Posted on 01/29/2006 6:53:25 AM PST by SwinneySwitch
Expect more violence as officers move into more areas along the border, said the national chief of CBP Border Patrol during a Saturday visit to Laredo.
Chief David Aguilar visited Laredo to address concerns raised by recent instances of violence against Border Patrol agents. He said assaults on agents in the Laredo sector are occurring at a record pace.
As more agents get assigned to the border, the Border Patrol is taking control of areas that have been historically used by criminal gangs who are reluctant to give them up, Aguilar said.
Danger to agents will continue to increase until those areas are secure, he said.
Border Patrol and other law enforcement encountered smugglers with military-style equipment Monday in Hudspeth County. Later in the week, customs officials discovered 2 tons of marijuana inside a tunnel running from a warehouse in Tijuana to one in San Diego.
Mexican and U.S. officials at the highest levels of government are dealing with the Hudspeth incident, Aguilar said.
In Laredo, the Border Patrol reported shootings across the river on Sunday and Thursday, but the agents involved were not certain if they were being shot at.
Last weeks incidents are still under investigation, but information will be forthcoming, Border Patrol officials said.
Aguilar said there were at least two assaults on agents in Laredo last week, and there have been 10 since the beginning of the fiscal year in October.
The Laredo sector saw only six assaults in all of fiscal year 2004, and there were 19 assaults in fiscal year 2005, he said.
It is thanks to Border Patrol and other local law enforcement that Laredo is still a safe place compared to Nuevo Laredo, Aguilar said.
"I want to clarify this because I think Laredo has gotten a black eye," he said.
But the trend of attacks on Border Patrol agents is happening across the entire border, he said.
"Violence is part of our everyday life," Aguilar said. "It is still unacceptable."
In the western region of the border, new terms are emerging for types of assault that agents havent seen before, such as "flaming rocks," Aguilar said. Flaming rocks are stones covered with burning cloth hurled at agents.
The violence can even be seen as a measure of success, Aguilar said, because it shows the Border Patrol is moving into more areas controlled by gangs.
Eventually, the gangs will give up when the areas have adequate officer resources, but until then it will be dangerous for law enforcement, Aguilar said.
When agents are faced with shooting at the border, they might shoot back if necessary, Aguilar said. There have been no changes in the agencys lethal force procedures.
"The safety of our officers is paramount," Aguilar said.
He noted that in one of the weeks assaults in Laredo, agents never fired a shot.
Although smugglers are using heavy military equipment, it should never get to the point where the Border Patrol has to take on similar equipment, Aguilar said.
"We know whats coming at us," he said.
The incident in Hudspeth County occurred at a well-known crossing point, Aguilar said.
He said Friday that he was unsure if the suspected smugglers were Mexican soldiers, as the Hudspeth County sheriff had claimed.
Regardless of how they were dressed, the men are criminals who wont be tolerated, Aguilar said.
Despite the danger, the Border Patrol nets huge amounts of drugs each year and makes many arrests, he said.
"Absolutely we are in much better shape than prior to Sept. 11," Aguilar said.
(Clay Reddick may be reached at 728-2582 or clay@lmtonline.com.)
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Support our Minutemen Patriots!
Be Ever Vigilant ~ Bump!
Hispanics, both legal and illegal, are growing at rates due both to birth and further illegal immigration,
You clump legal aliens in with illegal aliens. What's interesting is the fact that you didn't mention any other country who has illegal aliens in the US. Sounds to me like you have a problem with all spanish folks. I am against illegal immigration. Deport them all, build a wall. But, keep the legals (from any country of origin) out of it.
Hmmmm...gee, I figured 300 years in Texas was enough to make my family "traditional Americans", but you appear to have a problem with Hispanics in general. So sorry for reproducing.
It will likely continue. This is the same Aquilar who staged a show of force for reporters and politicians on a disgruntled ranchers land. For that he should have been fired. Instead he was promoted.
Although smugglers are using heavy military equipment, it should never get to the point where the Border Patrol has to take on similar equipment, Aguilar said.
"We know whats coming at us," he said.
The only order that makes sense to me in a situation like that is "DUCK!!!
And/or a $100 bounty per wetback scalp.
As soon as the bounty is in force, we get to go hunting!
(sharpening scalping knife).
The cordon sanitare we operated within along the East German and Czechoslovokian Iron Curtain border with West Germany in the 1960s was a 5 kilometer zone, a bit less than 2 miles, on our side. On their side it varied but included all sorts of preliminary checkpoints before it was possible to reach the area where armed soldiers faced each other.
This is an open admission by Aquilar that he does NOT want the USBP to prevail in securing the border.
As more agents get assigned to the border, the Border Patrol is taking control of areas that have been historically used by criminal gangs who are reluctant to give them up, Aguilar said.
Danger to agents will continue to increase until those areas are secure, he said.
So, am I reading this right? There have historically been area used by gangs and criminals to gain illegal entry with who-knows-what kind of payload...and the Gub'Mint is just NOW getting around to partolling/retaking these areas? And Jerkoff Chertoff and Jorge Arbusto are downplaying the Mexican Gub'Mint's OBVIOUS and EXPOSED complicity in these smuggling ops?
And yet, we keep hearing of how these poor illegals need to be given shamnesty (I'm not letting the OBL-ers control that aspect anymore...it is what it is, Shamnesty!), and we can't build a fence/wall?
It is long past time that our "leaders" be thrown out for their intransigence and corruption in the matter of the open Border!
"Ahead Sell-Out Factor 10, Mr. Chertoff!"
That is the not so hidden goal any longer by many in our own government and why you will not see the kind of forceful action that is now called for to put Mexico back in its place.
This Aguilar asswipe should go on patrol with the border patrol armed with only a 38 snub nose. If he lives, maybe he'll see the error of his ways.
Aguilar. That sounds like a hispanic surname to me. I wonder where his loyalties actually lie. From this article and from previous articles I am beginning to have my doubts. Would we have let someone named Yokamura in charge of security when we were in fear of being invaded during WWII?
Well, in that case...
Git thee to a Gunnery!
You can't deport American citizens!
Anyone that comes here legally will, and should, be allowed to stay. I have no idea where you're getting these notions.
...You clump legal aliens in with illegal aliens. What's interesting is the fact that you didn't mention any other country who has illegal aliens in the US. Sounds to me like you have a problem with all spanish folks. I am against illegal immigration. Deport them all, build a wall. But, keep the legals (from any country of origin) out of it.
Here, I'll make it easier for you. If you don't take my statements entirely out of context, then perhaps you'd understand them. There was more to my statements/points.
Pardon me if I don't waste my time further with you. ; )
See, this is what mob mentality will get ya.
No, no problem with "hispanics in general." Once again, only those that have trouble with English, you know, the language of this country. In particular, reading and comprehending it without parsing it to provoke people for not good reason.
Ditto to my responding to you further. Flounder around in your fautly perceptions. It is a free country at last check. ; )
What mob? Hmmm....must have missed that "trouble with English" part in the original post to which I responded. I guess I must clean my glasses.
By the way, I thought it was a "mob mentality" that made this a free country to begin with.
Time to arm up the citizen militia.
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