Posted on 02/19/2011 8:41:16 AM PST by AuntB
MEXICO CITY - As his fellow officer was dying in the seat beside him after gunmen ambushed their vehicle this week, U.S. special agent Victor Avila, wounded himself, telephoned the U.S. Embassy here to shout that they were under attack.
Avila and Jaime Zapata were traveling in an armored Chevrolet Suburban with diplomatic license plates on a popular four-lane highway four hours north of Mexico City. They were returning from a meeting with fellow agents in Monterrey, who had met them at a halfway point near San Luis Potosi to exchange technical equipment.
According to U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of security protocols, Zapata and Avila were pursued by armed gunmen in civilian clothes riding in several vehicles.
The agents were forced to the side of the road and, when their passenger-side window briefly opened, the assailants fired several rounds into their vehicle, fatally shooting Zapata, who was driving, and wounding Avila in the leg.
The agents got the window closed again, and Avila called the security detail at the U.S. Embassy. The gunmen opened fire at the vehicle again but could not penetrate its bulletproof armor and glass. Investigators counted more than 80 shell casings near the SUV.
U.S. Embassy officials said neither Avila nor Zapata was armed and so did not return fire. The Mexican government forbids U.S. federal agents to carry weapons, exempting only officials involved in protective services.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Our people are target practice in Mexico!
Mexico should let US agents carry guns, lawmaker says - Fort Worth Star Telegram "An agreement from 1990 bars agents from carrying weapons in Mexico, which leaves them as "sitting targets," said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin."
http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/02/18/2860995/mexico-should-let-us-agents-carry.html#
US agent death sparks concern over Mexico strategy - AFP Killers Knew Men Were From U.S. - Wall Street Journal San Antonio Express - Christian Science Monitor
Travel warnings to Mexico!
[snip]A new U.S. government advisory urges a "heightened sense of alert" for Americans living or traveling in central Mexico - a destination for many North Texas residents - after drug cartel gunmen fatally shot a U.S. agent and wounded another there.
The agents were ambushed in San Luis Potosi state on Tuesday. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jaime Zapata later died of his wounds. Agent Victor Avila was wounded.
In North Texas, the second-largest population of immigrants is from San Luis Potosi, and many of them travel to their hometowns on federal Highway 57, where the attack on the agents took place.
About 300,000 natives of San Luis Potosi state live in Texas, many of them in North Texas, said Peggy Jaramillo, president of the group Your House San Luis Potosi in Texas, which provides immigrants with help and information.
Traditionally, about 60 percent of them return to their hometowns at some point each year, often at Christmas or in the summer, but that number has fallen by about half as concerns about security have grown, she said.
Jaramillo said she and other Mexicans are "definitely thinking twice before traveling not just to San Luis Potosi but anywhere in the country."
The route is also popular for Americans vacationing in the states of San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas and Guanajuato, with its popular community of San Miguel de Allende, a second home to thousands of Texans.
"For every American who does visit, there are 100 of their American friends who ask, 'Are you crazy?' " said Dan Scher, co-owner of Casa Puesta del Sol, a bed and breakfast in San Miguel popular with Americans and Mexicans. "We're grateful that we're getting more Mexican tourism because tourism from the U.S. is dead."
Scher and his wife, Gabriela, plan to offer discounts, a rarity, to lure tourists as spring break and Easter near.
"Get on a plane and fly, don't drive," he advised. "I wouldn't."
Whether the U.S. advisory affects Texas-Mexico commercial ties remains to be seen. One business security consultant said Friday that plans to move goods - everything from food to televisions, jeans and auto parts - would go ahead as planned.
"That highway, which is our NAFTA highway, has been dangerous for quite some time," a U.S. corporate security consultant said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "This incident only makes us that much more cautious."
http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/02/18/2860995/mexico-should-let-us-agents-carry.html#
Only problem is that all of the refugees will come here!
Seal the damn border. Throw back anything that comes across illegally. Let ‘em kill each other.
If we have to enter Mexico, make it a full-boat show of force.
It’s a war, and some of us know it...
FUBAR
Avila and Jaime Zapata were traveling in an armored Chevrolet Suburban with diplomatic license plates on a popular four-lane highway four hours north of Mexico City. They were returning from a meeting with fellow agents in Monterrey, who had met them at a halfway point near San Luis Potosi to exchange technical equipment.
I agree with you 100%
Those fellows were set up.
Any agent stupid enough to be in Mexico with out a gun needs to have their head examined. I would have quit my job before I let that happen.
If you’re in an armored vehicle travelling through Mexico, don’t open the window for unknowns, especially if they’re dressed as civilians and armed.
Guaranteed.
“FUBAR”
Exactly!
This is an interview from the other day about all this.
Cartels infiltrating US agencies
TJ Bonner, President of the National Border Council
RA: TJ, prior to tonight’s show we received contact from various members of the law enforcement community. For obvious reasons, I won’t say from whom or from what city or state. But I have been told that drug cartel members are infiltrating U.S. law enforcement ranks and that law enforcement professionals are nervous and concerned about their safety. Do you have any knowledge of this and is there anything you care to comment on?
TJ Bonner: (Pause). Sadly it’s true, Rick. There are a couple of documented instances where drug cartels’ members have been arrested after having been hired by U.S. law enforcement agencies. What we don’t know is how broad it is.
RA: Wait a minute. TJ, this is astounding. I fully expected you to say that you heard a rumor or two or that there is a lot of misinformation floating around out there. Instead, you are telling me in no uncertain terms that drug cartel members have, without question, infiltrated U.S. law enforcement agencies. The only question is, to what extent?
TJ Bonner: Yes, it’s the gospel truth, Rick. We only know who it is that we have arrested; again, what we don’t know is how broad it is. You assume if you have arrested a couple then it only stands to reason that there are more out there. It’s sad because when these guys go on a mission they expect their partner will have their back. They don’t know who they can trust or who it is that is behind them.
TJ Bonner
RA: During the Ramos-Compean saga, which occurred under the Bush administration, you once told that me that in your long-storied career as a Border Agent you never saw the morale lower among agents than it was (under President Bush). How does it compare today under the Obama adminsistation?
TJ Bonner: (Slight derisive chuckle). I guess you should be careful of what you wish for. Things have gotten worse. The morale among border patrol agents is worse now than even it was before. Obama wants to cut the pay of agents and also have them work overtime hours without getting paid for it. He wants them to work for free.
RA: What should the Obama administration response be to the ambush and assassination of agents Zapata and Avila?
TJ Bonner: We should pull all U.S. law enforcement agents out of Mexico immediately. It is a sham to say they are not allowed to carry weapons there in the name of diplomacy. Of course we should also track down the killers, but we know that won’t happen.
It is a war in Mexico. Consider this: Under 6,000 U.S. troops have been killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over 30,000 people have been killed in the drug war in Mexico. The drug cartels are running the country. The President of Mexico tried to take them on and he has learned they are too powerful. He can’t win.
RA: What response do you expect from the Obama administration?
TJ Bonner: The usual. Tough talk at first and then nothing. It doesn’t help that the Head of the Department of Homeland Security (Janet Napolitano) challenges the cartels by saying “bring it on.” The U.S. is not committed to winning the war, and drug cartels are. It’s too bad because we are the United States and we can defeat the drug cartels if we ever get serious about it.
You can hear my entire interview with TJ Bonner HERE.
Guaranteed.
Although the way this reads the reporter is saying that one of them was at fault for his own wounds:
"As his fellow officer was dying in the seat beside him after gunmen ambushed their vehicle this week, U.S. special agent Victor Avila, wounded himself, telephoned the U.S. Embassy here to shout that they were under attack."
It should be "himself wounded."
“Those fellows were set up.”
Yep...we’re ALL being ‘set up’.
Exactly. No weapons = Not going.
Sounds like these agents may have known one or more of the assailants...or at least been familiar with people similar....possibly the assailants were acting as Federales or the equivalent?
Its time to seal the border, deport all illegals, and end NAFTA. Mexico is nothing more than a latrine-pit....and the US cannot afford dealing with Mexico in the present manner
Isn't the murder of US Diplomats in Mexico,
an act of war
on the United States by Mexico ?
“Its time to seal the border, deport all illegals, and end NAFTA. Mexico is nothing more than a latrine-pit....and the US cannot afford dealing with Mexico in the present manner”
This guy seems to have the right idea.
http://www.allenwestforcongress.com/issues
Illegal Immigration:
The Constitution of the United States of America has these three mandates; ensure domestic tranquility, promote the general welfare, and provide for the common defense. All three of these directives relate to the issue of illegal immigration, as illegal immigration adversely affects our economy, jobs, national security, crime levels, education, and healthcare. Illegal immigration also allows human traffickers, drug runners, and Islamic terrorists to exploiting our porous border.
Quite simply, federal laws already on the books aimed at stopping the flow of illegal immigration must be enforced. Furthermore, states must be given the resources necessary to confront the problem, which includes strengthening the border patrol. When dealing with illegal immigration, the answer is simple; enforce Constitutional mandates, and you will protect Floridians and the American people.
Isn’t the murder of US Diplomats in Mexico,
an act of war
on the United States by Mexico ?
YES It Is!
However....with liberals in both parties supporting Illegal Aliens, and Free Trade Communists supporting NAFTA....you can bet there will be no response to this shooting.
Until we secure the borders, deport all illegal aliens, and end NAFTA...we will never be safe from Mexico
Allen West is truly a great American, and understands the issues with Mexico
” Isn’t the murder of US Diplomats in Mexico,
an act of war
on the United States by Mexico ?”
Any other time, any other place than Mexico, it would be. This isn’t the first...2 recently murdered from the embassy down there, ranchers murdered now and then, incursions by Mexican military, and on and on, year after year. When Mexico is held to a civilized standard instead of pushing ALL their problems onto us, things might change.
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