Operation Desert Safeguard is a multi-agency operation designed to dramatically reduce the number of people attempting to illegally enter the United States through the West Desert corridor of the Sonoran Desert from Mexico, and by so doing, to dramatically reduce the number of people who die attempting to cross that desert.

On the U.S. side, the agencies participating in Operation Desert Safeguard are:

• The U.S. Border Patrol, part of the new Bureau of Customs and Border Protection;
• The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement;
• The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona;
• U.S. state and local agencies, including:

  Arizona Department of Public Safety
  Arizona Game and Fish Department
  Pima County Sheriff's Office
  Pinal County Sheriff's Office
  Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
  

• Tohono O'Odham Police Department

Before describing Operation Desert Safeguard, let me give you some background:

In the past 5 years, more than 2,000 people have died attempting to cross the border between Mexico into the United States. Over 320 people died last year alone. And one of the most treacherous and dangerous areas to cross is the Sonora desert that extends from Mexico's State of Sonora into the State of Arizona, west of Nogales.

We call it - the U.S. Border Patrol calls it - the West Desert corridor, and it is literally the corridor of death. Ninety (90) people died there last year, mainly in the summer months when temperatures soar to over 115 degrees (7) Fahrenheit. They died from thirst. They succumbed to the blinding heat, often within hours of the grueling trek. And this desert takes many days to cross. Many were found dead on the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation.

Many have died, and unless we do something, many more will die.

A migrant who nearly lost his life in that desert last month before - luckily - being rescued by the Border Patrol and deported, said it well: "Trying to cross that desert is crazy!" Think again, before you risk your life. Mothers must help convince their children not to go, because many times they don't come back alive.

I must stress, as much as we deplore the loss of life, and we do, as much as we condemn the ruthless human smugglers who put lives at risk in order to make a profit, and we do - the migrants crossing our border are entering the United States illegally and in violation of our laws.

And so, the United States intends to enforce its laws.

We intend to take control of our borders with Operation Desert Safeguard. We are going to take control of the West Desert corridor where so many have died attempting to cross. Nearly one hundred died last year. And many more would have died without the rescue efforts of the Border Patrol.

But nearly 100 people died.

And this is deplorable.

It is unacceptable.

With Operation Desert Safeguard, we mean to dramatically reduce the loss of life.

One of the ways to do this is - and must be - to dramatically reduce the number of migrants attempting to cross into the U.S. illegally and in violation of our laws, in the first instance.

To do this, we are increasing the number and presence of Border Patrol agents into and around this desert corridor. We are adding over 150 Border Patrol agents, including agents from the Border Patrol mobile tactical operations units, called BORTAC.

We are increasing the number of Border Patrol surveillance helicopters and the surveillance flight hours, as well as the number and hours of helicopters from the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (BICE) Air and Marine Interdiction Division.

We are adding interior checkpoints to screen northbound highways leading to Phoenix and Tucson.

We will be using the talents and skills of the Shadow Wolves on the Tohono O'odham Reservation. They are now part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

We will be screening our airports in Phoenix and elsewhere for illegal migrants.

There will be no point risking your life because you will be caught and removed back to where you came from.

We will be working with the U.S. Attorney's Office to see that there are consequences for smugglers who bring migrants across the desert.

For the would-be illegal migrants, death or removal is not much of a choice.

The U.S. Border Patrol will also step up its search and rescue capabilities to save as many illegal migrants as possible, by augmenting its Search, Trauma and Rescue Teams, called BORSTAR teams.

We are working collaboratively with the Government of Mexico to get the message out. It is not worth risking your life. With the Government of Mexico, we will be clamping down on the ruthless human smugglers, who take the migrant's money and who abandon migrants in the desert to die. Cooperatively, we will disrupt their activities through arrests and asset seizures.

We applaud the firm actions being taken by the Government of Mexico against major human smugglers, starting late last week.

This will save lives.