT. SHE DOESN’T KNOW WHY HE WAS DEPORTED. MANY PEOPLE TELL US THAT THERE’S A LOT OF FEAR OF BEING DETAINED AND ENDING UP HERE ON ONE OF THESE U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFTS TO BE DEPORTED. BUT THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY TELLS US THEY’VE RARELY USED THIS PLANE. IT WAS SENT TO FORT BLISS TO ASSIST IN PRESIDENT TRUMP’S MASS DEPORTATIONS. HOWEVER, THEY’VE YET TO HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE DEPORTED TO FILL IT. WHAT WE COULD DO AS PART OF OUR IMMIGRATION REFORM IS MAKE IT EASIER FOR THEM TO COME WORK. EARLIER, WE INTRODUCED YOU TO AMANDA, A RANCHER IN NEW MEXICO WHOSE LAND IS ALONG THE BORDER WITH MEXICO. SHE BELIEVES FOR DECADES, OUR COUNTRY HAS FAILED. EVERYONE. IMMIGRANTS AND THOSE LIVING ON THE U.S. SIDE OF THE BROKEN BORDER. IT’S ALWAYS BEEN A PREVALENT PROBLEM. FROM THE TIME THAT I WAS LITTLE. BUT SHE SAYS THAT’S CHANGED NOW. IT’S BETTER. A LOT BETTER. THERE’S A LOT MORE PROTECTION. FOR NOW, AMANDA WILL CONTINUE TO TEND TO HER CATTLE, ALWAYS WITH AN EYE OVER HER SHOULDER. SHE WANTS A COUNTRY WHERE PEOPLE LIKE ROSA DON’T HAVE TO RISK THEIR LIVES TO CROSS AN OPEN DESERT. A COUNTRY WHERE PEOPLE LIKE SUSANA DON’T HAVE TO WAIT HOURS IN LINE TO GET TO WORK. AND A COUNTRY WHERE PEOPLE LIKE OSCAR DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT BEING TORN FROM HIS FAMILY. AND ALONG THIS BROKEN BORDER WHERE AMANDA DOESN’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT COMING FACE TO FACE WITH AN ARMED HUMAN SMUGGLER ON HER OWN, NEW MEXICO PROPERTY. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THIS TARGET 7 SPECIAL INVESTIGATION. BROKEN BORDER. IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT HAS CHANGED IN RECENT MONTHS WHEN IT COMES TO IMMIGRATION POLICY, HEAD TO KOAT.COM. THERE YOU WILL FIND DATA ON THE NUMBER OF DEPORTATIONS AND BORDER CROSSINGS. YOU CAN ALSO TAKE A U.S. CITIZENSHIP TEST. FROM ALL OF US HE