BP chief warns of trouble [Mexico Border]

LAREDO MORNING TIMES ^ | January 29, 2006 | CLAY REDDICK

[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.)

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Just what would the US response be to a few mortar rounds being lobbed across the border into San Diego ala Hamas?

1. The fedgov would order an immediate evacuation with the confiscation of all privately own firearms in the area.(Katrina comes to mind. I know the stolen guns were ordered returned, but they aren't going to let that stop them again.)

2. The Wash D.C. mexican consul would be invited to explain what was going on. He would deny any knowledge.(No Hablo Inglés Senor.)

3. Someone in the administration would say it was the act of militant islamic terrorists and it would be flogged to increase surveillance and stricter controls on law abiding citizens.(Patriot Act Part 3)

4. Coyote business as usual as the southern racetrack remains open for business.

[raybbr]

No American wants to see this country go "Mexican".

Wanna bet?

We are now one of the largest Spanish-speaking nations in the world. We're a major source of Latin music, journalism and culture.

Just go to Miami, or San Antonio, Los Angeles, Chicago or West New York, New Jersey ... and close your eyes and listen. You could just as easily be in Santo Domingo or Santiago, or San Miguel de Allende.

For years our nation has debated this change -- some have praised it and others have resented it. By nominating me, my party has made a choice to welcome the new America.

As I speak, we are celebrating the success of democracy in Mexico.

George Bush from a campaign speech in Miami, August 2000.

You can read the speech here.

Here is an excerpt of a good critique of that speech:

In equating our intimate historic bonds to our mother country and to Canada with our ties to Mexico, W. shows a staggering ignorance of the civilizational facts of life. The reason we are so close to Britain and Canada is that we share with them a common historical culture, language, literature, and legal system, as well as similar standards of behavior, expectations of public officials, and so on. My Bush Epiphany By Lawrence Auster