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\t\t\t7<\/i><\/p>\n
A leaked audio recording<\/a> from a recent meeting of humanitarian aid nonprofits No More Deaths, Green Valley, and Tucson Samaritans revealed potential plans to use the entrapment of border patrol agents to get aid workers off charges in court.<\/p>\n The question was raised that if a volunteer and group of four were in the \u201cSamaritan\u201d vehicle and threatened with arrest and impounding the vehicle, was it possible for the driver to turn themselves into border patrol and arrange for the others to go on so the car wouldn\u2019t be impounded.<\/p>\n Disgraced immigration attorney Margo Cowan responded to the question, claiming the car would be returned without it costing money.<\/p>\n Cowan then began explaining how she would address a situation where \u201claw enforcement was acting without authority,\u201d as she called it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s better not to pick a fight,\u201d she advised. \u201cMy name is Margo Cowan. I\u2019ve been doing this for so many years. I know I have a right to do this, but if you believe you need to arrest me, then please do.\u201d<\/p>\n Ripples of laughter were heard from the other humanitarian aid workers on the leaked recording.<\/p>\n Cowan went on to advise the group of advocates to ask, \u201cWhy?\u201d why the authorities were arresting them? She described creating a record of the incident, even though being able to write something down was doubtful, so remembering everything said was vital. She claimed there were \u201cpuppeteers\u201d pulling the strings above the border agents in the desert.<\/p>\n While denoting aggression and anger were not beneficial, she emphasized being polite and engaging as possible \u201cand set a trap.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re setting a trap,\u201d Cowan said, \u201cbecause if we have to go into federal court and get an injunction against them, whoever is detained will be the key witness.\u201d<\/p>\n As for law enforcement acting without authority, Cowan\u2019s immigration law experience should steer her toward upholding the law rather than the alternative. Current U.S. immigration law states that Customs and Border Protection<\/span><\/a> and immigration officers\u2019 authority involves the detection, prevention, and apprehension of terrorists, undocumented individuals, and human smugglers at or near the land border by maintaining surveillance from a covert position, following up leads, responding to electronic sensor television systems, aircraft sightings, and interpreting and following tracks, marks and other physical evidence. Some of the major activities are traffic check, traffic observation, city patrol, transportation check, administrative, intelligence, and anti-smuggling activities.<\/p>\n According to current<\/span><\/a> law, encouraging or inducing<\/span><\/a> illegal immigrants into the U.S. is breaking the law. Current law indicates entering the U.S. at any place other than a Port of Entry makes you inadmissible<\/span><\/a>. Immigrants can claim asylum<\/span><\/a>, but the burden of proof of needing asylum is on the immigrant claiming asylum. Crime and economic hardship are not listed as valid reasons<\/span><\/a> for seeking asylum in the U.S.<\/p>\n Additionally, during a September interview with the Border Chronicle<\/span><\/a>, Cowan said her organization, Keep Tucson Together, organized research groups, \u201cscholars,\u201d she called them, to investigate the home country conditions of \u201casylum seekers\u201d to help them make their case and facilitate their stay in the U.S.<\/p>\n