Free Republic

BISBEE — Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever offered ideas to a federal government subcommittee that was examining preparedness and coordination efforts of first responders along the country’s Southwest border on Tuesday in Washington. Dever was one of five people who gave oral and written testimony on the topic before the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security subcommittee on emergency communications, preparedness and response. The other individuals were Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez Jr. of Zapata County, Texas, and officials from the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the National Guard Bureau. The purpose of the hearing was to examine...

MEXICO CITY — Try to bring a refrigerator into Mexico in the back of your pickup, and you are almost certain to get stopped by Mexican customs officials. Stick a couple of AK-47 rifles in your trunk, and chances are you'll whiz right through. Now Mexico is owning up to its leaky border as it launches a new program to monitor vehicles entering the country. The goal is to weigh and photograph southbound cars and trucks, in hopes of snaring more gun smugglers. As the Obama administration promises a crackdown on the illegal U.S. weapons trade that supplies the drug...

DOUGLAS — This past weekend was a busy one for Border Patrol agents in Cochise County. And, much of the action involved the apprehension of a large number of illegal immigrants, to include individuals with ties to notorious street gangs. The apprehensions show “more people coming in (to the United States) to cause havoc,” said Border Patrol Tucson Sector spokesman Mario Escalante. In the first five months of the current federal fiscal year, more than 7,400 illegal immigrants taken into custody in the sector had criminal records, compared with more than 6,500 for the same period in the previous budget...

STUMP CANYON — A group of teenagers hiked out here on Saturday morning to collect trash left over from illegal immigrant traffic in the area. The teens were members of a U.S. Border Patrol program out of the Naco station that seeks to teach skills and offer basic training to teenagers who are interested in law enforcement. One day a week, the U.S. Border Patrol’s Naco Station Explorer Program teaches teenagers everything from proper handcuffing and arresting techniques to how to handle firearms and clear a building, said William Schaeck, Border Patrol agent and lead adviser of the program. “It’s...

Napolitano says it's a reaction to violence; governor, Giffords respond to the plans By Jonathon Shacat Herald/Review Published: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 2:15 AM MST BISBEE — Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano laid out plans during a press briefing Tuesday in Washington to help improve the security along the U.S.-Mexico border. The effort aims to provide assistance to the Mexican government to break up the cartels that are funneling illegal drugs into the U.S. and are committing violent acts in Mexico. Another goal is to guard against an increase in violence in the U.S. “We’ve seen some increase in violence...

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration plans to send reinforcements to the Southwest border to help contain the rampant violence of the Mexican drug cartel wars. Thirty-seven agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are being deployed to the region. An official familiar with the plan said the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency is considering reassignment of at least 90 officers to the border. The official requested anonymity because the plan has not yet been announced.

SIERRA VISTA — U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has called on two top federal officials to address a rise in “border violence and drug trafficking.” In letters to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Thursday, Giffords also invited the two Cabinet members or representatives of their departments to a closed-door summit on April 8 in Southern Arizona to discuss the border issues. “A comprehensive approach to addressing the crisis on our southern border is imperative and I stand committed to working with you to make the U.S.-Mexico relationship a top priority in the Obama administration,”...

PHOENIX — President-elect Barack Obama’s choice for homeland security chief blames budget problems and the difficulty coordinating agencies in Arizona, where she has been governor, for failing to complete key provisions of a detailed security plan for her own state. Gov. Janet Napolitano put together the plan six years ago to improve Arizona’s ability to respond to emergencies, detect and prevent terrorist attacks and secure Arizona’s border with Mexico. But some key provisions remain incomplete. Firefighters, paramedics and other first responders at disaster scenes still can’t always communicate by radio without calling in special equipment, and criminal records still aren’t...

HEREFORD — The founder of a new Web cast recorded in Cochise County that focuses on border and illegal immigration issues says the program is already popular among listeners and he is hopeful it will only get better. “On the Border with Al Garza,” which first aired July 14, is hosted by Garza, who is perhaps best known for his role as national executive director of the border watch group Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. Chuck Alton decided to start Cochise Talk due to the lack of local originated radio in Sierra Vista and Cochise County. Garza consented to be the...

Henry Joseph Dillon, Jr. April 4, 1955 – May 24, 2008 Henry Joseph “Hank” Dillon, Jr., 53, a 14-year resident of Sierra Vista, Ariz., passed away Saturday, May 24, 2008. He was born April 4, 1955, in Colorado Springs, Colo., to Henry Joseph Dillon Sr. and Christine (Eitzen) Dillon. Hank served his country in the U.S. Army, retiring April 30, 1998, after more than 20 years, with the rank of staff sergeant. He was employed for 10 years by ILEX at the time of his death. Hank is survived by his mother, Christine Dillon; daughter, Tamara Dillon; wife Yang Dillon;...

Top drug agent tells area residents, however, that violence is likely to "get worse." The Drug Enforcement Administration is doing its best to keep Mexican border violence from spilling over to the U.S. side, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jack Riley told the Las Cruces Sun-News in an interview. "We're very prepared for it and I can assure you, you won't see an increase in violence in Las Cruces. We're all over it," said Riley, who heads the DEA's El Paso sector, which includes New Mexico.

TUCSON — A jury was selected Tuesday to hear Border Patrol Agent Nicholas Corbett’s murder trial in U.S. District Court. Opening arguments and testimony are expected to start today. Corbett is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and negligent homicide for shooting a Mexican named Francisco Dominguez-Rivera who illegally entered the United States near Naco last year in January. Activists representing anti-illegal immigration groups, as well as humanitarian and civil rights groups, expressed their views in displays outside the courthouse throughout the day Tuesday. Meanwhile, inside a courtroom, Judge David Bury, prosecutors and defense attorneys spent most of the day selecting...

PHOENIX — The architect of Arizona's new employer sanctions law, which takes effect Tuesday, is crafting a series of new measures aimed at people who entered the U.S. illegally. Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, says he is introducing measures this legislative session to: ● Deny regular birth certificates to babies born in Arizona unless at least one parent proves citizenship. ● Expand the state crime of trespass to cover anyone in the U.S. without authorization. ● Require proof of legal presence in the U.S. to register a vehicle or get a title. ● Deny workers' compensation benefits to undocumented workers injured...

By Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services PHOENIX — Arizona’s new employer sanctions law will take effect as scheduled Jan. 1. On Friday, Judge Neil Wake rejected a request by business groups and others to bar the state from implementing the law while its constitutionality is litigated. And just hours later the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused an emergency request to second-guess Wake and keep the law from being enforced. Julie Pace, one of the lead attorneys representing those challenging the law said that leaves her clients without legal options until at least Jan. 16. That’s when Wake will...

BISBEE — It’s a long-standing concern of border-security proponents: Illegal immigration and smuggling cause significant environmental damage, says a report recently released by the Bureau of Land Management. The annual report for fiscal 2006 details efforts by the bureau and partner organizations to mitigate the impacts on lands in Southern Arizona. Deborah E. Stevens, public affairs specialist for the Bureau of Land Management, said the purpose of the report is to build public awareness and get attention to the issue. “Tremendous numbers of people and organizations are doing work. We kind of want to let people know what we are...

SIERRA VISTA — U.S. Border Patrol Agent Nicholas Corbett’s murder case is headed to federal court in Tucson. The move comes several days after he entered a not guilty plea in Cochise County Superior Court. On Aug. 23, Corbett’s attorney Sean C. Chapman of Tucson filed a notice of removal in the U.S. District Court of Arizona, the Herald/Review learned late Wednesday. Five days later, Chapman, 41, filed a similar notice with the Cochise County Superior Court where the case was last pending, according to Denise I. Lundin, the clerk of the Superior Court. “No further proceedings are anticipated in...

BISBEE — Border Patrol Agent Nicholas Corbett can be tried in Cochise County Superior Court on a charge of second-degree murder, a justice of the peace ruled Monday. However, after listening to testimony at a preliminary hearing, Justice of the Peace David Morales decided that the evidence did not support a more serious charge of first-degree murder, which supposes premeditation. On April 23, Cochise County Attorney Ed Rheinheimer charged Corbett with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, negligent homicide and manslaughter in connection with the Jan. 12 shooting death of Francisco Javier Dominguez-Rivera, a 22-year-old Mexican national who had crossed the border...

A new life on the border leads local woman to political activism PALOMINAS — Native Montanan Connie Foust was, admittedly, almost completely naïve about border issues when she first moved to Palominas in 2004. For example, during one trip to check on the home that she and husband Bill were building approximately five miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, Connie spotted a backpack left on the side of the road by an illegal immigrant. Connie Foust. To contact Connie, or subscribe to her newsletter "On the Border - Connie's Perspective" email her at: boogiegram2@msn.com. Photo by Jonathan Clark. Thinking that...

Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported record number of undocumented immigrants in 2006 CHICAGO — The question is taboo for local law enforcement in many cities: Are you a U.S. citizen? Chicago, Phoenix and other cities have declared themselves sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants, adopting ordinances that prohibit local police from asking residents about their immigration status during routine activities, such as traffic stops. But as the debate over immigration reform has heightened, so have federal efforts to capture and remove undocumented immigrants — even in sanctuary cities. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement removed a record 187,513 undocumented immigrants from the country...

Lansing — As the top Presidential contenders, Governor Mitt Romney and Senator Sam Brownback, addressed the state Republican Convention this past weekend, a large group within the Michigan Republican Party was working hard to promote the adoption of a much needed resolution on illegal immigration. The group worked tirelessly throughout Friday night into Saturday morning, and when they thought the resolution was going to be pushed aside, they took to the microphones on the convention floor. One after another they stated their case and support. A voice vote was called for and overwhelmingly the crowd of thousands responded. A second...