Nine illegal immigrants were rescued and taken into custody over the weekend after they tried to hike over the Continental Divide and then fled into 6- foot-deep snow and dense forest when authorities confronted them.
Members of the group first attracted attention, authorities said, as they hiked up eastbound Interstate 70 on the western side of the Eisenhower Tunnel about 3:45 p.m. Saturday. The weather was clear but cold, probably in the high teens or low 20s. Those in the group – six men and three women, four of them teenagers not accompanied by their parents – were wearing only light shirts and bluejeans.
All nine were from the Chiapas region in southern Mexico and had come to the U.S. in search of jobs, authorities said. They pooled their money and bought an old Chevrolet Suburban, which broke down about 3 miles west of the tunnel.
They decided to walk.
When they reached the tunnel, State Patrol Trooper Justin Mullins said, they tried to walk through, which is prohibited. Told they couldn’t do that, they indicated they might instead walk over the top of the tunnel, said John Wilson, the tunnel supervisor Saturday.
“And I said: ‘Well, let’s tell them they shouldn’t do that. The snow’s probably 10 feet deep up there.”‘
As more authorities arrived, the group scattered down a steep, snowy slope, officials said. By that time, the temperature was dipping into single digits.
Every time Mullins tried to approach members of the group to help, he said, they ran back down the slope. Finally, he called for help from Summit County Search and Rescue, telling its members not to bring official-looking cars or wear official-looking clothing.
“I told them: ‘Look, we have young kids up here. They’re afraid of anyone in uniform.”‘
While waiting for search and rescue, Mullins said, three immigrants came up to his patrol car.
“They sat in my patrol car with full heater going for 10-15 minutes, just shivering, shivering,” he said.
Soon, two search and rescue members waded into the snow, and, as quickly as the strange game of cat-and-mouse began, it ended. The rest of the group came out of the woods.
All were checked out by medical personnel and were OK. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials took them into custody. The four teens will be placed temporarily in social services custody, said ICE spokesman Carl Rusnok. The five adults will be deported, he said.
“It’s a sad story, but I feel good that I was able to help these individuals,” Mullins said. “… They were stranded motorists, as far as I was concerned.”
Staff writer John Ingold can be reached at 720-929-0898 or jingold@denverpost.com.
