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.)
I don't think it's the glasses. ; )
Sadly, with today's surveillance I'm not sure how effective a militia would be. The founders did definitely grant the citizens the right to institute a new government if the one that they created "got out of hand."
Obviously a tremendous paraphrase, but that's the crux of it.
Absolutely. And that's the scariest of thoughts.
I need a permission slip to go south of the 94! :D My neighbor at work, she just paid $550k for a 3 bedroom house down off of Otay Lakes! And heck yeah, she lives within tossing distance of the border. I've gotten pretty adament about turning down offers of trips down to Mexico though. After what I saw last time last July, no way. Not ever again.
We are a nation at war and our President can't even attempt to secure the border. What a jackass.
Time for the State Governors of TX, AZ, NM and CA to call out the Militia for protecting the STATE borders.
If the damned Feds won't do it, by god SOMEONE has to.
tagline change.
No problem. Then I'm sure you won't have any problem explaining your statement. But try to do so in a non-condescending way.
"This is an open admission by Aquilar that he does NOT want the USBP to prevail in securing the border."
You damn right it is.
I've lived near the border for the thirtysome years that I've been in San Diego. Illegal aliens are nothing new to me. I remember the swarms of people that would rush the San Ysidro POE back in the mid 90's. One morning on the way to work I counted 26 guys walking up the center median of Interstate 5 two miles north of the border. The border Patrol didn't stop them due to safety concerns about the illegals get turned into roadkill. Despite what some people say, Operation Gatekeeper was a big help. I seriously thought that after the attacks of September 11, 2001 that something would be done about border security. Believe me, there's still a lot to do. This latest round of BS concerning the tunnel here & the incident in Texas makes me wonder WTF is going on.
I wonder if I'm alone in reaching this level of disgust.
NOPE
Time for the State Governors of TX, AZ, NM and CA to call out the Militia for protecting the STATE borders.
Please add Colorado
I wonder if I'm alone in reaching this level of disgust.
Hell there are a lot a lot and I do mean a lot of "conservative democrats" who have reached your level of disgust!!! Something has to be done and something will be done. One way or another somethings got to give!!!
He is right. There are Guard units who already have the equipment and real world experience putting it to good use.
The invasion started on Clinton watch then escalated on Bush's. In my small Tennessee city of 45,000 20,000 are Hispanic. What does that tell you? Their here thanks to RATS and PUBS.
Perhaps we should lay down our swords for the time being and repel this terrible invasion!!! Enough is enough. No American wants to see this country go "Mexican". Seems to me like the House of Reps. got the message. Maybe we need to scream a little louder at the Senate!!! Everywhere I go and everyone I talk to (admit I don't speak to too many illegals) have the same attitude. Shut the damn border down!!! Do it for our kids!!! Do it for our hospitals!!! Do it for our schools!!! Do it for our prisons!!!! And last of all do it for our TAX-PAYERS!!!! Are you listening Mr. Bush? We won't be fooled again. No Amnesty!!! No Guest Worker!!! At least not until the border is controlled and we know who is here!!! The Salvadorans that we brought up here during their crisis temporarily are now refusing to go home. What does that say for Guest Worker?
If they are in this country legally I don't much care. As long as they work, pay taxes and are productive citizens. It's the ones that are here illegally, that make their money and skip back to Mexico that I cannot abide.
Feel free to reread it. It's all there in black and white. I could request the same from you. ; )
Regardless, it's frustrating when someone doesn't read what you wrote yet comments on it anyway. It's ultimately frustrating when people find things that simply were never said and react to that. I shouldn't have to explain anything. I already have.
Let's end this.
Let's end this.
... -.-
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