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.)
"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."
That's as stupid as going to a gun fight with a knife.
This guy is either stupid or kissing Bush's back side.
There is absolutly no reason our military can not be deployed to protect and defend our nation's borders.
He is absolutly correct. Our border protect agents should go directly to crew served weapons that have the mexican military and associated skum totally outgunned. Pi$$ on "similar."
Read what this Aguilar joker actually says. It reflects that the border patrol are cops, not soldiers. This is an anachronism and the key to the problem. We need a military presence on the border, trained, prepared, ready to fire on armed intruders.
If the border patrol is not bureaucratically able to adopt the necessary posture, then dissolve them and replace them with NG troops. If we can do it in AnBar Province, we can do it in Texas and Arizona. And when Mexico whines and howls, we ignore them.
Yes, there is.
It's called a law.
Think about it.
Because the elected reps and most of the Gumm'nt leaders hav'nt got the guts or the pride to make a simple decision. How pathetic! how friggin embarrasing!
ping
They won't help. They have their blinders on and their earplugs in, per orders from their handlers.
For the most part, we are in agreement. Are you saying we need to deport Legal aliens as well? The word "Hispanic" covers alot of terretory (Mexico, South America, Cuba, Spain, etc etc). I am an American who happens to be "hispanic" (Not of Mexican decent), Would you deport me as well?
Not, "Bush's fault". Many are to blame for this situation. The "border situation" began long before President Bush was inaugurated, and it will remain long after he has left his "post". From what I've learned by studying this issue, there are many WALLS (the kind we DON'T need) in the way of border security. Although it would be nice and convenient to blame just one man, it would also be a perfect example of "ignorance". :)
President Bush is the ONE MAN who has the authority to secure OUR BORDERS and he REFUSES to do so. You can call him ignorant if you wish but I think his VISION of the NEW WORLD ORDER is taking PRIORITY over his OATH OF OFFICE to DEFEND AMERICAN SOIL.
I never called President Bush, "ignorant". And as to your thinking he has a "vision" of a "new world order", and that it is taking "priority" over his "oath of office to defend American soil".....well, those sure sound like talking points hurled by DU'ers.
I want our borders secured. However, I'm not a dimwit either, and I believe that the vast majority of our "gubmint" is going to have to see it that way, or it won't get done.
The President is hindering the enforcement of our immigration laws. That should be obvious to even the most radical Bush supporter.
There is nothing in the law that repealed Article 1, Section 8, "To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;
Or.. Article 1, Section 9, The privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.
Or.. Article 4 Section 4, The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion;
Now, if you believe that what is going on down on the border is ANYTHING other than in invasion by infiltration you have not been where I have. Because brother, they are coming across at about 3000 to 5000 per day and the numbers are going up not down.
What are they going to wind up doing other than being the new 21 century slaves? Listening to the likes of La Raza and Mecha, thats what.
You better believe the uS Government has the authority to deploy troops on the border.
I have said it before and will say it again: I firmly believe that the fair skinned Mexican elite that control Mexico (corrupt bast**ds that they are) are encouraging the mass immigration of the poor underclass of Mexicans because they need a pressure valve to prevent another revolution there. Eventually the peons will rebel again and this time it will be a Marxist government that takes over Mexico. We do not need an antagonistic communist government controling the country on our southern border. Some pressure must be applied to the elites to create more opportunities for the Mexican people to keep them at home.
Just when it seemed like it couldn't get any worse than having to secure our borders, kick out the invaders already here, and fine and jail those who hire and/or abet them, now this.
If something isn't done very, very soon, it's actually going to be necessary to invade Mexico in order to protect US sovereignty??!
This is really getting to be like the over-extended Roman Empire situation.
For the record, I am, until the invasion problem is OVER, and those who have already been granted citizenship are assimilated.
I wonder if I'm alone in reaching this level of disgust.
I'll bet if we discovered heavily armed and uniformed North Korean troops 200 meters this side of the Korean DMZ who then threatened us with their weapons we wouldn't hesitate to shoot first and ask questions later...
Shame on Pres. Bush for sending BP agents into this war zone with side arms when the Mexican army has .50 caliber machine guns mounted on Humvees. That is inexcusable. The personnel from Ft. Hood that are returning from Iraq should be stationed on our own border to secure it and should be equipped with the appropriate weapons of war.
Nothin' like takin' things right out of their context, eh! ; )
You illegal? If so, then damn straight. If not, Enjoy your life in America pal.
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