Posted on 01/26/2006 1:18:53 PM PST by Willie Green
For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.
MEXICO CITY - Mexico's top diplomat suggested Thursday that American soldiers disguised as Mexican troops may have been in the military-style Humvee filmed earlier this week protecting a marijuana shipment on the border.
Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez also told a news conference that U.S. soldiers had helped drug smugglers before. However, he offered no evidence.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico made no immediate comment on Derbez's claims.
His comments came a day after U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza issued a statement asking the Mexican government to "fully investigate" the border incident.
Monday's armed standoff began 50 miles east of El Paso, Texas, when Texas state police tried to stop three sport utility vehicles on Interstate 10. The vehicles made a quick U-turn and headed south toward the border, a few miles away.
Crossing the border, one SUV got stuck in the Rio Grande River, and men in a Humvee tried in vain to tow it out. Then a group of men in civilian clothes began unloading what appeared to be bundles of marijuana and torched the SUV before fleeing.
Mexico insisted Wednesday that the men in military-style uniforms were drug smugglers, not soldiers. In Mexico, kidnappers and drug smugglers regularly wear police gear, which is sold at street stands.
Derbez said Thursday that the men photographed by Texas law enforcement could have been Americans.
"Members of the U.S. Army have helped protect people who were processing and transporting drugs," Derbez said. "And just as that has happened ... it is very probable that something like that could have happened, that in reality they were members of some of their groups disguised as Mexican soldiers with Humvees."
Three U.S. soldiers have pleaded guilty to running a cocaine smuggling ring from a U.S. base in Colombia, and a fourth is being tried in Texas this week.
Derbez said there was no proof that the men seen in the incident were Mexicans.
Derbez also said his country will send a diplomatic note to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice demanding that U.S. officials tone down their comments on Mexico's security and immigration problems.
Oh well whoever they are, they sure ain't US Troops. Isn't it time for us to start making alot of noise about this? Like you want to get elected again, do something about this right now, not after the elections are over and you forget what you promised.
The Minutemen projects are starting to look quite a bit more responsible these days.
Then ID the bodies
Nam Vet
Mexico suggests U.S. military could be behind border incident
MEXICO CITY – Mexico's foreign secretary suggested Thursday that uniformed men using a military-style Humvee to help drug traffickers on the border could have been U.S. soldiers or criminals disguised as Mexican troops.
The comments by Luis Ernesto Derbez came a day after U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza issued a strongly worded statement asking the Mexican government to "fully investigate" Monday's border incident.
Derbez called Garza's comments out of line and said his office is sending a diplomatic note asking the ambassador to tone down his rhetoric.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico made no immediate comment.
Derbez also said that men photographed by Texas law enforcement officers as they helped marijuana traffickers flee to Mexico on Monday could have been Americans, but he offered no evidence.
He did refer, however, to an FBI drug sting dubbed Operation Lively Green, in which more than a dozen U.S. military and civilian government workers were arrested in southern Arizona. Some pled guilty to transporting drugs in official vehciles, including Humvees.
"Members of the U.S. Army have helped protect people who were processing and transporting drugs," Derbez told a news conference. "And just as that has happened ... it is very probable that something like that could have happened, that in reality they (the uniformed men at the border) were members of some of their groups disguised as Mexican soldiers with Humvees."
Texas law enforcement officials originally said Mexican soldiers were involved in Monday's incident. Mexican officials earlier have said the uniformed men were drug traffickers disguised as Mexican soldiers. Derbez said Thursday there was no proof that they were even Mexicans.
"There is a supposition here that this involved Mexican citizens, and that is absolutely incorrect," Derbez said. "There would have to have been racial descriptions, and that would imply a certain element of racial discrimination on the part of the American sheriffs."
Derbez said his diplomatic note to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would demand that U.S. officials tone down their comments on Mexico's security and immigration problems, and would request quick results of an investigation into the December shooting of a Mexican migrant.
He complained that Garza should have made his complaints through diplomatic channels.
"We should not convert this, as (Garza) apparently did by publishing his article, into a public relations issue," Derbez said, adding that Garza's comments were "not only wrong, but also don't correspond to reality."
A series of earlier spats have raised tensions between the two nations that largely disagree on the best way to thwart illegal immigration and drug smuggling along the 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) border.
Derbez said Mexico's official position on immigration is now to push not just for legalization and temporary work permits for Mexicans, but for migrants from Central America and other countries as well.
"In any immigration reform, there should be a clause that allows the regularization of all citizens ... not just Mexicans, but other nationalities," Derbez said.
The U.S. Congress has refused to approve any amnesty. Instead it is considering the possibility of extending walls along the border – an idea that Mexico bitterly opposes.
Monday's confrontation began 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of El Paso, Texas, when state police tried to stop three sport utility vehicles on Interstate 10. The vehicles made a quick U-turn and headed south toward the border, a few miles away.
Crossing the border, one SUV got stuck in the river, and the men with the Humvee tried in vain to tow it out. Then a group of men in civilian clothes began unloading what appeared to be bundles of marijuana, and set the SUV on fire before fleeing.
What a load of crap. I guess the Mexican government has been taking lessons from the demoncrats. If you are caught doing something wrong blame anyone else.
Why does this Senor Debez make me think, at first glance, of the former front man for Saddam Hussein, Taraq Azziz?
After shooting them and maybe capturing one or two, take them before the UN and expose them to teh world. Oh wait. I'm talking about the UN actually DOING something. Forget it.
Goodness, where did they find a blue jacket that would fit a Volkswagen?
I seriously think Fox is smoking too much of his own stuff. You're not supposed to do that.
AYE AYE AYE AYE!!!! *checks the larders and makes sure the locks work*. Ya know, I'd reallllly like to know who writes their material. Maybe the blue agave doesn't stop fermenting after you imbibe it. *FEH*
This thread's head article does not accurately portray Monday's Confrontation, in fact the Mexican Military were guarding the Cartel vehicles as they were off loaded of narcotics. A Texas Sherrif KNOWS what the Mexican military looks like! Hear it right from the Sheriff's own mouth:
http:\\www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5171465
[www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5171465]
Demand away, a$$hole. Department of State needs to explain to Derbez, certainly in polite and diplomatic terms to shove it where the sun don't shine...
Re your #36 -
"...bring one of these
Mexican soldiers in for interogation... Time to start running night APs along the border..."
Well, if it happens, it won't be sanctioned by our Gub'mint.
And if anyone else tries it, they'd best not get caught.
On another related thread, it is alledged that one BP Officer griped that they had captured several of these uniformed and armed perps - and were promptly ordered to return their weapons and turn them loose.
It also seems that some of the Texas LE Officers are getting a little fed up with this hogwash, and the next time this happens will not be quite so undergunned, nor do they intend to ask Secretary Gherkov's permission to settle matters right then and there, in the good old Texas way.
I get the impression that Texans don't take all that well to intimidation.
And if this is the way our bureaucrats really want to play, then it may be time for a few mysteriously burned out humvees to be found smouldering on our side of the border, and well fed buzzards circling in the sky overhead.
And there won't be nobody seen nuthin.
Re your #36 -
Interesting pics, but I don't see the alledged menacing Ma Deuces, do you?
That, IMHO, would be more incriminating evidence than the bales of pot.
Is that the Rio Grande that the SUV got stuck trying to get out of?
These guys were back in Mexican teritory by the time these photos were taken, were they not?
Did anyone get photos of them while they were still on US soil?
The Ma Deuce is mounted on the Hummer in the upper right of the pic.
The full film of the event has not been released yet to my knowlege.
Oooh That is exactly what I thought.
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