Immigrants Shot Crossing Border - 8 Wounded, 3 Hospitalized

Channel 7 San Diego ^ | June 14, 2002

[Shermy]

SAN DIEGO -- Eight illegal immigrants were wounded when a sport utility vehicle carrying 23 people was fired upon in a remote desert wash in northern Mexico and again after it had crossed over the border into the United States, authorities said Friday.

Officials in Mexico and the United States are investigating a claim by at least one of the victims that it may have been a Mexican military unit that fired on the SUV in Mexico, said Sgt. Manuel Garcia of the Imperial County Sheriff's Department.

The immigrants from Mexico and Central America were attempting to cross illegally into the United States when their Chevrolet Suburban was struck with bullets from what appeared to be a large-caliber weapon about 12:30 a.m. Friday, Garcia said.

Border Patrol agents came across the immigrants shortly after the shooting on a dirt road about 75 yards north of the international boundary in the desert about 100 miles east of San Diego.

"They were in a panic," Garcia said. "Thank God the Border Patrol was so close."

Three of the immigrants remained hospitalized Friday afternoon, including two who had been taken by helicopter to San Diego because of the severity of their injuries, said Border Patrol Agent Dionicio Delgado. They were listed in stable condition, he said.

All of those injured were men. Among those inside the van were six women and one young child.

The immigrants told authorities they came upon a second vehicle that at least one of them said may have been a Jeep or Humvee military-style vehicle, Garcia said.

Both vehicles had their headlights off when they first encountered each other in a desert wash on the Mexican side of the border. The immigrants sped off when the headlights in the second vehicle suddenly came on. A short lime later, they were hit with the first burst of gunfire.

It appears that the immigrants were fired upon again after they had crossed into the United States. But by analyzing tire tracks, authorities determined that the second vehicle did not cross the border, Garcia said.

U.S. authorities have contacted the Mexican attorney general's office to request assistance with the investigation, he said.

The Mexican Consulate in the Imperial Valley did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Raul Ramirez Baena, the human rights ombudsman for the border state of Baja California, Mexico, said his agency had received a report that the Mexican Army was involved in the shooting and investigators planned to interview the victims when they returned to Mexico.

[Shermy]

Ping.

[gitmo]

Aren't there a lot of stories in the past few months about Mexican police in US territory firing machine guns at Border Patrol and at civilians?

[Black Agnes]

Sad. Guess they forgot to bribe the Mexican officials before they left...(Why is MX SO Corrupt!?)

[monkeywrench]

Sounds like they stumbled upon a drug deal.

[spectre]

"...planned to intreview the victims WHEN they returned to Mexico."

How about IF they return to Mexico (I'm a cynic).

[exnavy]

This is the area that my nephew patrols, wonder if he was on duty?

[dts32041]

Because the people who founded the country where influence by the muslims in spain.

[Shermy]

Yep. One side changes the deal - I figure the "soldiers" - and the aliens or smugglers make a run for it, IMO.

[Black Agnes]

Not sure I buy that allegation. I find it interesting that of the 3 large countries in central and north america, CA and US have made a decent go of it and given our citizens a decent standard of living for the most part, but for some perplexing reason MX just can't. There's no substantive reason MX has to be 3rd world, they have plenty of natural resources and for a country the size it is they're not really that overcrowded if you'd spread people away from the city slums. Too bad they can't do a Japan or South Korea and snap out of it!

[scholar]

Three of the immigrants remained hospitalized Friday afternoon, including two who had been taken by helicopter to San Diego because of the severity of their injuries, ...

And the already overburdened U.S. healthcare system is going to bear the cost of their medical care.

[timestax]

Sounds like it could be a set-up for a lawsuit against the USA. They might claim it was USA firing on them. $$$$$$$$$

[Tancredo Fan]

Thanks for the ping. O'Reilly just mentioned that there has been another incursion by the wretched Mexican military. Maybe this is what he was talking about. He wants the military on the border, and so do I and millions of other Americans. Mexico is seriously pushing their luck.

[glc1173@aol.com]

This is - at least - the second incident in a month in which Mexican military crossed the border and fired inside the U.S. (last time was at a Border Patrol agent in his marked car).

Demand that Jorge Bush get our army off of guarding borders between former YugoNam "republics" and put it down there to protect us from invasion. And if he won't do that, demand his impeachment.

IMMIGRATION resource library - with public-health facts of immigration!

[Dark Wing]

ping

[sneakypete]

Demand that Jorge Bush get our army off of guarding borders between former YugoNam "republics" and put it down there to protect us from invasion.

Now,let's be reasonable here! If Bubba-2 were to do that,how could he be assured his nephew George "The Mexican" Bush would be elected as president of the new "North American Union" when he's old enough? How could the Bush family get those valuable Mexican oil contracts that Fox controls?

BTW,doesn't Bubba-2 look just DREAMY in his sombrero?

[solo gringo]

These are not immagrants they are illegal alians or illegals mexicans not immagrants they have not been immagranted they are no more than border invaders.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

These are not immagrants they are illegal alians or illegals mexicans not immagrants they have not been immagranted they are no more than border invaders.

The media can't make up its mind. One week it's immigrants, the next it's migrants, or maybe undocumented worker. Anything but what they are: illegal aliens.

[MissAmericanPie]

I think it may be a case of mistaken identity. The border patrol drive SUV's, and there is a bounty on their heads, put there by drug lords. I forget wheather it is 20,000 or 200,000 for killing a border patrol agent. At least that's the rumor.

[FreeReign]

...his agency had received a report that the Mexican Army was involved in the shooting...

It certainly wasn't the U.S. Army.