Derbez: We will stop executions of 54 Mexican citizens

www.el-universal.com.mx ^ | December 13, 2003 | IOAN GRILLO

[VU4G10]

Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez said Friday he was confident Mexico will win an International Court of Justice battle to cancel the executions of 54 Mexican citizens on death row in the United States.

The government has claimed it is illegal to kill the prisoners because they were refused their right to legal assistance from the Mexican consulate. The United States argues that granting Mexico's request to cancel the executions would violate U.S. sovereignty.

"This is a very important case for Mexico, and we will not fail. Not one Mexican who has been denied his consular rights (in the United States) will be executed," Derbez said during a news conference.

The International Court of Justice, the United Nation's highest legal authority, will hear arguments from lawyers representing both countries next week. The Hague, Netherlands,-based body, also known as the world court, has no power to enforce its decisions. The United States has disregarded them in the past.

In 2001, German citizen Walter LaGrand was executed in Arizona, despite the court's order to postpone his punishment until it had heard Germany's case that he had been denied his right to consular assistance.

Representing the U.S. government in next week's hearings are 16 State Department lawyers headed by William Taft IV, greatgrandson of U.S. president William Taft. Mexican newspapers have dubbed the U.S. lawyers the "Dream Team" and emphasized they outnumber Mexico's team of five attorneys by more than three to one.

But Derbez said the difference in numbers will not affect the outcome of the case.

"It is not the quantity but the quality of the lawyers that counts," he said. "And we have right on our side." In February, the world court ruled that the United States must stay the executions of three Mexican citizens on death row in Texas and Oklahoma. Of the 54 Mexicans on death row in the United States, the three were the only ones scheduled to be executed before a decision could be made in the case.

[Chapita]

Of the 54, how many do you reckon are "illegals">

[thoughtomator]

Screw Mexico. Until they make a serious effort to end our border problem, they cannot be seriously considered a friendly nation. We are being invaded by Mexican citizens with the assistance of the Mexican government, and it's long past time they were held to account for this breach of US sovereignty.

[RushingWater]

Anybody saw the FBI crime file special last night would be glad Texas put away that one guy . . . Hey if you kill in the US you have to play by our rules.

[Doug Loss]

The Hague, Netherlands,-based body, also known as the world court, has no power to enforce its decisions. The United States has disregarded them in the past.

And why would anyone think this time will be different?

[rellimpank]

--depends on whether George displays the backbone as President that he did as Governor--I'd bet against it, judging by his performance on spending, Taiwan, etc.--

[txzman]

This guy does not understand Texas very well. We are moving to have more crimes listed, not less.

[07055]

They claim the right to dump millions of their people in our country---and deny us the right to treat those people exactly the same as we treat our own when they commit murders. We need to tell them to go stick it---its a waste of 16 lawyers to send them down there.

[RonF]

If I recall correctly, the reason why at least one of these guys didn't get Mexican consular assistance is because he never identified himself as a Mexican citizen until after the trial.

[stylin19a]

I was thinking the same thing.....but why even show up ?

[DumpsterDiver]

Derbez, how about you keeping your citizens in Mexico?

2 shootings by Border Patrol in self defense
By Patti Lewis
NogalesInternational.com
Thursday, December 11, 2003

United States Border Patrol agents opened fire on suspected illegal border crossers in two separate incidents last week. A non-uniformed agent conducting site surveillance Dec. 3 in the San Rafael Valley east of Patagonia was attacked by three apparent border crossers wielding rocks, said Susan Herskovits, FBI spokesperson. The agent was working alone at the time. He felt that his life was threatened by the attack, and fired his weapon at the group. He shot at the men multiple times, and they fled.

Agents were unable to find any sign of blood in the area, indicating that none of the agent's assailants were injured. The agent received minor injuries from the assault, none requiring medical treatment, Herskovits said.

The second incident occurred on Dec. 6 when agents attempted to stop a truck full of suspected undocumented immigrants on Arivaca Road. The truck's driver veered toward the agents, and they opened fire, shooting several times at the truck.

"The Border Patrol agents feared for their lives," Herskovits said. All of the truck's passengers fled when the truck came to a stop in an embankment. Two men were apprehended; one was uninjured, and the other had an injury, consistent with a gun shot wound, in his hand. Agents detained the two suspected illegal immigrants. The injured man received medical treatment, Herskovits said.

The case was forwarded to the United States Attorney's Office in Tucson, who declined to prosecute. It would have been difficult to prove who was driving the truck, Herskovits explained.

However, both men are facing deportation. Assaults on Border Patrol agents have become a common occurrence, said Charles Griffin, agency spokesman. Agents have been attacked with bottles, firearms, rocks and fists, he said.

Incidents referred to as "rockings" can easily claim an agent's life. "These aren't little pebbles," Griffin said. To illustrate the point, Griffin related the story of a Douglas agent who was attacked by a man wielding a brick about three years ago. The agent was struck in the neck by a large brick-shaped object, severing major arteries.

Fortunately, he was able to set off his emergency alarm before losing consciousness. He was rescued by a Border Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) agent who happened to be nearby, Griffin said. The rocking victim required from 70 to 100 stitches.

Griffin said that drug smugglers and coyotes, smugglers of illegal immigrants, are most threatening to agents. However, illegal border crossers have been goaded by coyotes into acts of violence against agents.

[DustyMoment]

The bottom line is that the International Court of Justice has no jurisdiction in the US.

End of story.

[Malcolm]

Plz, for the nth time, put up a fence on the border, and a border patrol that can keep illegals from crossing or tunneling under the border. The Dems held up this obvious solution for decades, knowing that illegals would vote for them, not the Republicans. At this point, who cares what Mexico thinks? Let's do the right thing, (gawd, I hate to quote Spike Lee), and put up a real fence down there.....

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

I have conditioned myself that Bush will cave.

[squidly]

So why don't we go ahead and kill 'em and see what the International Court does about it?

[not_apathetic_anymore]

I have kind of a hard time with this issue. One one hand I think if you're in this country (legally or illegally) and violate our laws, then you're sujbect to our punishments.

But then why doesn't that hold for other countries too?

How do I resolve that with other countries soverignity? For instance there was (and I thought it appropriate) a big issue over two young American women who were tried, convicted and sentenced to death(?) in a Sharia court (Was it afghanistan or Iraq???) for bearing Christian witness. The US was all bent out of shape over that country enforcing it's laws.

I'd love to hear how others are able to reconcile this.

[Spell Correctly]

Subject

[SauronOfMordor]

The US would do better to just mail a letter saying "We do not recognise your jurisdiction" and otherwise ignore them

[not_apathetic_anymore]

You're kind to have only pointed out only one of several typos:) In addition there is "one one" instead of "on one" and "sovereignty".

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

"Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez said Friday he was confident Mexico will win an International Court of Justice battle to cancel the executions of 54 Mexican citizens on death row in the United States."

Whose $@% &*+% country is the US anyway?

I am getting so damned tired of the tin horn Mexican Mafia from Mexico City dictating our way life here in what used to be a sovereign country I could puke.

What in the hell does the Mexicans have on the politicians here in Mexirica. When will we ever get the gumption to tell our Pols, enough by God is enough. It is like the smothering undulation of illegal immigration from the south is a run away train that is unstoppable.

I see and feel the filthy hand of the UNinista one worlders in this. It is my thoughts that Americans are being used as the greatest social experiment ever undertaken in history. The accumulation of the great experiment will be the complete destruction of, a country, a people, and their ideals.