It didn’t take long for us to get to work upon arriving in California on the way to San Diego. We were just sailing west on Interstate 8 when we encountered around a dozen U.S. Border Patrol agents searching for suspected illegal entrants in an area of particularly rough terrain.
I rapidly gained respect for the difficulty of the agents’ task after setting out to scramble up a boulder-littered mountainside to better document their work. Let’s just say that sucking wind is putting my physical state mildly after a saunter up a steep incline in mid-day heat. I got scratched, scraped and stuck by about every plant or rock that could catch me. That, I am sorry to say, was not too difficult, because I was pretty darn slow.
A California border patrol agent searches in rough terrain for an illegal entrant. Photo by James Gregg/Arizona Daily Star.
There was cover everywhere. A person could disappear in a second within the dense brush or within spaces between the huge boulders that housed what remained of blankets, backpacks, and water bottles left behind by travelers. Making photographs required dodging these barriers, trying not to lose my footing on sand covered stones. Running from or searching for anyone in this environment has got to be tough. Both the seekers and the sought after not only have to worry about each other, but about mother nature as well.
Tomorrow we begin our first day of investigation in Tijuana and the U.S. Territory just outside of San Diego that shares its border. We appreciate seeing all of the comments from you all, and hope that you continue to share with us.
In July, a team of Arizona Daily Star journalists traveled from San Diego to Brownsville for a close-up look at what it would take to secure the border. They used this blog to chronicle their experiences and will present a 4-day series of their findings beginning Sunday, Sept. 24.
Current Location:The journey is over. Stay tuned for our special report on the border beginning September 24.
Meet the Team
James Gregg recently joined the staff of the Arizona Daily Star as a
photojournalist after beginning his career in Colorado. James has lived abroad in Ecuador and Costa Rica, and holds a degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies from the University of Kansas.
Stephanie Innes is the faith and values reporter for the Star. She has worked at the newspaper since 1999 and previously covered crime. She has also been a reporter for the Tucson Citizen and for the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff.
Border and Immigration reporter Brady McCombs has been with the Star since February. He recently co-authored the Star's four-part investigative series, "Illegal Labor Fix Falls Short." McCombs, who is bilingual, spent three years working in Costa Rica.
Photographer Lindsay Miller joined the Arizona Daily Star in April 2005, relocating toTucson after working at the Napa Valley Register. She has worked on several documentary projects as well as a variety of local news and features..
Online producer Andrew Satter has been with the Star for more than two years. He oversees online news content relating to the border and politics/elections, has produced dozens of videos and audio slide shows and is a co-creator of the award-winning Border Death Database.
Reader Polls
Week 3 Results
Question: Which border state has the most out-of-control border?
- California - 9%
- Arizona - 53%
- New Mexico - 10%
- Texas - 7%
- Minnesota - 21%
Total number of votes - 68
Week 2 Results
Question: What is the top reason the U.S. needs to secure its borders?
- Stop illegal immigrants from coming into the country - 48%
- Crack down on drug smuggling - 14%
- Stop terrorists from being able to get in - 28%
- An open border poses no immediate threat - 9%
- Protect against human sex slave trafficking - 1%
Total number of votes - 79
Week 1 Results
Question: What should be the first priority in solving the illegal immigration problem?
- Secure the border - 48%
- Workplace enforcement - 21%
- Visa enforcement - 3%
- Institute a guest worker program - 17%
- Take care of non-border-related issues first - 11%
Total number of votes - 150
Border gallery
What does the word 'border' mean to you? Be it the U.S./Mexico border, the Brazilian/Argentinian border or the border between you and your neighbor's house, we want to see your images of this ill-defined concept in our gallery. In the Photo Caption field please tell us the subject of the photo. Submit your photo »»
James Gregg recently joined the staff of the Arizona Daily Star as a
photojournalist after beginning his career in Colorado. James has lived abroad in Ecuador and Costa Rica, and holds a degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies from the University of Kansas.
Stephanie Innes is the faith and values reporter for the Star. She has worked at the newspaper since 1999 and previously covered crime. She has also been a reporter for the Tucson Citizen and for the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff.
Border and Immigration reporter Brady McCombs has been with the Star since February. He recently co-authored the Star's four-part investigative series, "Illegal Labor Fix Falls Short." McCombs, who is bilingual, spent three years working in Costa Rica.
Photographer Lindsay Miller joined the Arizona Daily Star in April 2005, relocating toTucson after working at the Napa Valley Register. She has worked on several documentary projects as well as a variety of local news and features..
Online producer Andrew Satter has been with the Star for more than two years. He oversees online news content relating to the border and politics/elections, has produced dozens of videos and audio slide shows and is a co-creator of the award-winning Border Death Database.
— Art 07/19/2006 01:00 PM #