- For the second time this year, Mexican army soldiers
have crossed into the United States and fired upon U.S. Border Patrol
agents, leaving Border Patrol union members furious and demanding federal
intervention.
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- According to L. Keith Weeks, vice president of the National
Border Patrol Union Local 1613 in San Diego, Calif., two border patrolmen
who had just disembarked from a "clearly marked Border Patrol helicopter"
immediately came under fire from a 10-man unit of what appeared to be
soldiers with the Mexican army.
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- In a statement, Weeks said the incident occurred Oct.
24 in Copper Canyon, about eight miles east of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.
Weeks confirmed the contents of the statement to WorldNetDaily.
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- "It happened," he said yesterday. "These
agents departed their helicopter and were immediately fired upon."
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- Weeks said about eight shots were fired. The Mexican
military unit was dressed in military-style uniforms with tactical vests
and carried "high-powered military rifles with bayonets," he
said.
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- As the agents began to receive fire, they took cover
in thick brush nearby. Weeks said they shouted in Spanish that they were
U.S. Border Patrol agents, but "were nonetheless pursued by some
of the soldiers," who crossed into the United States by entering
through a well-maintained barbed-wire fence.
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- As the Mexican soldiers came after the border agents,
other soldiers set up a pair of sniper positions -- one inside Mexico
and the other inside the U.S., "pointing their weapons in the direction
of the [agents]," said Weeks.
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- The soldiers, in Spanish, ordered the agents out of
the brush, but they refused. Instead, the agents re-identified themselves
and ordered the soldiers to return to Mexico.
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- "Once other Border Patrol agents neared the scene,"
Weeks said, "the soldiers retreated to Mexico and drove off in a
minivan."
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- Homemade road sign outside of Douglas, Ariz.,
erected by local ranchers protesting what they perceive as lax federal
border policies.
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- Last week's incident marks the second time in less than
seven months that armed Mexican army units have crossed into U.S. territory
and fired on Americans.
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- On March 14, Mexican soldiers crossed the border in two
Mexican army Humvees, firing on a Border Patrol vehicle near Santa Teresa,
N.M.
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- Border Patrol union officials said the Mexicans chased
the Americans over a mile onto U.S. soil. The Humvees held about 16 "heavily
armed" soldiers.
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- The lead Mexican army vehicle contained nine soldiers
"armed with seven automatic assault rifles, one submachine gun and
two .45 caliber pistols," and was eventually apprehended by other
Border Patrol units. The second Humvee, however, "pursued a Border
Patrol agent on horseback and fired a shot at him. The soldiers then disembarked
their vehicle, fired upon one more Border Patrol agent and chased another
agent before fleeing [back] to Mexico in their vehicle."
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- Union officials said the members of the lead Mexican
army vehicle were debriefed and eventually allowed to return to Mexico
with their arms and vehicle.
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- At that time, Mariela Melero, regional spokesperson
for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, told WorldNetDaily that
high-level contacts with the Mexican government regarding the incident
were in the works, but had no specifics.
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- Border Patrol officials in March confirmed that the
Juarez cartel, one of Mexico's biggest drug gangs, has placed a bounty
of $200,000 on U.S. lawmen.
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