Southern Border Incursions

Patterico's Pontifications ^ | Feb. 02, 2008

[jdm]

A January 29, 2008, article from the El Paso Times reports the release of government records (obtained by Judicial Watch) that show 25 incursions by Mexican military and police into the US in 2007, and 278 incursions since 1996:

“At a time when violence in Juárez is affecting El Paso, a report released Monday showed that Mexican police and soldiers made 25 incursions into the United States in 2007, including two in El Paso.

The Border Patrol documents, obtained by Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group in Washington, D.C., said that 21 of the incidents involved Mexican police officials and four incidents involved Mexican military personnel.”

Here are the numbers for the past 10 years:

“Number of incursions by Mexican government personnel (soldiers and police officers) into the United States at the border since 1996:

# San Diego sector: 22.
# El”Centro, Calif., sector: 77.
# Yuma, Ariz., sector: 42.
# Tucson sector: 51.
# El Paso sector (includes all of New Mexico): 37.
# Marfa sector: 8.
# Del Rio sector: 3.
# Laredo sector: 9.
# Rio Grande Valley sector: 29.

# Total: 278.”

The article provided details of the only two incursions from Mexico that occurred in the El Paso sector during 2007:

“The two incidents that occurred last year in the El Paso sector, which covers all of New Mexico, are as follows:

# On May 13, 2007, a Mexican police helicopter allegedly flew a quarter-mile into U.S. airspace near Columbus, N.M., for at least four minutes. The Border Patrol report into the incident said the helicopter might have been looking for a group of lost Mexican nationals. It flew back into Mexican airspace. The incursion was listed as “intentional.”

# On Sept. 20, 2007, a Mexican police officer entered the United States in pursuit of a suspect somewhere in El Paso. The officer went about 44 feet into U.S. territory before turning around, according to the report. The suspect, who was limping, was caught by the Border Patrol and taken to Las Palmas Medical Center after he complained that the Mexican police had shot him in the knee.”

There have also been US incursions into Mexico:

“Mexican officials have also criticized U.S. officials for border incursions into Mexico, although those appear to be fewer in number.

In El Paso for example, Border Patrol agents crossed into Mexico in November 2006 while pursuing drug smugglers west of Fabens. Border Patrol officials at the time said the incursion was no more than 25 feet into Mexico and the agents acted in the heat of the moment, but the incident generated a public opinion scandal in Mexico.

Border Patrol officials said they kept track of those north-to-south incursions as well but could not provide a list right away.”

There are fewer incursions from the US into Mexico than from Mexico into the US, so it’s interesting that one of the US incursions into Mexico happened in November 2006 in Fabens, the same sector where Ramos and Compean encountered and shot Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila. After the Ramos/Compean case, Fabens is a surprising sector for Border Patrol agents to (1) pursue smugglers and (2) cross the international border, let alone to do so (3) “in the heat of the moment.” And yet it apparently happened.

Are the Border Patrol agents in the Fabens sector not as well-supervised or could they be more prone to reckless behavior? It’s possible but, especially after the Ramos/Compean incident, I doubt it. At this point, Fabens seems like the least likely Border Patrol sector to have something like this happen.

I wonder what happened in November 2006 that caused the Fabens Border Patrol agents to cross the border in pursuit of a drug smuggler?

[killermedic]

Thank you Senator Juan McCain for your “straight talk” about border security. I guess these Mexican Oficionados are only doing the jobs that our policia and militaria won’t do or get ordered to do!

[Don W]

Now let’s list the number of cross border incursions on the Northern US border, by both officials in “hot pursuit” and “accidental transgression”.

Funny thing: I can remember only ONE in the last 5 years, and it was ONLY the suspect, crossing FROM the USA. I also remember a bunch of FReepers flipping out that Canada’s border guards were unarmed at the time. Much derision and denigration of Canada Customs was apparent at the time.

What the F difference does it make to have border guards armed if they don’t USE those arms, HMMMM?

The only time I can remember a terrorist threat coming from OUR side of the border was the Ahmed Ressam incident of 1999. EVERY ONE of the 8/11 bombers came in through US customs on US soil, and lived and workedschooled in the US for a couple of years.

Clean up your own mess before preaching, mmmmkay?

Nothing personal, but I’m trying to stop disinformation before some uninformed twit posts the canard re: 9/11 bombers and weak corder in the North too. We live quite well up here too, we don’t need to “invade” like the Mexicans ARE.