Posted on 05/16/2008 7:26:49 AM PDT by SJackson
(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. State Department has issued an alert, warning travelers that the "equivalent to military small-unit combat" is taking place across the southern U.S. border in Mexico and that Americans are being kidnapped and murdered there.
"Recent Mexican army and police force conflicts with heavily-armed narcotics cartels have escalated to levels equivalent to military small-unit combat and have included use of machine guns and fragmentation grenades," said the State Department alert.
"Confrontations have taken place in numerous towns and cities in northern Mexico, including Tijuana in the Mexican state of Baja California, and Chihuahua City and Ciudad Juarez in the state of Chihuahua," reads the alert. "The situation in northern Mexico remains very fluid; the location and timing of future armed engagements there cannot be predicted."
The State Department particularly urged that Americans be wary when traveling in that part of Mexico closest to the United States. "U.S. citizens are urged to be especially alert to safety and security concerns when visiting the border region," said the alert.
Murder and kidnapping of Americans has become routine in Tijuana, which sits just across the border from San Diego, California, according to the State Department, and sometimes heavily armed attackers wear the uniforms of the Mexican police or military.
"Dozens of U.S. citizens were kidnapped and/or murdered in Tijuana in 2007," says the alert. "Public shootouts have occurred during daylight hours near shopping areas. Criminals are armed with a wide array of sophisticated weapons. In some cases, assailants have worn full or partial police or military uniforms and have used vehicles that resemble police vehicles."
The alert also warns Americans to avoid areas where drugs and prostitution are evident and to "refrain from displaying expensive-looking jewelry, large amounts of money and other valuable items."
In light of this alert, which was first issued on Apr. 14, and was listed as "current as of today, Thursday May 15 17:51:35 2008" on State's Web site on Wednesday, Cybercast News Service submitted a number of questions to the State Department via e-mail, and received non-responsive answers the next day. Cybercast News Service's questions were as follows:
-- "The alert says 'attacks are aimed primarily at members of drug trafficking organizations, Mexican police forces, criminal justice officials and journalists.' Can you provide more details about who has been attacked and the result of those attacks, including injuries, fatalities and legal ramifications?
-- "The alert says violence has 'escalated to levels equivalent to military small-unit combat and have included use of machine guns and fragmentation grenades.' Can you provide more information, including the number of incidents involving these kinds of weapons and the number of weapons confiscated?
-- "The alert says that violence not related to drug trafficking has increased in Tijuana and Ciudad Jarez, with 'dozens of U.S. citizens ... kidnapped and/or murdered in Tijuana in 2007.' How many people were kidnapped or murdered and how do those numbers compare with the numbers in prior years?"
-- "The alert recommends that Americans avoid areas where prostitution and drug dealing occurs. Where are those areas?"
-- "How many incidents in 2007 and other years are recorded that show U.S. citizens being followed or harassed in the border areas, including Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros and Tijuana?"
-- "How many kidnapping cases of U.S. citizens remain unsolved?"
-- "What actions is the state department taking to reduce the violence on the border?"
The State Department's written answer to those questions is as follows:
"The State Department's Office of American Citizens Services and Crisis Management (ACS) administers the Consular Information Program, which informs the public of conditions abroad that may affect their safety and security.
"Travel Alerts are issued to disseminate information about short-term conditions, generally within a particular country, that pose imminent risks to the security of U.S. citizens. Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, coups, anniversaries of terrorist events, election-related demonstrations or violence, and high-profile events such as international conferences or regional sports events are examples of conditions that might generate a Travel Alert.
"The travel alert is a collaborative effort based on media reports and other information released within a particular country. It is provided so that American travellers (sic) can make an informed decision about their plans to visit a particular location at a particular time.
"For various reasons, American citizens often choose not to report their involvement in activities while abroad.
"Your best source for detailed statistics and information about specific locations would be from sources within Mexico."
Paging General Black Jack Pershing and Lt. George Patton.
Forget a border fence — we need to plant 1,00 miles of landmines.
WTF - warnings hell, post a couple of predators and when they cross the border, bam.
Wait a minute...I thought Juan McCain said that the immigration problem was under control now.
NM Ping. If you want off this list or on let me know
He got his ass handed to him and he fled back over the border.
Pershing and patton spent eleven months hunting Villa in Mexico after that.
They never found him.
During that time Patton killed one of Villa's lieutenants and another one of his lieutenants was killed in a skirmish.
The US expeditionary force fought two engagements with the Mexican Army, losing one and drawing the other. This was because the carranza government of Mexico who were fighting Villa did not like US troops within their borders because they believed it won more popular support for Villa.
Pershing withdrew his forces and fortified the US border to prevent further raids.
Pershing told reporters that his mission was a failure.
Are you saying that Pershing and Patton were in the habit of lying to their superiors?
Really?
Our very own Gaza-on-the-Rio Grande. Maybe we should send Condi Rice to start a “roadmap to peace” there?
?sarc?
You can include the little border town of Palomas, Mexico on the list.
http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_9228865?source=most_emailed
Your clear implication is that Ramos and Campeon lied to their superiors.
What did they say to their superiors that was a lie, and what would the truth have been?
The border is such a cluster at this point, it needs to be job one. In the truest sense of the word, it is a major national security problem and criminal security problem to the common citizen.
I expect we will see people fleeing the violence and refugee camps. The Mexican police are major targets (many of those killed are LEOs) and right now they are much more concerned with staying alive than protecting the citizens, they are literally fleeing to the US for protection:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080515/NATION/11974982/1002
They deliberately concealed evidence from their superiors by not filing an incident report.
and what would the truth have been?
Filing an accurate report.
The way I heard it, they told their supervisors what happened on the scene, in person, immediately after the incident.
At worst, they committed an administrative paperwork violation.
Palomas is pretty horrible right now but not much worse than it has been for years, they are just reporting on it now. In 1985 we had a guy who worked for us (legally) but lived in Palomas, there were murders every weekend.
It has always been an unsavory town, the rumor was that the “muy rico” family got it’s money by rolling and murdering tourists and that was in the ‘50s. Their son was being targeted by the Mexican Mafia so he came across the border with drugs and made it obvious so that Customs caught him, he pled guilty, went to prison, got a college degree. The heat was off when he got out and he became mayor.
So you would have no problem, then, if your local police were exempted from having to fill out any incident reports detailing their activity?
A recordless honor system?
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