[ilbegone]

"We talk about Arizona, Texas and the southern border...it's here. It's in our backyard," said Forks Mayor Bryon Monohon, about immigration enforcement efforts in his town. "It really is just an atmosphere of fear."

...According to the sheriff's office, Forest Service and Border Patrol, Salinas and a woman were returning from a day harvesting salal. They were stopped by a Forest Service officer, who then called the Border Patrol.

Forest Service spokeswoman Donna Nemeth said the officer suspected Salinas and the woman were harvesting salal illegally. When a Border Patrol officer arrived, Salinas ran and was chased.

"It's not uncommon to request translation (many of the immigrants are Spanish speakers) from the nearest available resource. And in this case it was the Border Patrol," said Nemeth.

Salinas was last seen jumping into the river...



...Benjamin Roldan Salinas, a forest worker in the country illegally, leapt into the frigid Sol Duc River to escape a pursuing U. S. Border Patrol Agent, disappearing into the fast-moving waters.

For more than three weeks, his family, friends and volunteers - including other illegal immigrants - scoured the dense forest along the swollen river's banks for any sign of him...



...a family friend spotted the 43-year-old Salinas' bloated, decomposing body entangled in roots downstream, according to the sheriff's report...



..."We did the best we could to try to come up with the individual," Border Patrol Spokesman Richard Sinks said. "It's not like we gave up on him and drove off with what we had. It's unfortunate and our heartfelt condolences go to his family and friends...

This is no one's fault but Salinas' own.

If he had not ran and jumped into the river, he might have been deported and alive somewhere in Latin America, or more likely released and still harvesting salal in Washington state.

But, he's dead as a consequence of his own decision.