People Smugglers Inc.

STEVE LISS FOR TIME
Illegal migrants try to traverse the Rio Grande into Texas

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Arrests of U.S.-Mexico border smugglers are up some 40% this year, but prosecutors concede they are still looking for the big bosses. With this in mind, U.S. and Mexican officials have begun applying anti-racketeering laws to coyotes, and the Mexican Congress is expected to pass more draconian laws this year against people smuggling. In a sign that the courts may be getting tougher, a U.S. federal judge recently sentenced convicted coyote kingpin Ruben Patrick Valdes to an unprecedented 27 years in prison.

U.S. legislators like McCain and Flake hope to see their guest-worker bills pass Congress and, this fall, win President Bush's approval. But the grim reality of the smuggling business is that some migrants won't survive that long. Summer, the deadliest season for border crossings, isn't over yet.