Coyote (person)

[1] The word "coyote" is a loanword from Mexican Spanish that usually refers to a species of North American wild dog (Canis latrans).

Fees are normally collected once the migrant arrives at a predetermined destination, usually a border city in California, Texas, or Arizona.

The demand for Mexican workers from U.S. employers rose and by 1884, supply was guaranteed when the railway connection of El Paso, Texas, with Mexico was completed.

[4] "Enganchadores", Spanish for "hookers" (from the verb "to hook"), were Mexican individuals hired by U.S. employers as labour recruiters.

Explicit restrictions on Mexican immigration during the late 1910s and early 1920s caused U.S. labour-seeking migrants to increasingly rely on middlemen for labour-brokerage with American companies.

[citation needed] The U.S. Immigration Acts of 1917 and 1924 required foreign individuals crossing the border to take literacy tests, undergo medical exams, and pay head taxes and visa fees.

[5] The new requirements "combined with the creation of the Border Patrol in 1924, prompted thousands of Mexican migrants to cross the Rio Bravo surreptitiously to enter the country.

The U.S. Commissioner of Immigration observed the trend commenting, in a Congressional report, that a "new and thriving industry... having for its object the illegal introduction into the United States of Mexican aliens on a wholesale scale by means of organized efforts" had emerged.

Coyote fees were considerably less than those needed for visitor's visas; an approximate $100 to $150 difference (based on today's exchange rate).

Increasing restrictions caused the demand for cheap migrant labour to exceed the legal ability for foreign workers to enter and work in the country.

Competition for Mexican workers grew so high among labour contractors that it inspired a short-lived coyote system in the United States.

The threat of losing money, on account of a stolen employee, "led labour contractors to keep workers en-route to employers locked up and under armed guard to prevent their theft.

Demand in Texas for cotton harvesters through the use of coyotes allowed them to recruit about 400,000 migratory workers by the end of the 1930s, two-thirds of which were Mexican.

The practice received international attention in 1940 when a "delivery" truck got into an accident, resulting in forty-four Mexican migrant injuries and twenty-nine fatalities, including eleven children.

Consequently, thousands of Mexican laborers unable to participate in the program sought the help of coyotes to enter the United States.

U.S. authorities continued to expand the Border Patrol, while the Mexican government enacted laws penalizing individuals convicted of aiding illegal entry into the United States.

[11] Documents of proof included "pay stubs, rent receipts, bank statements, and affidavits from persons who knew them during the period they had resided illegally.

The Houston Chronicle reported that "flea markets, grocery store lots, even the more secluded corners of Hispanic restaurants, are increasingly the scenes of blatant wheeling and dealing of phony documents at premium prices.

To guarantee a successful journey for the immigrants, human smugglers have created an organized hierarchy of coyotes playing various roles.

While the human smuggling organizations are headquartered at the border, vaquetones are assigned to recruit migrants within their communities at the interior of the country.

Part of the Border Patrol's mission statement declares that "an ever-present threat exists from the potential for terrorists to employ the same smuggling and transportation networks, infrastructure, drop houses, and other support and then use these masses of illegal aliens as ‘cover’ for a successful cross-border penetration.

In reality, when economic conditions in Latin America deteriorate, the motivation to come and work in the U.S. only rises, leaving potential migrants one realistic option – engaging a coyote.

[15] Avoiding the attention of the border patrol even as the security and restrictions increase, and helping migrants get around them is the primary focus of coyotes.

These social bonds between the migrants and their guides help to provide increased safety for a dangerous and illegal undertaking for the travellers and bring customers for the coyotes.

Police note that on a "good day" large coyote organizations can transport 500 people into the United States.

When considering a coyote, migrants prioritize the success rate of border-crossings, the treatment received during trips and, for female clients, the respect shown to their gender.