Posted on 01/24/2006 1:14:08 PM PST by Man50D
Texas law enforcement officers and Border Patrol agents engaged in an armed standoff with Mexican military personnel and drug smugglers just inside the United States along the Rio Grande yesterday afternoon.
According to a report in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin of Ontario, Calif., both Texas law enforcement and the FBI stated nearly 30 American agents were part of the incident. Chief Deputy Mike Doyal of the Hudspeth County Sheriff's Department told the paper Mexican military Humvees were towing what appeared to be thousands of pounds of marijuana across the border into the United States.
Border Patrol agents called for backup after seeing that Mexican Army troops had several mounted machine guns on the ground more than 200 yards inside the U.S. border – near Neely's Crossing, about 50 miles east of El Paso.
Doyal said Hudspeth County deputies and Texas Highway patrol officers arrived shortly afterward.
"It's been so bred into everyone not to start an international incident with Mexico that it's been going on for years," Doyal told the Bulletin. "When you're up against mounted machine guns, what can you do? Who wants to pull the trigger first? Certainly not us."
Andrea Simmons, a spokeswoman with the FBI's El Paso office, confirmed the incident, saying, "Bad guys in three vehicles ended up on the border. People with Humvees, who appeared to be with the Mexican army, were involved with the three vehicles in getting them back across."
A Cadillac Escalade reportedly stolen from El Paso was captured, and U.S. officers found 1,477 pounds of marijuana inside.
The Mexican soldiers set fire to one of the Humvees stuck in the river, Doyal indicated.
Doyal emphasized Border Patrol agents and county deputies are not equipped for battle with military personnel.
"Our government has to do something," he told the Bulletin. "It's not the immigrants coming over for jobs we're worried about. It's the smugglers, Mexican military and the national threat to our borders that we're worried about."
Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security reported 216 incursions by Mexican soldiers during the past 10 years.
I saw this earlier today.
How many will have to die before Bush does anything about an armed invasion? One or two deaths will be effectively ignored if possible.
Where one step away from militarizing our border with Mexico.
Seemed like an armed bunch of Texans threw the Mexican Army a beating the last time they crossed into Texas...we might just see a sequel to that.
A big wall, with unmanned automatic MG turrets that shoot and kill anything bigger than a Taco Bell chihuahua setting foot on this side of the river. I'm sure someone can come up with that if given a few billion dollars.
I sure look forward to this being cover in the Media. Sure. Fat chance.
Where= We're..oooppps
No we need manned placements the Rio Grande is a tourist spot and a lot of rafting goes on.
I prefer a fence patrolled by M1A1 and aircraft.
General Pershing : white courtesty phone please.
Build the wall.
Those Highway Patrol officers better come equipped with anti-tank weapons and a couple of mini-guns. Otherwise we are outgunned. Best to put the National Guard on the border.
I shouldn't be, but I am shocked by the degree of corruption down there.
The Mexican soldiers have .50 cals. They're the ones with options until we militarize the border.
send in a pair of A-10's.
On my command, unleash hell.
And carrying those close to our border, or across it, will make that a reality. Therefore, they must think of their options.
Maybe we should start broadcasting on mexican tv highlights of bomb drops from the Iraq war...
Of course, why would they respect us or our laws, it's not like we will actually do anything about it...
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