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VAIL — As the Ford pickup spun off the road on Interstate 70, 13 men and one woman jumped out of the vehicle at 10 a.m. Sunday. Dressed in jeans and short-sleeved shirts, they ran through the snow on Vail Pass, each in a different direction.
When Vail police officers arrived, they followed the footprintS the illegal immigrants had left in the snow, said Tim Counts, the spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Police contacted customs enforcement while they rounded up the runaways: 12 from Mexico and two from Guatemala. Some had stayed close to the pickup, while the last to be apprehended was found three miles away.
“Needless to say they were all very cold, but thankfully, there were no injuries, which frankly, is unusual,” Courts said. “With smuggling cases, it’s not uncommon to have people seriously injured or killed. We see it all the time.”
Courts said because of the number of people in the pickup, the passengers had likely been smuggled into the country – a raw deal for those who were crammed into the back of the pickup.
“Smuggling organization don’t care about the people they’re carrying,” Counts said. “They treat them like cargo. They treat them worse then people who are hauling cattle would treat the cattle.
Many times, they don’t let them out to eat or drink or go to the bathroom. It is truly inhumane.”
Courts didn’t know where the immigrants were headed, but said I-70 is a popular smuggling route.
The immigrants were transported to a jail in Glenwood Springs where they will be held until they are taken to Denver for a hearing before an immigration judge. While they will have opportunities to contest their charges and appeal their sentences, most will be sent back to their homelands, Counts said. For two of the illegal aliens, it would be the second time they are deported.
According to customs enforcement, 92 percent of the 1.2 million deportees in 2004 were sent to Mexico. Another 14,288 were sent to Guatemala.
Staff Writer Nicole Frey can be reached at 949-0555, ext. 14621, or nfrey@vaildaily.com.
Vail, Colorado
When Vail police officers arrived, they followed the footprintS the illegal immigrants had left in the snow, said Tim Counts, the spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Police contacted customs enforcement while they rounded up the runaways: 12 from Mexico and two from Guatemala. Some had stayed close to the pickup, while the last to be apprehended was found three miles away.
“Needless to say they were all very cold, but thankfully, there were no injuries, which frankly, is unusual,” Courts said. “With smuggling cases, it’s not uncommon to have people seriously injured or killed. We see it all the time.”
Courts said because of the number of people in the pickup, the passengers had likely been smuggled into the country – a raw deal for those who were crammed into the back of the pickup.
“Smuggling organization don’t care about the people they’re carrying,” Counts said. “They treat them like cargo. They treat them worse then people who are hauling cattle would treat the cattle.
Many times, they don’t let them out to eat or drink or go to the bathroom. It is truly inhumane.”
Courts didn’t know where the immigrants were headed, but said I-70 is a popular smuggling route.
The immigrants were transported to a jail in Glenwood Springs where they will be held until they are taken to Denver for a hearing before an immigration judge. While they will have opportunities to contest their charges and appeal their sentences, most will be sent back to their homelands, Counts said. For two of the illegal aliens, it would be the second time they are deported.
According to customs enforcement, 92 percent of the 1.2 million deportees in 2004 were sent to Mexico. Another 14,288 were sent to Guatemala.
Staff Writer Nicole Frey can be reached at 949-0555, ext. 14621, or nfrey@vaildaily.com.
Vail, Colorado
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