Everyone here constantly talks of Sept. 11 -- the day U.S. officials closed the border gate. That entryway through the wall had allowed residents with legal papers, jobs or school in the United States to walk or drive across. Ayala's two children had a 10-minute commute to their school on the other side. Now it is locked and the closest legal entry point is in Tecate, 25 miles away. With bad roads and traffic backups, it can now take three hours to cross into the United States. Ayala had to send her two boys, 10 and 11, to live with their grandmother in Jacumba. "Everything changed September 11," she said.

One positive change has been a drop in migrant deaths. In 2000, 377 people died trying to cross the U.S.-Mexican border. In 2001, 336 migrants died. Ninety-nine deaths were reported between Oct. 1, 2001, and May 14, compared with 140 deaths in the same preceding period.

But summer is the deadliest time, when the desert temperature climbs beyond 130 degrees. One year ago today, 14 migrants died in the heat east of here, near Yuma, Ariz.

Ziglar, the commissioner, flew to several points along the border today to announce that the INS was installing six 30-foot-tall rescue beacons near the site of that tragedy. The beacons are equipped with strobe lights and rotating mirrors and visible five miles away. If a migrant in distress can make it to the beacon and push a button, a rescue helicopter will be dispatched. Ziglar also announced that more helicopters would be flying over the area and new boats would patrol irrigation waterways and canals in California where migrants have been drowning with alarming frequency.

Mexican officials announced Wednesday that they were building 10 rescue towers on this side of the border.        © 2002 The Washington Post Company