Stories from the border
Graffiti on border wall in Nogales reads “Borders: scars on the land.” (Image: Steev Hise, Flickr)
Supervisory Border Patrol agent Gustavo Soto’s job is to stop people who look like him and his relatives from entering the country illegally. Soto grew up in Fort Hancock Texas, near El Paso and the Mexican border. His mother married an American and became a naturalized US citizen. Soto says he understood from the beginning what he was getting into when he joined the border patrol. He is one of nearly 2400 agents assigned to this sector of the border. Those men and women are responsbile for about 260 linnear miles of the boundary between Mexico and Arizona.
Bob accompanies agent Soto, who drives down to the border wall at Nogales (no-GAL-es), Arizona. They witness three illegal immigrants being apprehended after trying to sneak into the United States through a drainage tunnel.
Bob also joins Samaritan volunteers Michael Hyatt and Dr. Bob Cairns, as they drive south from Tucson, keeping an eye out for dehydrated migrants in need of medical attention. Twelve miles from the border, they witness another arrest. One of the dozen migrants appears dazed and has a bloody wound on the top of his head which he received while running from Border Patrol agents.
Bob Edwards Weekend" is a two-hour interview showcase, in which celebrated host Bob Edwards highlights the life and work of interesting people, from newsmakers, historians, and authors to artists, actors, and regular folks too. The show is produced by XM Satellite Radio and distributed nationwide by PRI.