03/30/00 CALEXICO, CALIFORNIA - A group of people float amid piles of white industrial waste-caused foam in the New River, reputed to be the most polluted in the nation, in a night-time attempt to elude United States Border Patrol agents while crossing illegally into the US from Mexicali, Mexico through a gap in the US/Mexico international border fence (background) March 18, 2000 near Calexico, California. In addition to industrial waste, the river carries raw sewage, slaughterhouse remains, and agricultural runoff, including pesticides and fertilizers, from Mexico exposing the swimmers to cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, three types of polio, and risk of various types of cancer. Photo by David McNew Online USA
