Young and attractive: alarm over the disappearance of migrant women in the Arizona desert

Young and attractive migrants they are disappearing in an area of ​​the Arizona desertTheir families denounced the Capellanes del Desierto rescue group, which has counted at least a dozen of them in recent months and fears they have fallen into a human trafficking ring.

“This week alone we have just received reports of two more cases, with these there are already 12 active cases that we haveÓscar Andrade, director of the humanitarian organization, told EFE.

He pointed out that what is most alarming is that they all follow the same pattern: young, physically attractive women who disappeared in the same region of the Arizona desert, USA.

Relatives told Andrade that the “coyotes” tell them they left the women in the desert because they could not continuebut then they change their story, claiming that the most certain thing is that the Border Patrol has arrested them.

Research

For years the Chaplains of the Desert have been working in search of the missing.

They go out into the desert to look for them based on coordinates or signals that human traffickers have given to the families.

Andrade indicated that this year the number of people reported as missing has significantly increased compared to 2021.

“We’ve received up to 20 reports a week,” he said.

In some cases, the group managed to find migrants in cooperation with the Border Patrol and provide first aid, e in others they found only lifeless bodies.

However, in the particular cases of these women they have found no trace of it.

“We are contacting both the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to see if there is a woman with the physical characteristics, in case the person changed their name, but nothing“Andrade complained.

One of the missing is Lizet Jazmín Baryas, a 23-year-old Salvadoran immigrant of which there has been no news since last May after a second attempt to cross the Arizona desert.

She was trying to meet her husband, Carlos Alexander Arias, who is still waiting for her in the US.

“She tried to cross once but was arrested and deported, then she spoke to me and said she would try again. I haven’t heard anything from her since.“Arias told EFE.

The last thing he received was a photograph of himself in camouflage gear ready to cross the desert.

“The smuggler told me they were discovered by a Border Patrol helicopter, that they all fled, that they never saw her again. However, now the coyote won’t even answer my phone‘ said the immigrant, who lives in Chicago.

the young man he had paid $14,000 traffickers to bring it to the United States.

“My biggest fear is that he is in the hands of the mafia, that they prostitute him, who fell into a net of white slavery”Arias said.

These fears are not unfounded, since Andrade assures that in his role as chaplain he has spoken with several coyotes to try to get clues about what might be happening or how to find these young women.

The Venezuelans, “a big deal”

“These coyotes have told me that ‘girls’, especially from countries like Venezuela, Brazil, I’m a “big business” for human traffickers or just if one of the ‘boss’ likes one of the girls, well, they keep them,” he said.

Andrade said they even doubted whether these young women actually crossed the border or disappeared in Mexico.

In the case of Arias’ wife, he assures that the traffickers sent him a photo of the young woman, but it was a photomontage, demanding $6,000 to give him information on her whereaboutsensuring that the young woman was in the hands of a criminal group.

“Her family paid the money but they just lied to us, now they are contacting her mother again in El Salvador but they are not giving any real proof that she is alive,” Arias said.

For his part, Daniel Hernández, spokesman for the Tucson Sector Border Patrol, told EFE that every time they receive a missing person report they send resources to begin their research.

“Unfortunately, immigrants are only ‘merchandise’ for human traffickers, we know their hearts are not tempted to abandon them to their fate,” Hernández said.

The federal agent indicated that he has had reports of women who they were raped by the “coyote” during transportation.

In the midst of the current wave of migration, both desert chaplains and the Border Patrol are urging migrants to lest you risk your life at the hands of the coyotes.

Andrade warns women to try to stay in constant contact with family members and to call 911 if they are in danger, but advises them to try to lodge their asylum applications at ports of entry.

EFE Agency

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