Posted on 01/31/2006 5:27:41 AM PST by FerdieMurphy
EL PASO, Texas -- Suspected drug runners dressed in Mexican military-style uniforms who were involved in an armed confrontation with Texas lawmen were using a Mexican military-issue Humvee and weapons, the Hudspeth County sheriff said Friday.
"It was military," said Arvin West, whose officers were involved in the standoff. "Due to the pending congressional hearings I can't comment further."
West said the determination that the equipment was military-issue came from the federal government, but he wouldn't elaborate. A U.S. Army spokesman said he could not confirm West's statement, and the Mexican Foreign Relations Department said it would have no comment.
The Mexican government has denied that any soldiers were involved in the standoff that occurred Monday in a remote spot along the Rio Grande in West Texas. The smugglers escaped back across the border without a shot fired, abandoning more than a half-ton of marijuana as they fled.
Mexican officials have said the uniforms and other equipment could have been stolen.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and other officials have said they will seek hearings investigating such border incursions.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar, in El Paso Friday, said he could not rule out Mexican soldiers' involvement in the standoff at Neely's Crossing, about 50 miles east of El Paso.
In Mexico, kidnappers and drug smugglers regularly wear police gear, which is sold at street stands.
On Thursday, Mexico's foreign relations secretary suggested the smugglers may have been U.S. soldiers or American criminals disguised as Mexican troops.
Aguilar said he has spoken with his Mexican counterparts and was assured that an intense investigation is under way in Mexico.
A California newspaper reported this month that Mexican military units had crossed into the United States 216 times since 1996. It cited a Department of Homeland Security document, but department Secretary Michael Chertoff has said many of those incidents were just mistakes.
Also Friday, Aguilar said Border Patrol and other law enforcement are reporting that a new violent tactic is being used against them: "flaming rocks," rocks wrapped in cloth, dipped in gasoline, set on fire and thrown across the border.
Most of the incidents have happened near San Diego, and one officer has been injured, he said.
Authorities fear a deadly confrontation as attacks against Border Patrol agents increase. Last fiscal year there were 778 reported incidents, compared with 396 in 2004.
What DIFFERENCE did it make if they were wearing Mexican Army uniforms or standing there stark-assed naked?
If they shoot at us, SHOOT BACK!
'International incident' be damned!
Swift Boats! have you seen the Rio Grande? You would be better off partoling the Rio Grande with ATV's, at certain times of the year it is only inches deep at best. The farmers in New Mexico have been diverting most of the water for years. It is not much of a river. That is one reason it is so easy to cross.
Cornyn's not fooling anybody, he's opposed to a fence and wants to keep the borders open. Hearings are a cozy little way of sweeping everything under the rug while pretending to do something.
You are absolutely right. I've written him snail-mail letters on this issue and friends of mine have done so too, he has no excuse. What did he do, wake up yesterday and find that he was in Texas, does he live in a vacuum?
More posturing. Ditto for Kay Bailey Hutchison, everyone's favorite gal doncha know... Notice how quiet they are?
Gov. Perry doesn't need DC's permission to secure our border, we have the Texas Guard and other LE agencies, no, it's cowardice, called lack of leadership.
"A California newspaper reported this month that Mexican military units had crossed into the United States 216 times since 1996."
Well, it would appear as though it was to attend church services, since Washington is not upset by their presence in our country...
At least Kay Bailey Hutchison has publicly stated she might back the fence. But I think for those who won't comment on what's going on it comes down to wanting to keep that cheap labor flowing in and they'd prefer the bad publicity of foreign militaries on our soil went away.
We've put up with Castro for over forty years and our (hemi)sphere of influence is riddled with communist governments AGAIN.
No one in our government knows what the Monroe Doctrine was, we gave away the strategically important Panama Canal (thanks to Jimmie Pinko Kahtah and the complicit RepublicRATs), but we are bringing "freedom" to Iraq while our big trading buddies the communist Chinese have every missile they own pointing in our direction.
Iran keeps busy with their "peaceful" nuclear program and that pile of excrement known as North Korea keeps giving us the finger....and we take it!
I remember this incident. What's been happening to these criminals during the past eight months?
If we had a leader who wasn't interested in teeing off American citizens who have Mexican ties, we'd do something really significant like closing our embassy (our ambassador would have to bring his Mexican wife to the US) and kicking their ambassador out of the country.
And pigs might fly.
He can do it in person during their usual poker night on Friday.
Unfortunately, it just may be a shooting war with Mexico is the only thing which will entice our government to take real steps to close our border to this ongoing invasion.
bttt
This must be the result of the "don't fight back" policy.
Thanks RepublicRAT Party for listening to the base that continues to reelect you term after term after term.
Unfortunately, even then, one or two deaths will just be shushed up if at all possible by Bush, McVain, the OBL and a willing MSM.
"accident..." "misunderstanding..." "thier own fault..."
The last time I was down along the Rio Grande in Texas was back in the 1970's. So no, I haven't seen it lately.
ATV's sounds good to me, as long as they're backed up by Bradley's and M-1's.
Sounds good to me.
bttt
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