Border Patrol Agent Shot

El Paso Times ^ | Oct 13, 2002 | Jum Conley

[FryingPan101]

Borderland Sunday, October 13, 2002

A Border Patrol agent from Fort Hancock was shot in the leg about 4:20 p.m. Saturday by someone on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande while agents were pursuing smugglers 27 miles southeast of the Ysleta Port of Entry, Border Patrol officials said.

The female agent, whose name was not released, was expected to be released Saturday night from Thomason Hospital, El Paso Border Patrol spokesman Doug Mosier said.

The shooting took place after smugglers in a pickup "carrying at least 500 pounds of marijuana" were spotted, he said.

A pursuit began "and the smugglers drove their vehicle into the water and fled into Mexico on foot."

Even though the smugglers reached the safety of Mexico, Mosier said, "apparently a number of assailants were waiting on the Mexico side, and a sustained barrage of gunfire occurred."

The agent was struck by a bullet that penetrated the vehicle, he said. Agents returned fire.

This was thought to be the first shooting of an El Paso sector Border Patrol agent in about 13 years.

On Sept. 12, two El Paso FBI agents were severely beaten by train bandits during a sting operation in the Sunland Park-Anapra area.

[nanny]

"What percentage of the crossings (in all states) do you estimate are apprehended? On the average, I would say between 25 and 30 percent."

Hey, that's pretty good, considering ---.

Thanks for what you do.

[Luis Gonzalez]

The shooting is a direct result of a smuggler being caught in the act by a LEO. The fact that it happened at the border gives reason for those who wish to blame every single item of any significance on the president.

I see a president and a Federal Government actively engaged in pursuing the murderers of over 3,000 American citizens, I have yet to see the connection made between the US-Mexican border, and the attacks on 9/11.

It's unfortunate that this agent was wounded, but clashes at the border are in no way a development unique to the Bush administration.

Or is that what you're suggesting?

[B4Ranch]

You got the ONE word!!PEMEX

[Luis Gonzalez]

"LE can never be conducting business to the satisfaction of some."

Some will say that this shooting is solely the results of an unconstitutional attempt by the Federal government to control the ingestion of substances deemed as "controlled" or illegal.

Some will say that by legalizing drugs, the smuggling of drugs will end.

Then there are the absolute morons who would lobby for a declared war against Mexico over Iraq.

My problem with military at the borders is two-fold:

One, the borders are also any point of entry into the US, so the military would need to control every airport, train station, and sea port that provided a direct connection to Mexico, as well as every mile of shore, and secondly, when would the mission end?

America's foreign policy towards mexico should be one of helping in their economic development. We should stop sending American industries to the ChiCom, and instead, incentivize American industrialists who would help develop the Mexican economy.

[Marine Inspector]

The shooting is a direct result of a smuggler being caught in the act by a LEO. The fact that it happened at the border gives reason for those who wish to blame every single item of any significance on the president.

I don't blame the President for everything, but I do for this, as he has the authority, but not the will, to control the border.

I see a president and a Federal Government actively engaged in pursuing the murderers of over 3,000 American citizens, I have yet to see the connection made between the US-Mexican border, and the attacks on 9/11.

And I, never made a connection with Mexico and 9/11. The border and 9/11 are intimately connected, and the murders of those 3,000 Americans are using that border, as well as the other borders, and it is the Presidents failure too control our borders that directly effected this incident.

It's unfortunate that this agent was wounded, but clashes at the border are in no way a development unique to the Bush administration.

You are correct, but it is his problem now, and he has shown in word and deed, that he will not control the border.

[FryingPan101]

I have NEVER bitched at Bush!

[Marine Inspector]

Thanks for what you do.

Your welcome, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

[FITZ]

incentivize American industrialists who would help develop the Mexican economy.

Mexico needs to reform itself before it's economy can really be very developed. Why would Americans invest in a country that is apt to confiscate their property at any time?

[4Freedom]

Bush just up and finds the dollars to run out and hire 72,000 Federal Airport Security Screeners effective this November, but we have to wait until 2010 for a grand total of what, 14,000 Border Patrol agents for our southern border?

And there are people that don't see anything wrong with this picture?

[Luis Gonzalez]

"You are correct, but it is his problem now, and he has shown in word and deed, that he will not control the border."

Word:

"Tonight, I propose a permanent Cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security to unite essential agencies that must work more closely together: Among them, the Coast Guard, the Border Patrol, the Customs Service, Immigration officials, the Transportation Security Administration, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Employees of this new agency will come to work every morning knowing their most important job is to protect their fellow citizens."

"The Department of Homeland Security will be charged with four primary tasks. This new agency will control our borders and prevent terrorists and explosives from entering our country. It will work with state and local authorities to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies. It will bring together our best scientists to develop technologies that detect biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons, and to discover the drugs and treatments to best protect our citizens. And this new department will review intelligence and law enforcement information from all agencies of government, and produce a single daily picture of threats against our homeland. Analysts will be responsible for imagining the worst, and planning to counter it."

Deed:

Securing America's Borders Fact Sheet: Border Security
Action Plan for Creating a Secure and Smart Border

America's borders - land, air or sea - are the boundaries between the United States and the rest of the world. The massive flow of people and goods across our borders helps drive our economy, but can also serve as a conduit for terrorists, weapons of mass destruction, illegal migrants, contraband, and other unlawful commodities. The new threats and opportunities of the 21st century demand a new approach to border management. President Bush envisions a border that is grounded on two key principles:

• First, America's air, land, and sea borders must provide a strong defense for the American people against all external threats, most importantly international terrorists but also drugs, foreign disease, and other dangerous items.
• Second, America's border must be highly efficient, posing little or no obstacle to legitimate trade and travel.

The President's 2003 Budget begins the process of achieving this vision of the border of the future.

Facts about America's Borders

• The United States has a 7500-mile land and air border shared with Canada and Mexico and an exclusive economic zone encompassing 3.4 million square miles.  
  
• Each year, more than 500 million people are admitted into the United States, of which 330 million are non-citizens.  
  
• On land, 11.2 million trucks and 2.2 million rail cars cross into the United States, while 7,500 foreign-flag ships make 51,000 calls in U.S.  ports annually.

  The Smart Border of the Future
  America requires a border management system that keeps pace with expanding trade while protecting the United States and its territories from the threats of terrorist attack, illegal immigration, illegal drugs, and other contraband. The border of the future must integrate actions abroad to screen goods and people prior to their arrival in sovereign U.S. territory, and inspections at the border and measures within the United States to ensure compliance with entry and import permits. Federal border control agencies must have seamless information-sharing systems that allow for coordinated communication among themselves, and also the broader law enforcement and intelligence gathering communities. This integrated system would provide timely enforcement of laws and regulations. Agreements with our neighbors, major trading partners, and private industry will allow extensive pre-screening of low-risk traffic, thereby allowing limited assets to focus attention on high-risk traffic. The use of advanced technology to track the movement of cargo and the entry and exit of individuals is essential to the task of managing the movement of hundreds of millions of individuals, conveyances, and vehicles.

  Some of this work has already begun with Canada, our largest trading partner. On December 12, 2001, Governor Tom Ridge, Director of the Office of Homeland Security, and John Manley, then Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, signed the "Smart Border Declaration" with a 30-point action plan that will help speed and secure the flow of people and goods between the United States and Canada. The Smart Border Declaration recognizes that "our current and future prosperity and security depend on a border that operates efficiently and effectively under all circumstances." A similar effort is currently underway with Mexico.

  Border Security Initiatives in the 2003 Budget
  In the 2003 Budget, the President will propose approximately $11 billion for border security, including $380 million for the Immigration and Naturalization Service to construct a state of the art Entry-Exit visa system. In total, this will represent an increase of $2.2 billion from the 2002 Budget for border security. This additional funding will allow our border agencies to begin implementing a seamless air, land, and sea border that protects the United States against foreign threats while moving legitimate goods and people into and out of the country. The new border initiatives will be managed by the agencies with primary responsibility for border control.

  U.S. Customs Service -- Inspections
  The President's 2003 Budget increases the inspection budget of the Customs Services by $619 million, for a total of $2.3 billion.  This additional funding increases the ability of the Customs Service to fulfill its critical border security role. Specifically, the additional resources in the 2003 Budget will allow the Customs Service to achieve the following key objectives:

  • Additional Personnel.  The Customs Service will complete the hiring of approximately 800 new inspectors and agents to carry out additional security activities on our borders and at our seaports.
  • New Technology.  The President's Budget provides resources to purchase technologically advanced equipment that will assist in inspecting shipments so that time consuming and labor-intensive searches can be minimized.

  Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) -- Enforcement
  The President's 2003 Budget increases the INS budget for enforcement by $1.2 billion, for a total of $5.3 billion, including the resources necessary to implement the Entry-Exit visa system. These resources will enhance key INS missions related to homeland security, including border patrol, inspections, and the implementation of a technologically advanced system for monitoring the entry and exit of foreign visitors. Key goals include:

  • Additional Personnel.   The INS will more than double the number of border patrol agents and inspectors on the northern border. INS will also install integrated information systems to ensure that timely, accurate and complete enforcement data is transmitted to INS agents and other border security agencies operating in the field.
  • Entry-Exit Tracking System.   The INS will implement a new entry-exit system to track the arrival and departure of non-U.S. citizens. This new system will dramatically improve our ability to deny access to those individuals who should not enter the United States, while speeding the entry of routine, legitimate traffic.

  United States Coast Guard
  The President's 2003 Budget increases funding for the Coast Guard's homeland security-related missions (protecting ports and coastal areas, as well as interdiction activities) by $282 million, to an overall level of $2.9 billion. After September 11, the Coast Guard's port security mission grew from approximately 1-2 percent of daily operations to between 50-60 percent today. In addition, the Coast Guard has important national security missions such as illegal immigration and drug interdiction and port security.

  • Coordination.   Working with other port entities, the Coast Guard is developing tracking mechanisms for all vessels operating in the maritime domain: within or transiting to U.S. ports and transiting our coastal waters. The heart of this maritime domain awareness program is accurate information, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance of all vessels, cargo, and people extending well beyond our traditional maritime boundaries.
  • Coastal Asset and Infrastructure Protection.  Coast Guard forces will provide enhanced defenses for critical high-risk vessels and coastal facilities, marine and otherwise (e.g. nuclear power plants, oil refineries). Close coordination through Harbor Safety Committees, which help bring together the many local, state, and Federal agencies that maintain and protect the harbor, will ensure a well-balanced protective envelope is sustained at different threat levels

[Luis Gonzalez]

"Why would Americans invest in a country that is apt to confiscate their property at any time?"

Any country could do thgat at any time.

Why don't you ask those Americans who invest in China, and are looking to invest in Cuba?

[FITZ]

I would rather see American investments in Mexico than in China but Mexico has some serious problems that it needs to deal with before all it's problems can be solved by us. There is a need for them to take a close look at their social injustices and question why prosperity ends at the Rio Grande when Mexico is a country very wealthy in natural resources and labor. I know of an illegal who left because in his town the wealthy family that owned the only business often didn't pay the employees at all, it seems the poor in Mexico have no recourse when they are turned into slaves. He never did get paid and doesn't think there's anything he can do to get the money owed him. The corrupt in Mexico have far too much power and the poor which is the majority have none.

[RGSpincich]

Leave us not to forget the enviro-whackos. Seems that they have problems with the off road activities of the Border Patrol.
http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=5285

"I recognize that (Border Patrol agents) are in a difficult position," says D.J. Schubert, hefting a stack of articles 10 inches high onto the table between us. "Their duty is to defend the border, but that duty shouldn't give them carte blanche to abuse the environment."
end excerpt

There is always somebody with an agenda waiting in the wings...

[Marine Inspector]

The Department of Homeland security will do nothing but add layers of bureaucracy to an already over bureaucratic agency.

It won't change the laws, it won't change the policy.

And a fact sheet does not count for squat.

He appointed an open borders libertarian to run the INS, and did not fire him, when he came out and stated that arresting illegals was not feasible.

He has not once raised any concern about the Mexican military invading our southern states. He has never acknowledge the deaths of any of the agents along the border. He has continually promised to legalize illegal aliens.

A mass power grab by president and a few words on a fact sheet (which he knows, probably won't get implemented) do not account for squat.

[Marine Inspector]

And lets not forget the all new National Security Entry and Exit Registration System (NSEERS), that has a loophole a wooly mammoth could walk through.

The terrorist love this system, as it will not effect them, but irritates the legitimate traveler.

More Bush administration smoke and mirrors.

[varon]

It is time for a 3rd Party, we need some LEADERS in our LOCAL, STATE and FEDERAL positions.

Long overdue but when push comes to shove, most everyone chooses their security blanket (Dem or Pub) just like they have been indoctrinated. The voters deserve every dam* worthless piece of sh*t that is in office because they keep reelecting them and afterwards have the ba**s to complain.

"If you always do
as you've always done
you'll always get
what you've always got" ;-)

[4Freedom]

BTTT!

"More Bush administration smoke and mirrors."

Great, they're going to double the number of border patrol agents on the northern border and triple the number of orange cones blocking the roadways at night.

Yo Bush, what about the southern border where the majority of the illegal immigration, drug smuggling, murders, shootings and beatings are taking place?

Somebody ought to send him back to Prioritization 101.

Oh, that's right, this isn't for effect, it's just for show.

[FryingPan101]

We all agree here. Even Mexican-Americans agree....except for managers at Sam's Club and Walmart.