http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/border/ en-us Sun, 3 Jan 2010 03:14:26 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419806/posts Desperate Somalis Seek 'Back-Door' Route To U.S. By AMY TAXIN, Associated Press Writer LANCASTER, Calif. – The asylum seeker from Somalia hung his head as an immigration judge grilled him about his treacherous journey from the Horn of Africa. By air, sea and land he finally made it to Mexico, and then a taxi delivered him into the arms of U.S. border agents at San Diego. Islamic militants had killed his brother, Mohamed Ahmed Kheire testified, and majority clan members had beaten his sister. He had to flee Mogadishu to live. The voice of the judge, beamed by videoconference from... AP Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419806/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 03:14:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419700/posts LANCASTER, Calif. – The asylum seeker from Somalia hung his head as an immigration judge grilled him about his treacherous journey from the Horn of Africa. By air, sea and land he finally made it to Mexico, and then a taxi delivered him into the arms of U.S. border agents at San Diego. Islamic militants had killed his brother, Mohamed Ahmed Kheire testified, and majority clan members had beaten his sister. He had to flee Mogadishu to live. Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419700/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 22:20:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418021/posts TUCSON — As a Border Patrol agent continues to recover from a gunshot wound, the agency’s regional chief says the violence is part of a larger problem. There has been a 300 percent increase in assaults on agents in the first two months of this fiscal year (October and November) compared to last year — 108 compared to 27 in the Tucson Sector. Many of these assaults have involved rocks large enough to inflict serious injury or death. The assaults are usually used as a tactic to evade apprehension or draw agents away from other illegal smuggling activity nearby, the... SIERRA VISTA Herald/Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418021/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:22:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417763/posts <p>With the healthcare battle still unfinished, the Obama administration has been laying plans to take up an issue that could prove even more divisive -- a major overhaul of the nation's immigration system.</p> <p>Senior White House aides privately have assured Latino activists that the president will back legislation next year to provide a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States.</p> The New Media Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417763/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:04:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416244/posts A Border Patrol agent was shot in the ankle Sunday evening south of Tucson, officials said. The shooting happened at about 5:30 p.m. near Rio Rico in the Ramanote Canyon area, said Omar Candelaria, a Border Patrol spokesman. The agent suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken by helicopter to University Medical Center in Tucson. The agent's condition was not immediately known. Arizona Daily Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416244/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:50:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414107/posts KHOST PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Dec. 23, 2009 – On a rugged mountaintop bordering Pakistan, less than two miles from Northern Waziristan, sits Combat Outpost Chergotah in Afghanistan’s Khost province. Army mortar men from the Indiana National Guard provide 120 mm mortar-fire support to soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team at Combat Outpost Chergotah in the Terezayi district of Afghanistan’s Khost province, Dec. 4, 2009. U.S. Air Force photo by bStaff Sgt. Stephen J. Otero  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Here, U.S. Army soldiers work with Afghan border policemen to sustain border security and maintain peace among... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414107/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:32:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413360/posts Iraq's border forces lack the resources to properly police the country's long frontier with Iran and keep out insurgents and smugglers, US soldiers engaged in training them say. afp http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413360/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:13:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409196/posts U.S. Army 1st Lt. Pat Barone, a platoon leader, and Sgt. Daryl Appling, both with Company D, 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (Advise and Assist Brigade), explain to Iraqi department of border enforcement Soldiers how to conduct tactical patrols at night along the Iraqi-Syrian border, Dec. 9, 2009. Photo by Spc. Mike MacLeod, 82nd Airborne Division. COS UBAYDI — Since U.S. advise and assist forces began partnering with Iraqi border patrols along the Syrian border in mid-November, the instances of smugglers circumventing Port of Entry stations have all but ceased, according to the Department... Multinational Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409196/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:07:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404937/posts HAVANA — Suspected drug smugglers used spikes to deflate the tires of a U.S. Border Patrol unit during a pursuit Tuesday night — at least the second incident in which area authorities have discovered the devices in a week. Border Patrol would not confirm whether the spikes deflated the tires of an agency vehicle Tuesday night, but court documents reveal agents also found the homemade devices after an agent fired gunshots during a confrontation last week. Meanwhile, authorities are concerned the spikes could cause further incidents on Rio Grande Valley roadways. The spikes, or caltrops, consist of several metal points... The Monitor http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404937/posts#comment Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:45:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404513/posts The federal government's border fence has been called the Tortilla Curtain. But in the swamp of border politics, there's a more effective barrier at play, one that filters ideas rather than people. It explains why most Americans still don't fully understand the disaster on our southern border. This tortilla curtain is propped up by much of the major media, activist groups and cheap-labor-addicted businesses, big and small. They're all spinning us, for their own reasons. But the list includes the feds, too. Tucson Weekly http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404513/posts#comment Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:51:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404217/posts Americas: Venezuela's Hugo Chavez was all bluster last weekend, flashing his missiles, hurling insults and spoiling for a fight with Colombia. The big danger here isn't Chavez, but growing White House indifference to an ally. This fall, when U.S. officials agreed to expanded military-base access in Colombia to fight drug trafficking and terrorism, it never occurred to them how much Chavez would use the arrangement as a pretext for aggression. "They are preparing a war against us," Chavez said Monday. So from Russia, he said, "thousands of missiles are arriving," along with T-72 military tanks "to strengthen our armored divisions."... Investors.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404217/posts#comment Thu, 10 Dec 2009 01:29:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403881/posts Millions of undocumented people in the U.S. should be given a path to legal status after the country finds a way to stop illegal immigration, business and government leaders said in a report Wednesday. The University of Denver report argues that legalizing as many of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants as possible could strengthen the economy and national security. But it should come with conditions, such as requiring new immigrants to learn English, pass criminal and medical background checks, and pay any taxes that they owe, the document states. The report is the product of a year of discussions... Associated Press - http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403881/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 18:33:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403803/posts Shepard BarbashHelping Mexico Help Itself A more prosperous, democratic southern neighbor would reduce crime and illegal immigration. Autumn 2009 Two crises have deepened America’s anxieties over immigration since Congress tried to reform the law two years ago: the global recession and an outburst of murder and mayhem in northern Mexico. The recession has aroused antipathy for foreigners who compete for jobs. The violence along the border, which stems from a high-stakes campaign by Mexican president Felipe Calderón to bust apart several large drug cartels, has inflamed fears that our borders aren’t secure. Americans differ on what to do about... City Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403803/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 17:00:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403055/posts El Paso, Texas - A Mexican Army Humvee with a machine gun and several soldiers on foot entered into the U.S. through the Columbus Port of Entry early Saturday morning. The incident happened at about 2:35 a.m. Saturday when the Mexican soldiers were chasing three U.S. citizens, according to Customs and Border Patrol spokesperson Roger Maier. The group of soldiers was confronted by CBP inspectors and the soldiers quickly turned around on orders from one of their officers. A few minutes later, a Mexican Army commander arrived and apologized to the U.S. inspectors, claiming the soldiers had been pursuing a... KVIA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403055/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 19:04:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401956/posts Shortly after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, a secret government report highlighted a way terrorists might easily enter the United States carting weapons of mass destruction. It wasn't by air or sea. The classified analysis pointed to an arid and sparsely populated stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona teeming with drug runners. "This area has become very active with smuggling and encrypted radio traffic," says the report titled "Threat Assessment for Public Lands" completed by the Interior Department in late 2002. "This would be an ideal area to smuggle a weapon of mass destruction." The report, marked... The Salt Lake City Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401956/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 13:23:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401803/posts American college prof develops cell-phone tool to help illegals cross borderIllegal aliens crossing the U.S.-Mexico border now have a cell phone tool to chart the best route, find food and locate people who will help them enter the country – courtesy of a professor at a state-funded university. Ricardo Dominguez, a University of California, San Diego tenured visual arts professor and activist, designed the Transborder Immigrant Tool, an application much like a global-positioning system used in cars, to help illegals find the best locations for food, water and groups to assist them as they sneak into America. Dominguez is also... WorldNetDaily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401803/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 02:54:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396539/posts Sgt. 1st Class David A. Holder, the non-commissioned officer in charge with the 561st Movement Control Team Detachment out of Springfield, Mo., watches a truck driver open his vehicle at the validation yard at Habur Gate on the Iraq/Turkey border, recently. Holder, a Waco, Texas, native, inspected the truck for items not on the transportation movement request before the driver could process his paperwork and wait for a convoy south into Iraq. Photo by Sgt. Ryan Twist, 13th Sustainment Command. HABUR GATE — Iraqi Security Forces, U.S. Soldiers and civilian contractors here are manning the Iraq/Turkey border to ensure the... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396539/posts#comment Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:46:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395670/posts Seven minute clip features rare FLIR footage from aerial platforms on the southern border of the US. Footage shows illegals hiking and hiding in small groups and large. Aerial personnel vector ground BP officers to illegals unseen. Radio chatter shows a lack of efficient terms and SOPs for flyer control arresting officers on foot. Sometimes groups of 30 or more are seen scattering into the desert, upon realization of their discovery & impending arrest. Encouraging, but who knows how soon we'll see them again...? We don't know what happens to them after their arrest. ApacheClips.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395670/posts#comment Sat, 28 Nov 2009 01:50:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395470/posts WASHINGTON — After several years of fighting the U.S.-Mexico border fence, a coalition of Texas elected officials is working with the Obama administration on ways to improve border ports and facilitate trade while fighting drug smuggling. The Texas Border Coalition's involvement with policymaking comes after a bitter tangle with the federal government over construction of the fence that Congress and the White House approved, but border business leaders and human rights groups opposed. “We've got to work together,” said Chad Foster, Eagle Pass mayor and the coalition's chairman. “But that is where the wheels came off the cart — when... San Antonio Express-News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395470/posts#comment Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:27:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2394322/posts The current of the Rio Grande drags the pebbles and water through the tale of two cities. Those who reside on the U.S. side of El Paso count their blessings to be living in the second safest small city behind Honolulu; while a hop, skip and jump across the bridge sits Mexico’s most violent city of Juarez, where murder, chaos and drug cartels are commonplace. Juarez has become the new Nuevo Laredo of 2009 and is a throw back into the wild west, gun battles in the streets, unidentified bodies taken away by the dozen; yet one thing protects the... Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2394322/posts#comment Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:23:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390865/posts John McCain's problems inside his own party were hardly overcome by his place as its nominee, Rasmussen reports. The new poll shows McCain up just two points, 45% to 43%, in a hypothetical contest with former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, now a popular local radio talker, who's mulling a bid. Politico / Rasmussen http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390865/posts#comment Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:50:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2387210/posts In the battle on the U.S.-Mexico border, the fight against illegal immigration often loses out to environmental laws that have blocked construction of parts of the "virtual fence" and that threaten to create places where agents can't easily track illegal immigrants. Documents obtained by Rep. Rob Bishop and shared with The Washington Times show National Park Service staffers have tried to stop the U.S. Border Patrol from placing some towers associated with the virtual fence, known as the Secure Border Initiative or SBInet, on wilderness lands in parks along the border. In a remarkably candid letter to members of Congress,... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2387210/posts#comment Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:40:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2387097/posts OTTAWA — Canada’s newly armed border guards have claimed their first victim: a hapless moose. The creature was felled by the duty sidearm of a border officer in late August, newly disclosed documents show. The incident — marking the first time a border-guard sidearm has been discharged on duty — occurred about 25 kilometres west of Creston, B.C., as an unidentified intelligence officer with the Canada Border Services Agency was driving on official business to Nelson, B.C. The officer was behind an RCMP vehicle when both drivers spotted an injured moose struggling in the westbound lane of Highway 3. The... THE CANADIAN PRESS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2387097/posts#comment Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:49:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386702/posts he fence was sabotaged a few days ago with a pole removed near the place of the assassination of Agent Rosas. This is usually an indication of an impending drug smuggling. The fence was repaired, and the Border Patrol remains on heightened alert with increased patrols, scope trucks and a Border Patrol vehicle at Kingfish's high point. Gadget Dan reports we have completed (in November), our 40Th. month for litter removal. Over the past 40 months, we have removed over 42,000 pounds of litter from public lands. Monthly totals for litter removal have ranged from 700 pounds in earlier months,... Campo Minutmen http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386702/posts#comment Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:25:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2383650/posts This presentation presents information obtained from a National Park Study and a Department of Interior Threat Assessment report about the devastating impacts of designated federal Wilderness on our country's southern border: http://www.peopleforwesternheritage.com/PFPOWH_WildernessOnTheBorder/Presentation_Files/index.html According to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, "Law enforcement work in the National Park Service is the most dangerous in federal service. National Park Service officers are 12 times more likely to be killed or injured as a result of an assault than FBI agents. Overall, NPS law enforcement has a morbidity rate triple that of the next worst federal agency." People For Preserving Our Western Heritage http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2383650/posts#comment Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:24:08 GMT