Mexican Army doesn't know how to navigate?

BobMcG

THE ARTICLE

This came from the Daily Bulletin.

Police face Mexican military, smugglers
Armed standoff along U.S. border
By Sara A. Carter and Kenneth Todd Ruiz, Staff Writers


Mexican soldiers and civilian smugglers had an armed standoff with nearly 30 U.S. law enforcement officials on the Rio Grande in Texas on Monday afternoon, according to Texas police and the FBI.
Mexican military Humvees were towing what appeared to be thousands of pounds of marijuana across the border into the United States, said Chief Deputy Mike Doyal, of the Hudspeth County Sheriff's Department.

Mexican Army troops had several mounted machine guns on the ground more than 200 yards inside the U.S. border -- near Neely's Crossing, about 50 miles east of El Paso -- when Border Patrol agents called for backup. Hudspeth County deputies and Texas Highway patrol officers arrived shortly afterward, Doyal said.

"It's been so bred into everyone not to start an international incident with Mexico that it's been going on for years," Doyal said. "When you're up against mounted machine guns, what can you do? Who wants to pull the trigger first? Certainly not us."

An FBI spokeswoman confirmed the incident happened at 2:15 p.m. Pacific Time.

"Bad guys in three vehicles ended up on the border," said Andrea Simmons, a spokeswoman with the FBI's El Paso office. "People with Humvees, who appeared to be with the Mexican Army, were involved with the three vehicles in getting them back across."

Simmons said the FBI was not involved and referred inquiries to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

ICE did not return calls seeking comment.

Doyal said deputies captured one vehicle in the incident, a Cadillac Escalade reportedly stolen from El Paso, and found 1,477 pounds of marijuana inside. The Mexican soldiers set fire to one of the Humvees stuck in the river, he said.

Doyal's deputies faced a similar incident on Nov. 17, when agents from the Fort Hancock border patrol station in Texas called the sheriff's department for backup after confronting more than six fully armed men dressed in Mexican military uniforms. The men -- who were carrying machine guns and driving military vehicles -- were trying to bring more than three tons of marijuana across the Rio Grande, Doyal said.

Doyal said such incidents are common at Neely's Crossing, which is near Fort Hancock, Texas, and across from the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

"It happens quite often here," he said.

Deputies and border patrol agents are not equipped for combat, he added.

"Our government has to do something," he said. "It's not the immigrants coming over for jobs we're worried about. It's the smugglers, Mexican military and the national threat to our borders that we're worried about."

Citing a Jan. 15 story in the Daily Bulletin, Reps. David Dreier, R-Glendora, and Duncan Hunter, R-San Diego, last week asked the House Judiciary Committee, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, the House Homeland Security Committee and the House International Relations Committee to investigate the incursions. The story focused on a Department of Homeland Security document reporting 216 incursions by Mexican soldiers during the past 10 years and a map with the seal of the president's Office of National Drug Control Policy, both of which were given to the newspaper.

Requests by Dreier, chairman of the House Rules Committee, and Hunter were made in jointly signed letters.

On Wednesday, Chertoff played down the reports of border incursions by the Mexican military. He suggested many of the incursions could have been mistakes, blaming bad navigation by military personnel or attributing the incursions to criminals dressed in military garb.

Mexican officials last week denied any incursions made by their military.

But border agents interviewed over the past year have discussed confrontations those they believe to be Mexican military personnel.

"We're sitting ducks," said a border agent speaking on condition of anonymity. "The government has our hands tied."

beardog03

so were they taking the stuff into the states, or back to mehico..?

F1nut

I'd mine field that whole effing border.

brettw22

How many miles is the Great Wall of China? Get those guys over here and build us one of those.

BobMcG

beardog03 wrote:

so were they taking the stuff into the states, or back to mehico..?

So far for the last ten years it sounds like it's been getting into the States quite nicely.

Q: But with military help? (And yes, it IS military, not military looking.)
A: Screw them.

Q: How badly?
A: Royaly.

Q: Mounted machineguns?
A: Make the border an A-10 training ground.

Q: No?

ohskigod

BobMcG wrote:

Q: Mounted machineguns?
A: Make the border an A-10 training ground.

BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!


I absolutly love that aircraft

F1nut

Mexico to Give Migrants Maps of Arizona
By MARK STEVENSON, AP

MEXICO CITY (Jan. 25) - A Mexican government commission said Tuesday it will distribute at least 70,000 maps showing highways, rescue beacons and water tanks in the Arizona desert to curb the death toll among illegal border crossers.

The National Human Rights Commission, a government-funded agency with independent powers, denied the maps - similar to a comic-style guide booklet Mexico distributed last year - would encourage illegal immigration.

Officials said the maps would help guide those in trouble find rescue beacons and areas with cell phone reception. The maps will also show the distance a person can walk in the desert in a single day.

"We are not trying in any way to encourage or promote migration," said Mauricio Farah, one of the commission's national inspectors. "The only thing we are trying to do is warn them of the risks they face and where to get water, so they don't die."

Russ Knocke, a spokesman for the U.S. Homeland Security Department, questioned whether the maps would keep those crossing the border safer.

"It is not helpful for anyone, no matter how well intended they might be, to produce road maps that lead aliens into the desolate and dangerous areas along the border, and potentially invite criminal activity, human exploitation and personal risk," he said.

And some advocates of greater immigration control were irritated by the map announcement.

"What's next? Are they going to buy them bus tickets to Chicago?" said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington-based think tank. "It's clearly a bad thing for Mexico to be encouraging illegal immigration."

The comic booklet for migrants was distributed by the government in early 2005 and warned of the perils of crossing illegally into the United States, while offering tips to stay safe.

The booklet, of which about 1.5 million were printed, enraged some advocates of stricter immigration policies in the United States who argue that it encouraged illegal migration.

Farah said his commission was simply trying to prevent deaths and estimated that around 500 Mexicans died trying to cross the border in 2005. Many die in the desert, where summer temperatures soar above 100 degrees, and many drown while attempting to cross the Rio Grande river.

The commission plans to hang the poster-size maps in March in places where migrants will see them, such as migrant-aid groups, the commission's offices and in Mexican border towns.

They were designed by the Tucson, Ariz.-based rights group Humane Borders, which operates some of the desert water stations. The group previously distributed about 100 posters in the Mexican border town of Sasabe.

The Rev. Robin Hoover, president of Humane Borders, said maps are needed in southern Mexico so migrants can weigh the risks before leaving home.

Some of the posters have warnings, such as "Don't go. There isn't enough water," but officials conceded many migrants were unlikely to heed the advice.

Knocke said the United States had increased personnel and surveillance along the border to discourage illegal crossings and immigrant smugglers.

"Our message should be clear: we are securing our borders and we're dramatically increasing the likelihood of apprehensions," he said.

Farah said migration "is a human right" and that "the United States should be grateful" the commission is doing something to curb the death toll, because "hundreds of thousands of Mexicans help maintain their economy."

Mexicans working in the United States are a huge source of revenue for Mexico, sending home more than $16 billion in remittances in 2004, Mexico's second largest source of foreign currency after oil exports according to the country's central bank.



This bears repeating, "sending home more than $16 billion in remittances in 2004"

Skynut

We need to completly shut down the border and shoot anyone crossing into this country.
If you are stupid enough to escape into mexico then good on you but don't come back illegally.
Then start a fair trade agreement with mexico where they give us a good price on oil to offset the money they are taking from our economy.
You give us oil we will give you jobs.
Also an automatic tax should be applied to all their income and they can file for a return just like we do.
I get so sick of our government turning the other way when **** like this happens.
The majority of us Americans do not want our border to be so free and still the people we put in power just fly us a finger everytime we ****.

venomclan

How about a new program. Every time an illegal is caught, they are deported, to Afghanistan.
Venom

Sami

Skynut wrote:

Then start a fair trade agreement with mexico where they give us a good price on oil to offset the money they are taking from our economy.

Nope. It's all a fair free market. They earn the money so they can do whatever they want with it, they are free to send it to Mexico if they wish.

Skynut

venomclan wrote:

How about a new program. Every time an illegal is caught, they are deported, to Afghanistan.
Venom

Perfect, We deport them to the country of our choice. We tell them where they are as they are leaving the plane.
We also take everything in they have on them to cover the air fare.

aaharvel

You could always lower the minimum wage to $3.15 an hour..



i kid..

F1nut

Sami wrote:

Nope. It's all a fair free market. They earn the money so they can do whatever they want with it, they are free to send it to Mexico if they wish.

If they are illegal (and most are) they shouldn't even be here to be able to send 16 billion back home!!! Not to mention the fact that they ARE NOT paying taxes.

MacLeod

The answer is very simple. Place the military on the border. The constitutionsl duty of the military is to protect our shores and borders and this certainly qualifies.

Im all for LEGAL immigration but this unchecked flood of illegals is getting ridiculous.

Now with the Mexican military crossing our borders in force, that is plenty of justification for getting serious about this.

Skynut

F1nut wrote:

If they are illegal (and most are) they shouldn't even be here to be able to send 16 billion back home!!! Not to mention the fact that they ARE NOT paying taxes.

Ed Zachary

Skynut

MacLeod wrote:

The answer is very simple. Place the military on the border. The constitutionsl duty of the military is to protect our shores and borders and this certainly qualifies.

Im all for LEGAL immigration but this unchecked flood of illegals is getting ridiculous.

Now with the Mexican military crossing our borders in force, that is plenty of justification for getting serious about this.

Ed Zachary

Sami

F1nut wrote:

If they are illegal (and most are) they shouldn't even be here to be able to send 16 billion back home!!! Not to mention the fact that they ARE NOT paying taxes.

But that wasn't the issue. There is a market for illegal immigrant workforce. Take away the minimum wage and there still would be a market for them. I know illegal immigrants that are actually paying taxes just like everyone else.

ohskigod

Sami wrote:

But that wasn't the issue. There is a market for illegal immigrant workforce. Take away the minimum wage and there still would be a market for them. I know illegal immigrants that are actually paying taxes just like everyone else.

very few pay taxes. its not a market issue, its a safety issue. an open porous border in this day and age post 9/11 is a problem waiting to happen. with the airline security and no fly lists and whatnot, the only easy way in is through the borders. And now mexican military? are you effin kidding me?

this is why God made the apache gunship

Illegal immigration is what the name implies. Illegal. we have laws, enforce them. its not rocket science. if there is no cheap illegal labor, then by-by illegal labor market.

MacLeod

Lou is exactly right. Its not about immigration, its about having our borders wide **** open with no checks and barely any security so that virtually anybody can just walk on over. Since we are at war with a bunch of cowardly peace loving muslims that refuse to wear a uniform and abide by the laws of warfare we have to take extra precautions. If I were a skumbag, cowardly peace loving muslim and wanted to sneak in some operatives, I cant think of a better way to do it than to sneak em in across the mexican border.

Plus there is always that pesky little thing about enforcing the law!

Dennis Gardner

Sami wrote:

I know illegal immigrants that are actually paying taxes just like everyone else.

Not into legal accounts, they are using someone elses accounts and claim exempt or low witholding. I had a young employee (hispanic US citizen) that got contacted by the IRS when he was 12 years old when someone stole his SSN and earned $100,000 over a 3 year period and they wanted their taxes now! It took him over 6 years to finally get them to believe that he wasn't the beef packing plant worker that earned the money between the ages of 9-12.

Skynut

I have hired green card workers before and had them fill out their w2 with 13 dependants so they would get all their money. Ther ewas nothing I could legally do about it and I knew this person only had 2 children. They never filed tax returns and eventually left our company when contacted by the IRS.
Just up and quit after 3 years. No notice, nothing just quit and dissapeared.
I still will not discriminate against anyone but it sure pisses me off when something like this happens.

Sami

Dennis Gardner wrote:

Not into legal accounts, they are using someone elses accounts

No they are not. They got their SS numbers while legally in US.

Sami

Skynut wrote:

I have hired green card workers before and had them fill out their w2 with 13 dependants so they would get all their money.

That's really stupid if the person has a green card. As far as working and living in the US goes, there is not much difference between a green card holder and a citizen. Of course not all green card holders want to stay in the US in the long run.

PolkThug

"There is no doubt that Mexicans, filled with dignity, willingness and ability to work, are doing jobs that not even blacks want to do there in the United States."

Demiurge

Yippie, Vicente Fox should encourage LEGAL immigration then. Nice racist comment he made too. There's lots of lazy slugs all over the spectrum who don't want to do the crap jobs and move up the ladder, or apply their skills to running their own businesses. They just want the high paying jobs handed to them.

Skynut

I have nothing against Mexican workers here legally. I will not hire illegals.
I believe they need to go through the proper channels to get here and to work and I believe they need to pay taxes just like the rest of us.
In my opnion those taxes need to be taken out automatically and then re-claimed by the worker via a tax return.
Our politicians are always talking about a deficit but none of them want to be the bad guy who makes sure foreigners are forced to pay their share.
As a working man I pay taxes every day and it pisses me off to see so many people using our welfare and unemployment funds to live their day to day non working lives.
It also pisses me off to know that people are comming here from all other countries to work and skip out on theirs.
It also pisses me off to know that anyone who is not a citizen can just walk into a hospital and get services they don't have to pay for. This jacks up my cost for health ins. and force me to work harder and longer for less take home.
This is not just a Mexican thing, this is a foreigners not following our laws thing. The Mexican border is just the most prominent example of loose borders and immigrant control.
Now add the mexican gov. helping smuggle drugs and things just got worse.

I agree if they are on our soil with their weapons that constitutes an invasion and deserves deadly force. We have a right and duty to defend our borders and I believe that there should be no international incident if we blow the living crap out of their troops right there. Even if we fire the only shots.

We have enough drugs here already to feed all our druggies and we don't need help from any other country.

Sami

Skynut wrote:

In my opnion those taxes need to be taken out automatically and then re-claimed by the worker via a tax return.

Are you talking about the workers with 12 imaginery dependants? If someone really has that many, (s)he can't afford to wait for the tax return check.

As for taxes, can't wait for my return check for real estate taxes and mortgage interest. Not that I will get upgrade bug or anything...

Skynut wrote:

This jacks up my cost for health ins. and force me to work harder and longer for less take home.

I wonder if I can get part of my real estate taxes back as they now say the ISD tax is illegal here in Texas. I don't have any school aged children so why should I pay for others kids? Real estate tax is high here, I pay $4.5k a year for $160k house, and most of it is for ISD so I feel as much screwed about that as you do about the medical costs, which I pay too.