Mexico Invades U.S. ... Again.

[hjmick]

We’ve been hearing about incidents like this for a few years now and the serve as a perfect example of the failure of this administration’s (and those of others) failure to address the issue of border security in any serious fashion. It is a failure I consider to be something of a dereliction duty for Bush and his predecessors.

It seems that a U.S. Border Patrol agent was held at gunpoint Sunday night by members of the Mexican military who had crossed the border into Arizona, but the soldiers returned to Mexico without incident when backup agents responded to assist. They held him at gunpoint!

The idea that Mexican soldiers are allowed to violate the border is almost as galling as the fact that our elected officials do and say nothing on the issue. Even if these guys are not soldiers and instead they are smugglers in military uniforms and military vehicles, they are getting them somewhere. It strikes me that a more likely scenario is corruption. The drug smugglers are buying protection from the military along the border.

Is it going to take the death of one or more of our border patrol agents before the government does something? For years there have been cries to put the military on our southern border, could there be a better argument for this strategy than border agents being held at gunpoint by members (possibly) of the Mexican military? Or heavily armed and well equipped drug smugglers?

Setting aside the issue of illegal immigration, though I suspect a visible military presence would have the added benefit of curtailing more than one crossing, the Border Patrol is not equipped to handle confrontations of this nature. They are outgunned, their vehicles are substandard, and they are often outmanned.

Let the National Guard guard the nation.

Border patrol agent held at gunpoint
Officers fear Mexican military encounters will turn violent
Jerry Seper
Wednesday, August 6, 2008

A U.S. Border Patrol agent was held at gunpoint Sunday night by members of the Mexican military who had crossed the border into Arizona, but the soldiers returned to Mexico without incident when backup agents responded to assist.

Agents assigned to the Border Patrol station at Ajo, Ariz., said the Mexican soldiers crossed the international border in an isolated area about 100 miles southwest of Tucson and pointed rifles at the agent, who was not identified.

It was unclear what the soldiers were doing in the United States, but U.S. law enforcement authorities have long said that current and former Mexican military personnel have been hired to protect drug and migrant smugglers.

"Unfortunately, this sort of behavior by Mexican military personnel has been going on for years," union Local 2544 of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) said on its Web page. "They are never held accountable, and the United States government will undoubtedly brush this off as another case of 'Oh well, they didn't know they were in the United States...'

Since 1996, there have been more than 200 confirmed incursions by the Mexican military into the United States...

Sunday night's incident bears similarities to other incursions by armed men in Mexican military gear in recent years:

The incident occurred in the same area where heavily armed Mexican soldiers riding in a Humvee shot at a Border Patrol agent in 2002. A .50-caliber bullet ripped through the agent's rear window as he sped away...

A year ago, U.S. law enforcement authorities were confronted by gunfire from automatic weapons as they chased and caught a drug-smuggling suspect in Texas trying to flee back into Mexico, the Hudspeth County (Texas) Sheriff's Office said...

In November 2007, the Border Patrol chased a dump truck full of marijuana in the same area when it also got stuck in the river while trying to return to Mexico. While agents sought to unload 3 tons of marijuana, the driver - who had fled - returned with a heavily armed group of men wearing Mexican military uniforms and carrying military-style weapons.

The soldiers backed the agents away and bulldozed the truck back into Mexico...

Sheriff Gonzalez said three of his deputies in 2006 spotted 25 men dressed in military uniforms in the U.S. during a late-night patrol. He said the men marched two abreast and carried duffel bags and automatic weapons, and that his "outmanned and outgunned deputies" were forced to retreat...

Full Story...

[avatar4321]

will the media even notice?

[glockmail]

Nobody has yet convinced me that two rows of razor wire 100 yards apart with a free fire zone is not justified or practical at this border. That will prevent the Mexian Army from getting "lost", as well as greatly slow the flow of illegals and drugs.

[Kathianne]

This time, they did:

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/08/...9561218042319/

Border patrol union: soldiers pulled guns
Published: Aug. 6, 2008 at 1:05 PM
AJO, Ariz., Aug. 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. Border Patrol agent's union says Mexican soldiers crossed into U.S. territory Sunday and held an agent captive at gunpoint.

The alleged incident happened Sunday night near Ajo, Ariz., union officials told the Washington Times, which reported the soldiers returned to Mexico without further incident after reinforcements arrived to confront them.

It's not clear wh Mexican soldiers were on U.S. territory, agents said, but they added that soldiers have been known to protect Mexican drug gangs and migrant smugglers.

"Unfortunately, this sort of behavior by Mexican military personnel has been going on for years," Union Local 2544 of the National Border Patrol Council said on its Web page. "They are never held accountable, and the United States government will undoubtedly brush this off as another case of, 'Oh well, they didn't know they were in the United States.' "

State Department spokeswoman Nicole Thompson told the Times she had no information on the incident, and referred further questions to the Border Patrol. Border Patrol spokesman Michael Friel did not return calls for comment Tuesday, the newspaper said.

[glockmail]

[Little-Acorn]

The most revealing part of this article?

"...the soldiers returned to Mexico without incident..."

Let me get this straight.

The Armed Forces of the country of Mexico invade the United States of America, and use armed force to kidnap a U.S. Federal officer. Not too long ago, this was correctly referred to as an Act of War.

And the author claims the sequence of events was "without incident"?

If the Mexican Army had set off a nuclear device on U.S. territory, I wonder if the author of this article would have felt that that rose to the level of an "incident"? At least?

There is no evidence indicating that he would.

To me, that is very revealing.

Plus the fact that no one seems to dispute it.

[Kathianne]

The most revealing part of this article?

"...the soldiers returned to Mexico without incident..."

Let me get this straight.

The Armed Forces of the country of Mexico invade the United States of America, and use armed force to kidnap a U.S. Federal officer. Not too long ago, this was correctly referred to as an Act of War.

And the author claims the sequence of events was "without incident"?

If the Mexican Army had set off a nuclear device on U.S. territory, I wonder if the author of this article would have felt that that rose to the level of an "incident"? At least?

There is no evidence indicating that he would.

To me, that is very revealing.

Plus the fact that no one seems to dispute it.

Agreed. That is what makes this disturbing. I agree also with Glock that at a minimum there should be razor wire of some sort along that stretch of border.