Author Description

"An in-depth study of the groundbreaking Operation Blockade/Hold-the-Line that was initiated by the El Paso Border Patrol in September 1993, and related human-rights issues. This operation was a radical departure from previous Border Patrol enforcement--a shift in focus from apprehending unauthorized border crosses to deterring such border crossing in key urban areas and diverting potential crossers elsewhere. When Silvestre Reyes, a new, enterprising El Paso Border Patrol sector chief, aptly sized up and seized upon local conflicts over rights issues and other conditions, he fundamentally changed the unit's immigration enforcement efforts in ways that would resonate far beyond his sector"--Preface and acknowledgments, page [ix]