Posted on 03/16/2003 10:54:27 PM PST by FreeSpeechZone
HOMELAND INSECURITY Texas sheriff warns of unidentified troops Believes armed men in fatigues spotted within country are foreign
A southern Texas sheriff is warning the public that unidentified armed men dressed in military fatigues have been spotted on numerous occasions in his county near the border with Mexico.
For the "country's safety," Sheriff Erasmo Alarcon Jr., of Jim Hogg County, published a letter in a local newspaper to alert citizens of reports he has received for some years from ranchers who have spotted the unknown troops, equipped with "professional backpacks" and walking together in a military cadence.
The latest sightings were just a few weeks ago, he said.
The county's deputy sheriff, Guadalupe Rodriguez, said he believes the armed men were foreign and were not drug smugglers.
"They are not your regular traffickers that you get," he told WND. "But we don't want to draw conclusions at this point and get everybody worked up." Alarcon said in his letter that "these military-type individuals have been sighted in very remote locations of our county," which "stretches 50 or 60 miles from end to end."
"We have reported this information to higher-up law enforcement agencies, but no one really knows who these individuals are, not even the military," he said in his letter, published by the Jim Hogg County Enterprise in Hebbronville, Texas, March 13.
The sheriff said that reports of sightings most often were received the next day, meaning that there was little that could have been done.
On one occasion, a report was received within several hours of the sighting.
"That particular time, we formed an immediate multi-agency task force between the surrounding counties, but we were met with little success," Alarcon said. "We even brought in air support."
The sheriff said he is publicizing the information "because we still don't know who these individuals are."
"Obviously, they are trespassing, and obviously, they are carrying something," he said. "We hope it's narcotics and not something much worse."
Alarcon said he is bringing "this information to light because of the security crisis our nation faces."
"If you see these individuals please call us immediately," he said. "Remember the last plane that was taken down to prevent further terrorism was done by everyday Americans who loved their country enough to die protecting it."
He advised that "if you see these individuals do not talk to them, do not confront them, but simply call 911. We don't know who these individuals are so there no telling what they are capable of. Thank you! God bless America!
Mexico is corrupt through and through. The day will come when we have to deal with them but it will take a crisis.
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