European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 4, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Crossing Quot Al Bordo Quot illegal immigrants search or a better life a agent Morris l Barrow watches the Border. By Michael White the associated press As the Light began to fade along the heavy steel Fence that separates the United states and Mexico Arturo Perez prepared for his weekly commute to work. By California standards it is hardly a commute at All a a Mere three Miles from Perez s ramshackle House in the Hills above Tijauna to the san Diego suburb of san Ysidro. But the final 500 Yards can be a killer. It is a wild sprint that takes him across the putrid Tijuana River and past pursuing Border patrol agents to the safety of a Kmart parking lot. There he typically hides under a car until the search is Over. Quot you have to run very fast and then hide Quot says Perez 36, a father of two who lives in san Ysidro during the week White working illegally As a landscaper in California. He has Little fear of Quot la Migra Quot the immigrants term for the Border patrol. Quot if they catch me i la just go Home and rest for a few hours and come Back again Quot he says wearily. The route Perez follows is Well worn. Each night near Tijuana s tourist District hundreds of immigrants from Mexico and Central and South America race across a wide shallow Ravine known Asel Bordo in a bid for a better life in the United states. They Cross in groups of 20 or More knowing that in the Rush out manned Border patrol agents will catch Only a few. On the night of Perez s crossing the immigrants ranged from clusters of ragged teen age males to a family of seven including three women dressed in heels and two Small children. They sat patiently on the mexican Side waiting for the right moment to Cross. On the opposite Side three Border patrol agents carrying Golf clubs nonchalantly placed rocks on the Edge of the Ravine and swatted them toward Mexico. The nightly drama has stirred anger among some on the California Side. Last fall hundreds of . Citizens protested the illegal Crossings by driving their cars to the Border at night and turning on their headlights. The periodic demonstrations died out after a few months but the organizers have continued their Campaign to at least slow illegal immigration. For Many immigrants the dream of a better life in California comes True. Miguel Perez who is not related to Arturo crossed the Border in 1983 after travelling from Al Salvador. He graduated last Spring As valedictorian of his class at California state University Dominguez Hills with a degree in psychology. In Al Salvador Miguel helped his Mother Cook and sell tamales living in fear of being drafted by either the army or leftist guerrillas. Now the 22-year-old is studying for a doctorate at Pennsylvania state University while fighting deportation by the immigration and naturalization service. But for Otto bus unable to find work and unable to Cope with the frenetic Pace of american society the journey North brings bitter disappointment. Mauro Vega 22, says he gave up a Job As an electrician in Mexico City to come North in search of wealth. After two months he still had t found steady work. Each morning Vega stands on a Corner of Pico Boulevard East of downtown los Angeles where construction foremen drive by in search of Day workers. He spends his nights at a nearby roman Catholic Church where parishioners feed unemployed immigrants and allow them to sleep on the Chapel floor. Quot my goals Are to have something better a better Job Quot he says in Spanish. Quot they told me i could find a better Job a better life but i found it Wasny to True. What i found is it s very difficult to find a Job. There is no Money. There is  Ricardo e. Hernandez 17, from Al Salvador practices English skills with teacher Veralee Bassler a school or courageous kids illegal mexican immigrants leap the Fence along the .-California Border near Tijuana immigrant wait at the Lavaa Tor an Omoor Tunita to Rush pest the Border patrol. By Michael White the associated press at the newcomer school on the Edge of downtown los Angeles Classwork is sometimes interrupted when immigrant children Are overwhelmed by terrifying memories of life and death in homelands Tom by civil War. In the past year some students have collapsed during class. Others convinced they were having a heart attack were taken to a Hospital. Quot its easy to pinpoint that those Are symptoms of anxiety attacks Post traumatic syndrome like War veterans experience Quot says teacher Maria Olmos. Quot the parents Are Busy trying to sustain the family working Long hours so attending to this anxiety at Home it s not a priority Quot she says. A paying the rent and buying food is no. 1.&Quot the emotional scars of War Are among the Many challenges teachers face at the school designed to help students who can t speak English prepare for mainstream classes. It is one of two such schools in the los Angeles unified school District where 63 percent of the systems 610,000 students Are hispanic and More than 30 percent speak Little or no English. Statewide More than 861,000 of the 4.6 million students in californians Public schools need special instruction because they have a limited knowledge of English. J from the farm towns of the san Joaquin Valley to Urban areas such As los Angeles and san Francisco schools have been swamped by thousands of children who accompanied their immigrant parents in search of a better life. A in los Angeles the need for bilingual teachers is so great that those qualified to teach in Spanish qualify for an annual Bonus of $5,000. The influx of foreign students Quot has placed a tremendous stress on school districts Quot says Bill Adorno assistant manager of bilingual education for the state department of education. Quot there is a dearth of training to prepare teachers Lor these student groups Quot he says. Language difficulties Street gang activity and the temptation to get a Job have produced a 29 percent dropout rate for hispanic students according to state department of education statistics for the 1989-90 school year. That is 9 percent higher than the state average and second Only to Blacks who leave High school at a rate of nearly 33 percent the newcomer school s 450 students Hail from 19 countries. About 80 percent Are from Mexico or Central american countries such Asel Salvador and Guatemala that have experienced years of civil War and political violence. Students attend the school for one academic year before moving on to a regular High school. The newcomer school s students have flourished despite the challenges they face says Olmos herself an immigrant who arrived with her family from Mexico at the age of 10. The school has an above average daily attendance rate of 90.5 percent and a majority of the academic achievement awards handed out at nearby Crenshaw High school last year went to newcomer alumni Olmos says. Quot they come with an appreciation of an education of free education a she says. Quot they come with big dreams and big Hopes of succeeding in this country. They re like the first americans and i believe they re the most  California losing its Luster by Robert Reinhold the new York times the enormous migration to California from Oiler slates which brought profound political and economic consequences Over the last decade appears to have slowed substantially demographers arid Geng Raphers at Labute the  largely to the recession which a Quot. Int California particularly hard leaving its of e Mhos Economy to bring up the rear of the National i  but they also cite Man ii in r factors including High housing costs air pollution or attic congestion cont mod on Page 16 Page 14 b the stars and stripes monday november 4, 1991 the stars and stripes b Page 15