Fight Inside Mexico Against Border Crossing

I tried for almost two hours to get video for this story but the news site that it came from isn't giving it out for free, it's not on You Tube and I'm not techie enough to steal it. However, though it is kind of an old story I thought It sounded interesting and worth noting again. Apparently some Mexicans have set up an illegal border crossing for the purposes of convincing people to actually stay in Mexico and not try to illegally cross into the US. They also make a bit of money off of this venture as it costs about $15 American to participate. I originally came across this story on You Tube under the auspices of it being reported as this is some sort of theme park where they are training people to bust through the border. According to the nice people at Eco Alberto Nature Park (funded in part by the Mexican government) that is not the case. You be the judge.

Also, you should click the above title link to see the video for yourself. In the meantime, here's the story:

It has been called a training ground for illegal immigrants. It has also been called a theme park where you pay to find out what it is like to cross illegally into the US. So I took my camera to Ixmiquilpan, north of Mexico City, to find out what it really is.

On a rainy night in the mountains of Mexico, I'm with about 20 "tourists" from Mexico as we sign up for what's billed as everything from a night walk to an extreme sport to an adventure. But I'm still not sure just what it is.

These are all people able to pay $15 each just to get some idea of what it's like to cross illegally into the US. Some of them are very well off and don't know anyone who would even think of doing it for real.

We start by packing into pickups, not knowing what's next.

One man tells me this isn't even 5% of what immigrants really suffer, as we are dropped off to start what they call the night walk.

He says here you can have a flashlight, the guides direct you and there is no danger. But it will feel like it.

For the next several hours and miles along a muddy river bottom, we try to hide from and escape the townspeople who are playing border patrol agents.

But the adventure wears off and some are caught and sent back.

The long, grinding trek in dark, unfamiliar terrority is taking its toll. The game is not fun anymore.

Now working in Texas, I have been with the Border Patrol and gone on some of the real raids along the real border.

I don't know how realistic this 'game' is - especially from the point of view of those who try to cross - but people here are definitely convinced that this is what it would be like.

And many of the people who run this park know exactly what it's like as they have crossed illegally. But they insist this is not to train others to do it, but to discourage them. And to get those in a position of power in Mexico to make changes so people won't want or need to leave.

"We try to portray it" one woman tells me in spanish "...so they'll stay here to work to help our culture and our traditions survive."

They also reject the label 'theme park', saying they are just using their resources, their park, to create jobs in Mexico.

Finally, blindfolded, we're trucked to a surprise ending. Torches dot the hillsides representing both the beauty and promise here in Mexico the organizers want Mexicans to notice every day.

And all the glowing torchlights represent all their fellow Mexicans who are gone, missing across the border.

"The need for a father, mother or family unity," she tells me, "is worth more than the money they can make in the US."

"At first, we thought it was a game" she tells me about this adventure. "But not anymore."