Posted on 02/24/2006 8:33:21 AM PST by GoRepGo
The U.S. Border Patrol has confirmed that a Mexican government helicopter crossed into the United States Tuesday evening.
The unmarked helicopter crossed into the U.S. near San Luis, Ariz., at 6:30 p.m. and traveled along the Colorado River for approximately a half a mile before returning to Mexico, according to a Customs and Border Protection release.
"After proper coordination and verifications with the government of Mexico, they confirmed that the helicopter belonged to the Mexican Attorney General's Office (PGR) and had mistakenly and unintentionally crossed into U.S. airspace," the release said.
PGR is the federal police force that investigates federal offenses, predominantly drug trafficking and organized crime.
Local border watcher Flash Sharrar, who saw the helicopter while on patrol near County 12th Street, remained steadfast that the helicopter was carrying Mexican soldiers, not federal agents. "That was Mexican military," he said. "You could see the uniforms."
Sharrar, the co-founder of the Yuma Patriots, said the chopper traveled much farther than a half-mile while it was in the United States. He said it was circling in U.S. airspace for as long as 20 minutes.
Yuma sector Border Patrol spokesman Michael Gramley said this was the first incursion by a Mexican helicopter that he could recall in the Yuma sector. Gramley did not have any information beyond that which was provided in the report.
"I think it's happened more often than we really know," Sharrar said.
Sharrar said if the Patriots had not witnessed the incursion, the Border Patrol would have denied that it happened.
Gramley said that would not be the case. "We would surely not attempt to cover up an incident of this type," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at sun.yumasun.com ...
White House: We have looked into this report and found that the incursion was authorized and determined that no threat to American security exists. Go back to sleep.
Only the Yuma Sun. Never happened. Move along.
Often there is nobody to vote for, if there is he's no good, if he's good he gets up there and gets corrupted.
The game is fixed. Still, it's been going in the right direction, if we keep sending pubs up there for another 20 years maybe we might get something fixed. If the country is still around.
Yeah, there'll be 5000 helicopters a day coming across the border to drop off illegals.
The situation really does remind me of 9-11 when the feds would say "We're the only thing between Al-q and US," and you hoped they were really on top of things but you suspected they probably weren't. Then 9-11 came along and removed all doubts.
The NSA wiretapping was probably the one thing that kept us a step ahead of the indians, and now they know about it.
You put it perfectly!... and so again, I wonder, why people HERE in FR, don't see that? And I mean most of us, like 95% at a minimum? Why don't I see more outrage that nothing has been done on the border.. Why are they so willing to give GWB a pass on something so important?
The country will be here and its leadership will be determined by people who care enough to preserve and hold it.
Ah, this is nothing to fret about. After all, I was so far behind the airplane on my first takeoff in an F-4J out of Yuma, MCAS I was in Mexican airspace for a whole lot longer and a whole lot further than this buffoon.
Wow?! A foreign government aircraft violates U.S. airspace, and it's no big deal? I am new to Free Republic, and do not live on the southern U.S. border. I have seen several reports concerning border crossings, corruption in Mexico, the cost of illegals, etc. on Free Republic, but nothing on my local tv news or newspaper. This seems like stuff the federal government would be very concerned about. Why so little coverage? I have to believe many citizens would be shocked about these things if they knew. Can someone add a little more information?
Better yet, provide them with digital cameras. That provides proof of the incident, and allows soem trained person to identify the type of craft.
However, under no circumstances should the border watcher surrender his/her only copy of the photo. Make a duplicate before you turn it over the the Feds.
I agree. Thanks to improvements in technology, one can buy a high-res camera at a reasonable price. Also, I would urge that border watchers publish their aircraft pics on the web for all to see.
I think this is part of the reason that there *has* been such an uproar about the ports. But that's just me.
I support the second definition.
I read your home page. I wish you and your family well. : )
That's easy. The elites of both parties and the MSM (mainstream media) all support the immivasion.
I used the traditional /s at the end to indicate sarcasm. The reference was to the typical liberal retort to an incursion into our lives with "well if your not doing any thing wrong......." Hope that clears that up. I personally believe that our Sovereignty is the key issue with the border situation. The more precedent set by our non-response the harder it will be to stop it.
It's real simple. Cheap labor uber alles.
I did not see the /s!
Sorry 'bout that!
/jasper
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