Mexican Immigrants Face Harsh Desert Conditions

SASABE, Mexico – Near Sasabe, a Mexican town bordering the Arizona desert, hundreds of people attempt to gain illegal entry into the United States every day.

Many of the hopeful immigrants have paid smugglers thousands of dollars to be dropped off at what's considered the launching pad of illegal immigration.

Those dropped off near the border say they and thousands others chose Sasabe (search) to make their dash into America because the word on the street in Mexico is that their best chance to make it starts at that point. And Mexican authorities seem to do little to stop the practice.

"Right now, Sasabe is one of the most dangerous areas not only for our officers to operate but for people to cross also illegally into this country for obvious reasons," said David Aguilar (search), the chief U.S. border patrol agent in that area. "It is a desert area. It causes a lot of deaths out there because of the dehydration that goes on."

According to Sasabe locals, smugglers and even some Mexican officials tell the migrants that one bottle of water is all you need and that the trip is short. But it's actually a 60-mile upward walk through the desert to get anywhere from the remote town of Sasabe.

Click here to watch a report by Fox News Channel's Adam Housley.