Border Patrol, Protecting America

For too long some Americans have looked down on the Border Patrol as if they are nothing more than hired security guards. Some think the only purpose agents serve is to inconvenience the traveling public. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The individuals serving in the Border Patrol are Federal Agents with a very clear mission. They are there to stop terrorist from entering our country, stop drug weapons and human smuggling, and preserve the sovereignty of our border.

After the latest incursion of the Mexican military and their blatant act of disrespect for the sovereignty of the border, it is clear our Border Patrol Agents are standing alone. Another message has been sent to the drug cartels, Mexican Military, and the Mexican criminal enterprise at large. The message is, America is weak and our Border Patrol is for show and show only. In January 2007 our National Guard were attacked on US soil by armed individuals from Mexico and forced to flee their position. Nothing was ever done about the incursion and the matter was quickly forgotten by our government, the media, and the general public. Now we have another incursion by the Mexican Military but this time they have the nerve to hold a Federal Border Patrol Agent at gun point, threatening to shoot the agent on US soil.

Like some other media outlets the Arizona Republic is downplaying the "incident." Reporting the events the paper says:

"The soldiers held their weapons on the agent for several minutes until he identified himself in Spanish, whereupon they lowered their guns and walked back across a gap in the fence, [Border Patrol spokesman] Scioli said."

Border Patrol Agents at the scene dispute this version of what really happened. According to other agents that were there, the agent being held called for backup and it wasn't until backup arrived that the four Mexican soldiers lowered their weapons and returned through the fence to Mexico. Yes, they actually crossed through an opening in the fence separating the US from Mexico.

According to the Republic:

"In Washington, D.C., State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said the encounter "stemmed from a momentary misunderstanding as to the exact location of the U.S.-Mexican border."

In reality they crossed through an opening in the fence commonly used by smugglers and illegals.

According to the Washington Times:

"the soldiers returned to Mexico without incident when backup agents responded to assist."

According to U.S. law enforcement authorities current and former Mexican military personnel have been hired to protect drug and migrant smugglers. The times quotes Border Patrol Union sources:

"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."

"It is fortunate that this incident didn't end in a very ugly gunfight," NBPC continued.

The Times points out:

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

Will it take our own agents getting killed before action against this blatant act of war is taken seriously? Or maybe it will not be until one of our border towns or cities is taken over by the Mexican Military, that our government will act?

What do you think would have happened if the Border Patrol Agents had opened fire on the Mexicans and arrested them for illegally crossing the border? Would our government or the media have supported the action of our agents? Probably not.

If you don't think our agents face a clear and present danger form Mexico, consider the following as reported by the Times:

cThe 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.

Mexican officials denied at the time that the shooters were Mexican soldiers, saying they were criminals using military uniforms. It is a position they steadfastly have maintained.

But the agent who reported encountering the gunfire was certain he saw soldiers, said Mr. Tuffly. He said at the time that the agent was able to identify their attire "down to a T, and it matched exactly what they [Mexican soldiers] wear."

That purported incursion began after a Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation police ranger reported being chased by men in a Humvee.

cA 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.

cIn 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 Sigifredo Gonzalez Jr. of Zapata County, Texas 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.

It is time Sen Obama and his left wing party begins to understand we are facing a serious threat from not only terrorist but from a host of countries that consider America weak and divided. Today Russia has invaded Georgia, confident that America will not interfere with their act of war against this small country. Their timing for this act coincides with the President's visit to China for the opening of the Olympic games and the division of our country during this election year.

It is clear to me, President Bush should immediately return to the United States and call Congress back into session. He should hold a meeting with both candidates and leaders from both the House and Senate to discuss our immediate need to become self reliant on our own natural resources (oil). They should display to the world that America will no longer stand divided when our National interest is being threatened, albeit attacks along our borders or attacks on our friends and allies. It is time we as Americans support all of the people that work everyday to protect us, this includes our Military and Federal Law Enforcement Agents.

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