IMPACT OF THIS WILL WATCH IT CLOSELY. BUT AS ALWAYS, MAKE SURE YOU KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE
ROAD AS WELL. MACK STUFF.
THANK YOU, STEPHEN. THE
CONSTANT FLOW OF UNDOCUMENTED
IMMIGRANTS IS IMPACTED
COMMUNITIES FAR BEYOND THE
BORDER, INCLUDING BROOKS
COUNTY. BERKS COUNTY IS LOCATED
MORE THAN AN HOUR NORTH OF THE
BORDER OFF OF U.S.. HIGHWAY
2.81.
>> AND WHILE ITS LARGE BRANCHES
AND BRUSH LAND HELP KEEP
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS OFF
THE RADAR, IT’S ALSO EXACTLY
WHAT LEADS TO SO MANY DEATHS.
THEY SAID THAT. JOINING US LIVE
IN STUDIO MORNING. NOW.
>> WE SEE REST OF THE RECENTLY
SPENT SEVERAL DAYS IN BROOKS
COUNTY, ALONG WITH SOUTH SOUNDS
OUR PHOTOJOURNALIST. SO WHAT
WAS THE MOST SURPRISING THING
THAT YOU GUYS LEARNED? YEAH.
WHEN WE GO INTO BERKS COUNTY
SHERIFF’S OFFICE THERE OFFICER
CONFERENCE ROOM TO START THESE
INTERVIEWS, THE THING THAT,
YOU KNOW, TOOK MY BREATH AWAY
REALLY WAS A CASE FULL OF THE
RECORDS OF THE DEAD BODIES THAT
THEY FOUND AND THEY HAVE MORE
THAN A DECADE’S WORTH OF
INFORMATION. THEY’RE DATING
BACK FROM 2009 AND YOU’RE
TALKING ABOUT HUNDREDS, IF NOT
THOUSANDS OF BODIES THAT HAVE
BEEN FOUND.
>> IN THE BRUSH IN DIFFERENT
STATES OF DECOMPOSITION.
AND IN SOME CASES IT CAN TAKE
THEM A FEW HOURS TO FIND THESE
BODIES DAYS. AND IN SOME CASES
YEARS TO WHERE YOU JUST FINE,
SKELETAL REMAINS. SO THAT WAS
ONE OF THE MOST SHOCKING, OF
COURSE, THAT THIS ACTIVITY
NEVER WE DID SOME OVERNIGHT
SHOOTING YOU KNOW, RECORDING
LATE INTO THE NIGHT AND THAT
THAT WAS VERY EYE-OPENING
BECAUSE THE THESE CASES WHEN
YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT SMUGGLING,
IT HAPPENED AT ANY TIME OF THE
DAY. AND AND, YOU KNOW, YOU’RE
BACK ROADS RIGHT? BUT ALSO IN
THE PUBLIC EYE. SO EVEN AT REST
STOPS IS WHERE YOU CAN AND
WITNESS SOME OF THE SMUGGLING
CASES ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN REAL
TIME. AND AT LEAST ONE OF YOUR
STORIES WE’RE TALKING ABOUT,
THE BROOKS COUNTY SHERIFF,
BENNY MARTINEZ STATED THAT SO
FAR THIS YEAR, THERE HAVE BEEN
170 DRIVERS ARRESTED FOR
>> HUMAN SMUGGLING IN HISTORY’S
DICTION. AND WHAT HAPPENS TO
THE PEOPLE INSIDE? YES, SO
YOU’RE TALKING JUST ABOUT THE
DRIVERS, RIGHT? BUT THE PEOPLE
THAT ACTUALLY ARE ABLE TO RUN
AND THEY CALL THESE BAILOUTS.
WELL, SOME IN SOME CASES YOU
HAVE ONE OR 2 THAT ARE
APPREHENDED AND THEN PROCESSED
BY BORDER PATROL AND THEN THE
OTHERS MAKE A RUN FOR IT AND
THAT WHAT? THAT’S WHAT THE YOU
KNOW, MAKES IT SO DANGEROUS.
YOU MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING
HOW THE BRUSH LAND THEY CAN
HIDE IN IT. AND IT’S AND, YOU
KNOW, GOOD HIDING SPOTS BECAUSE
ITS SUCH DENSE AREAS OF BRUSH
BUT DIDN’T EXACTLY. THAT’S WHAT
MAKES IT DANGEROUS BECAUSE
THERE AREN’T ENOUGH CELL TOWERS
IN THIS AREA. BROOKS COUNTY
AND WHEN MIGRANTS ARE ABLE TO
CALL IF THEY HAVE A CELL PHONE,
IT CAN TAKE A LONG TIME FOR
AUTHORITIES. TRACK SCHLEE
PINPOINT AN EXACT SPOT. IF YOU
DO THAT HERE WITH YOUR CELL
PHONE, IT’S EASY BECAUSE THERE
ARE SO MANY CELL TOWERS IN THAT
AREA. THAT’S NOT POSSIBLE.
>> SPEAKING OF THE DANGER,
BROOKS IS KNOWN AS DEATH VALLEY
IN 2012, 128 BODIES WERE FOUND
JUST LAST YEAR. 119 BODIES
FOUND SO SO FAR THIS YEAR 2022,
WHAT IS THE TOTAL AND ARE
AUTHORITIES ALREADY CONCERNED?
THEY ARE DEFINITELY CONCERNED.
SO WHEN WE WERE OUT THERE ABOUT
A WEEK AND A HALF AGO, IT WAS
65 BODIES.
>> YESTERDAY WE GOT AN UPDATE
FROM BROOKS COUNTY DEPUTIES
AND THEY SAY THAT NUMBER IS
NOW 69. AND BECAUSE IT’S BEEN
SO HOT AND AGAIN, YOU TALK
ABOUT THE TERRAIN. IT IS SO
TOUGH TO NAVIGATE. YOU GET LOST
VERY QUICKLY. WITHIN SECONDS.
IF YOU LOOK DOWN, THEN YOU CAN
LOSE TRACK OF YOUR GROUP.
RIGHT? AND THE SMUGGLERS WILL
NOT WAIT FOR ANYONE. SO THEY’RE
ABSOLUTELY CONCERNED THAT THESE
NUMBERS AND THEY EXPECT THESE
NUMBERS TO GO UP. SO ALREADY
AT 69, I’M NOT VERY FAR FROM
THAT. 119 FROM LAST YEAR.
SO IT IS A VERY SERIOUS
SITUATION THAT THEY’RE SEEING
OUT THERE IN BERKS COUNTY.
AND THESE ARE WHERE THE THIS IS
ONE OF THE COUNTIES THAT HAS
BENEFITED FROM OPERATION LONE
STAR WHEN IT COMES TO FUNDING,
THEY’VE RECEIVED MORE THAN A
MILLION DOLLARS AND THEY HAVE
INVESTED IN TECHNOLOGY IN
VEHICLES TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE
THROUGH THIS TERRAIN AND THAT
PERMANENT MORE WHERE THEY’RE
ABLE TO STORE THESE BODIES AS
THEY GET IDENTIFIED. AND AS OF
RIGHT NOW, THEY HAVE 30 32
BODIES IN THE MORGUE.
WELL, THANK YOU FOR UPDATING US