Posted on 01/04/2006 12:54:14 PM PST by radar101
MEXICO CITY – A Mexican teen allegedly shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent had been detained in the United States 11 times for people smuggling, a Border Patrol spokesman said Wednesday. The shooting of Guillermo Martinez has intensified an already white-hot international debate about illegal immigration, and prompted Mexico to open a criminal investigation and send a diplomatic note to Washington.
Opposition lawmakers have accused President Vicente Fox's government of not expressing sufficient outrage, however, and have vowed to consider a nonbinding resolution branding the 18-year-old an innocent victim and demanding that his shooting be punished.
But Raul Martinez, a spokesman for the U.S. Border Patrol in San Diego who is not related to Guillermo Martinez, said in a telephone interview that the shooting victim was "a known people smuggler who had been detained 11 times prior."
Martinez said the victim's brother also has faced similar charges.
Asked if a prior criminal record could undermine Guillermo Martinez's status as an innocent victim, the spokesman replied, "I can't make the exact connection until the entire investigation is complete."
"I see some of the quotes from the (Mexican) consulate and I think a lot of it is premature because the investigation has yet to be completed," he said.
Mexico's consul in San Diego, Luis Cabrera, has said his country is consulting lawyers to see "if there is a basis for taking legal action" in the case, an apparent reference to a possible wrongful death lawsuit by the victim's relatives. The Mexican government has helped bring similar suits in the past.
Guillermo Martinez died Saturday in a Tijuana hospital, a day after Mexican authorities say he was shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent on the American side of a wall separating that city from San Diego.
At least two other Mexicans were with him at the time of his death, one of whom may have been his brother, Mexican investigators say.
The Border Patrol says an agent fired one round in self-defense, after an unidentified man threw a large rock. Whether the shot hit anything was unclear, however, because the man fled back into Mexico.
Authorities have refused to release the agent's name, citing an ongoing investigation into the case.
On Tuesday, Mexico sent a diplomatic note to U.S. authorities demanding an investigation, while the country's Attorney General's Office took the unusual step of opening its own probe.
Police in San Diego, as well as the U.S. Border Patrol, and the Homeland Security Department are investigating, but do not expect any major results for two weeks, Ruben Aguilar, Fox's chief spokesman, said Wednesday.
At his briefing with reporters, Aguilar called the shooting, "the very grave and absolutely lamentable phenomenon of the killing of a co-national, which we cannot allow to occur."
Fox's government has for years vowed to defend what it calls "co-nationals," or Mexicans who head to the United States either legally or otherwise in search of higher-paying jobs.
When asked about accusations Martinez was a people smuggler who may have helped groups of illegal migrants slip into U.S. territory, Aguilar said Mexican authorities "would have to wait for the results of investigations" before commenting.
Amid accusations that the diplomatic note did not go far enough to condemn the killing, Aguilar said, "In the diplomatic world it's the strongest complaint that you can make."
Mexican officials have grown increasingly vocal in their opposition to a U.S. House bill passed Dec. 16 that would tighten border enforcement and extend border walls. Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez branded the measure, which still must be considered by the Senate, as stupid and underhanded.
The Border Patrol, meanwhile, says attacks on agents at the border have increased significantly over the past year.
Co-Nationals=Work there, send your money here, live off their Social Services, pay no taxes.
One down, 15 million to go...
Visas!? We don need no steekin visas!
Sure hope the officer does not get caught up in some PC BS.
Just when I think I've heard 'em all, another Mexican official opens his mouth.
At his briefing with reporters, Aguilar called the shooting, "the very grave and absolutely lamentable phenomenon of the killing of a co-national, which we cannot allow to occur."
Fox's government has for years vowed to defend what it calls "co-nationals," or Mexicans who head to the United States either legally or otherwise in search of higher-paying jobs.
co-national ping
After we hit Iran, Mexico is next.
LOL
Rock = Assault with a deadly weapon. Deadly force is completely justified here. One thing to note: You never hear Fox express any outrage when border agents in the US are assaulted, or shot or KILLED. Way to bemoan a coyote Vincente. You don;t know it yet, but your Mother F#$&ing free ride is about to end in 06. BITCH.
"co-nationals"? isn't that the new DC baseball team?
or was that the co-habitators?
or co-conspirators?
I hope the CIA feeds Vincente Fox a poisoned burrito.
ping
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Support our Minutemen Patriots!
Be Ever Vigilant ~ Bump!
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Support our Minutemen Patriots!
Be Ever Vigilant ~ Bump!
I'm just about ready to agree with you. The fence is starting to look like it's not enough. The way things are heading, we may very well need to lay down some 12th century style law in Mexico. The Mexican government is not serving the interests of its citizens, and I certainly hope the people of Mexico wake up to that fact before US tanks are rolling down the streets of Mexico City.
A co-national! You've got to be kidding! The arrogance of the Mexican government has just exceeded all previous levels.
THEY'RE NOT MIGRANTS!!!!
Clear your flank before you advance.
Hit Mexico first.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.