Posted on 02/24/2006 8:33:21 AM PST by GoRepGo
The U.S. Border Patrol has confirmed that a Mexican government helicopter crossed into the United States Tuesday evening.
The unmarked helicopter crossed into the U.S. near San Luis, Ariz., at 6:30 p.m. and traveled along the Colorado River for approximately a half a mile before returning to Mexico, according to a Customs and Border Protection release.
"After proper coordination and verifications with the government of Mexico, they confirmed that the helicopter belonged to the Mexican Attorney General's Office (PGR) and had mistakenly and unintentionally crossed into U.S. airspace," the release said.
PGR is the federal police force that investigates federal offenses, predominantly drug trafficking and organized crime.
Local border watcher Flash Sharrar, who saw the helicopter while on patrol near County 12th Street, remained steadfast that the helicopter was carrying Mexican soldiers, not federal agents. "That was Mexican military," he said. "You could see the uniforms."
Sharrar, the co-founder of the Yuma Patriots, said the chopper traveled much farther than a half-mile while it was in the United States. He said it was circling in U.S. airspace for as long as 20 minutes.
Yuma sector Border Patrol spokesman Michael Gramley said this was the first incursion by a Mexican helicopter that he could recall in the Yuma sector. Gramley did not have any information beyond that which was provided in the report.
"I think it's happened more often than we really know," Sharrar said.
Sharrar said if the Patriots had not witnessed the incursion, the Border Patrol would have denied that it happened.
Gramley said that would not be the case. "We would surely not attempt to cover up an incident of this type," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at sun.yumasun.com ...
Patroling the border Americans refuse to patrol.
Well, unless we were doing something wrong or had something to hide, what are we worried about?/s
shoot the sunsabeetches down
Mexican incursion across the border ping
Dropping something off... hmmm. Perhaps a probe of our defenses (or lack thereof)?
Nothing to see here. Move along. Nothing to see here, folks. Just move along. Go on about your daily business. Just ignore anything happening over there on the border. Nothing to see here. Move along.
i wish the border situation would get as much attention as this port deal.....
i wish the border situation would get as much attention as this port deal....."'
I think the only way this will keep geting more attention is for Freepers to keep up the good work, and perhaps to find a young reporter trying to make their bones who has the guts to stick their neck out and do a really indepth series of interviews, with photos.
We know W doesn't care about the southwestern portion of the US, and so we might as well allow Mexico have it. /s
Did the helicopter drop anything along the way? ;o)
Isn't this the reason the wall won't really work?
here are some interesting stories for you
Congresswoman: Three Al Qaeda Caught in U.S. After Crossing Border with Mexico
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1519110/posts
Al-Qaida Ops Busted At Mexican Border? (A NC Congresswoman Said Yesterday That They Were
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1519538/posts
You learn quickly Grasshopper.
It's called sovereignty, look into it.
Check the route for dropped drugs...
I think I finally figured out who government looks out for when I saw our representatives running screaming from the capitol because a small plane strayed too close.
Yeah, what're trying to do here, start an international incident with our neighbors to the south?
Sharrar said if the Patriots had not witnessed the incursion, the Border Patrol would have denied that it happened.
[And the Border Patrol replied]
"We would surely not attempt to cover up an incident of this type."
Scouting ahead for the dopers.
Time to issue surface-to-air missiles to the border patrol?
"Local border watcher Flash Sharrar, who saw the helicopter while on patrol near County 12th Street, remained steadfast that the helicopter was carrying Mexican soldiers, not federal agents. "That was Mexican military," he said. "You could see the uniforms."
I would be interested to know what type of helo it was; the Mexicans still operate Russian Mi-26 helos (the last time that I checked). To keep better track of the Mexican aircraft, we might need to provide aircraft identification classes to border watchers.
Same here. And it disgusts me to see the senate and house members jumping all over it, demanding immediate action when they've taken little action to protect our borders. Why don't they go after the border issue with this kind of fast, emergency-like action. They make me sick. Both sides of the aisle are starting to make me sick.
Bad-dges? We don't need no stinkin bad-dges
This sickness has a cure this November. ; )
Mr. Bush, your #1 duty under the Constitution is national security, and I'm growing bored with your bullsh!t. Enough talking about "homeland security", get off your ass and do something about the border.
Please explain how this incident proves a wall intended to prevent ground crossings can't fulfill that function.
In fact, presence of said wall doubles as a border marker so the "we flew over the boarder accidentally," excuse would have less credibility.
Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here
bttt
Any bets that our government will NOT complain to Mexico?
You're right, of course. I merely was saying that the wall won't deter planes. But I am all for it, 100%
I imagine the liberals will demand an investigation as to why President Bush gave away that section of air space.
Ping!
OK. Next time, instead of the Mexican government apologizing for a helicopter crossing the border, let's have the American government apologize for shooting it down.
We DO agree on some things.
That is what I wonder all the time. TO ME, the port, the border and our soldiers dying in Iraq are ALL RELATED. It's all about ** SECURITY **. I wrote some posts making this very point but I have to say, that even here in FR, some people don't seem to see the connection!... and it makes me wonder. Furthermore, I am surprised most people here are not angry at GWB for not doing enough securing the border. I like GWB a lot!... but just like a kid that you love... you have to be tough sometime if they misbehave. The president is a good man, but I don't believe for a minute, he is "infallible." He is human and will makes mistake... that does not mean I am against him.
White House: We have looked into this report and found that the incursion was authorized and determined that no threat to American security exists. Go back to sleep.
Only the Yuma Sun. Never happened. Move along.
Often there is nobody to vote for, if there is he's no good, if he's good he gets up there and gets corrupted.
The game is fixed. Still, it's been going in the right direction, if we keep sending pubs up there for another 20 years maybe we might get something fixed. If the country is still around.
Yeah, there'll be 5000 helicopters a day coming across the border to drop off illegals.
The situation really does remind me of 9-11 when the feds would say "We're the only thing between Al-q and US," and you hoped they were really on top of things but you suspected they probably weren't. Then 9-11 came along and removed all doubts.
The NSA wiretapping was probably the one thing that kept us a step ahead of the indians, and now they know about it.
You put it perfectly!... and so again, I wonder, why people HERE in FR, don't see that? And I mean most of us, like 95% at a minimum? Why don't I see more outrage that nothing has been done on the border.. Why are they so willing to give GWB a pass on something so important?
The country will be here and its leadership will be determined by people who care enough to preserve and hold it.
Ah, this is nothing to fret about. After all, I was so far behind the airplane on my first takeoff in an F-4J out of Yuma, MCAS I was in Mexican airspace for a whole lot longer and a whole lot further than this buffoon.
Wow?! A foreign government aircraft violates U.S. airspace, and it's no big deal? I am new to Free Republic, and do not live on the southern U.S. border. I have seen several reports concerning border crossings, corruption in Mexico, the cost of illegals, etc. on Free Republic, but nothing on my local tv news or newspaper. This seems like stuff the federal government would be very concerned about. Why so little coverage? I have to believe many citizens would be shocked about these things if they knew. Can someone add a little more information?
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