Posted on 04/19/2006 2:11:03 PM PDT by twidle
Link To Article Print Article Email Article Police face Mexican military, smugglers Armed standoff along U.S. border By Sara A. Carter and Kenneth Todd Ruiz, Staff Writers
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Mexican soldiers and civilian smugglers had an armed standoff with nearly 30 U.S. law enforcement officials on the Rio Grande in Texas Monday afternoon, according to Texas police and the FBI.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailybulletin.com ...
This happened months ago.
Okay, thanks for the clarification.
Well, we know which side Bush supports and defends, don't we?
Got a call today from the RNC asking for donations as usual but I told them no way would I send anymore money until they do something about of open borders.
I thought for sure this was a story about the Minutemen harassing migrant workers returning to their Aztlan homeland.
Here is the correct link...!
http://www.dailybulletin.com/search/ci_3430815
This is important stuff!
Would you please post the direct link to the story next time, instead of a link to some crowded page...!
Many interested people cannont find the story if you just cheese out and link to the homepage of a news site..
http://www.dailybulletin.com/search/ci_3430815
According to Micheal Chertoff, this never happened. It's all a figment of our imagination!
"Well, we know which side Bush supports and Chertoff plays down border incursion reports"
By Mason Stockstill, Staff Writer
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Wednesday played down reports outlining hundreds of border incursions by the Mexican military over the last 10 years.
Chertoff, speaking to reporters in Washington, D.C., acknowledged that the Border Patrol has long known of crossings by uniformed troops, which some agents in border states say shows a level of collusion between Mexican military officers and drug-smuggling cartels.
But he suggested that many of the incursions could have been innocent mistakes -- such as authorities in Mexico crossing into the United States in desert areas where the actual dividing line between the countries is unclear -- or criminals wearing camouflage outfits being confused with actual soldiers.
"I think the stories are overblown," Chertoff said. "I asked the chief of the Border Patrol about it. The number has not increased; in fact, it had decreased a little bit."
The Daily Bulletin first reported on Sunday that the Border Patrol has tracked 216 such incursions by Mexican military or police forces since 1996. The highest total was in 2002, when 40 such crossings were recorded; in 2005, the number was nine.
Chertoff largely confirmed those numbers, saying incursions had averaged "approximately 20 a year" over the last 10 years. He also said that reports of corruption among Mexican troops were true.
"We do have instances where we have Mexican police or military who have deserted and become involved with criminal activity," Chertoff said. "But we've also had bad cops in the United States, too. It happens."
He said the United States and Mexico have a collaborative relationship, and called the idea that incursions were a serious problem "scare tactics."
Rafael Laveaga, a spokesman for the Mexican consulate, has denied that any incursions by Mexican military have taken place.
NOTE***T.J. Bonner, the president of the National Border Patrol Council, dismissed Chertoff's comments as uninformed.
"Were he to go out there on actual patrol with Border Patrol agents ... and experience what we experience -- where you encounter a group of highly trained, very well-armed Mexican soldiers coming across our border, and your closest backup is an hour or more away -- I think he would be a lot more concerned about it," he said.
Bonner rejected the idea that the incursions might be innocent mistakes, noting that the number of times the U.S. Border Patrol has accidentally crossed into Mexico is far lower.
He also blasted Chertoff for belittling the number of incidents.
"For him to say this is only a few hundred -- come on," Bonner said. "One is far too many."****
Related Stories:
• Mexican troops aiding smugglers, says report
• Mexican soldiers defy border
Special Report: Beyond Borders
Blog Site: Beyond Borders Blog
Mason Stockstill can be reached by phone at (909) 483-9354.
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"no way would I send anymore money until they do something about of open borders."
Good for you! We need more pressure on Chertof.
Armed standoff along U.S. border
01/24/06...smugglers had an armed standoff with nearly...interview on Border
http://www.dailybulletin.com/search?runSearch=true&query=armed+standoff+at+us+border&choice=&searchButton.x=9&searchButton.y=7#loop
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