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msnbc.com SAN DIEGO – The Border Patrol says its agents were attacked nearly 1,000 times during a one-year period along the Mexican border, typically by assailants hurling rocks, bottles and bricks. Now the agency is responding with tear gas and powerful, pepper-spray weapons, including firing into Mexico. The counteroffensive has drawn complaints that innocent families are being caught in the crossfire. The Border Patrol’s top official in San Diego, Mike Fisher, said his agents are taking action because Mexican authorities have been slow to respond. When an attack happens, he said, American authorities often wait hours for them to come, and help usually never arrives. “We have been taking steps to ensure that our agents are safe,” Fisher said.
Mexico’s acting consul general in San Diego, Ricardo Pineda, has insisted that U.S. authorities stop firing onto Mexican soil. He met with Border Patrol officials last month after the agency fired tear gas into Mexico. The agency defended that counterattack, saying agents were being hit with a hail of ball bearings from slingshots in Mexico. U.S. officials say the violence indicates that smugglers are growing more desperate as stepped-up security makes it harder to sneak across the border. The assailants try to distract agents long enough to let people dash in the United States.
“When you get that close to the fence, your agents are sitting ducks,” said T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council. Border Patrol agents were attacked 987 times along the U.S.-Mexico border during the 12-month period that ended Sept. 30, the agency said. That’s up 31 percent from 752 attacks a year earlier, and it’s the highest number since the agency began recording attacks in the late 1990s.
Frankly, I am surprised the Border Patrol response isn’t more aggressive. They should not have to put up with this nonsense. When will our limp wristed politicians confront Mexican authorities and lay down an ultimatum? Either do your job, arrest the offenders, or suffer the consequences of retaliation.
OMG, WTF, kittens, I agree with McCullough.
Land mines are cheap and low maintence.
Either do your job, arrest the offenders, or suffer the consequences of retaliation.
Except that if these people are in Mexico, they are Mexican Citizens who have done nothing to be arrested for. Expecting Mexico to enforce our laws is misguided.
How do Mexicans know when they are hungry? Their asshole stops burning.
Why not just pull back the border 1 mile, so these people would actually be on american soil when they attack, then just real ammunition to control them :
#3….What they are doing happens to be against Mexican law as well. Our agent’s have been doing what the Mexican goverment asked them to do in these situation’s and the Mexican authority’s are not living up to their end of the bargin. Personally, I would respond a bit more aggresively.
But, we shouldn’t expect Mexico to do anything, after all they give out map’s to the illegal’s crossing the border and a list of phone number’s to call when they arrive in the border cities of group’s who will help them move deeper into the country. The list’s also include the number’s of lawyer’s to call if arrested that will tie up their deportation for month’s or years.
Hmm. Imagine they were firing rockets into the US…
As usual, the only response America can come up with involves guns. That’s why America won’t agree on any of the climate change proposals. They don’t involve arms sales or the use of force against vastly inferior forces.
I agree with #2, land mines along the border.
Expecting Mexico to enforce THEIR laws is misguided as well. WAKE UP AMERICA!!! There’s an invasion going on, and it’s starting right in OUR BACK YARD!!!!
#8 Blues – exactly how is it that tear gas is considered ‘guns’?
There are several other alternatives that we could start using as well. Then again, we have a President who’s primary claim to fame before the debacle that’s been his presidency was being the Governor who put more humans to death than any serial killer so far.
Now I’m not saying that the boarder patrol has not been using guns. But if people start shooting ball bearings through your windows with wrist rockets, I don’t think you will be very happy to just sit there and take it, especially if every time you call the cops to try to get the people throwing bearings through you windows, they stop by say “Hello, how you doing? You really should do something about all this broken glass here.”
This typeface sucks.
Come on Mexico is not going to do anything about illegals as they sending a shit load of money back to Mexico and yes Chris this typeface sucks.
Should be like the old Berlin Wall. Attempt to cross illegally, boom your dead. I for one have no problem with that. Maybe there wouldn’t be so many illegal crossings if they knew deadly force was going to be applied.
Why even have boarders if you’re not going to enforce them.
#6: Yes, Mexican authorities are inept. But giving maps and numbers to call? sure. That’s a real stupid assumption.
Of course, what they’re doing is ilegal, but they had it coming. I live in a border and I’ve seen what happens. US agents practically harass the people that live near the border. If their house is near the river, they’re victims of eternal day (agents make sure the reflectors are pointed at the houses and not a bit nearer, where it’s more needed) and a lot of Sirens and loud stuff to make sure they don’t sleep.
When you have a group of annoyed/sleepless citizens from whatever country, you’ll get this kind of reaction. No wonder mexican authorities aren’t responding at all.
Instead of covering up the sun with a finger, they should stop playing the victims and accept that they are causing damage to some of the people on the other side of the border and that they have corruption as much as we do. Americans are always demanding, demanding, demanding just to act as if they weren’t doing anything wrong.
I know borders need to be more secure, and I know retalliation for those attacks is not only OK but justified, but everybody acts as if it was uncalled for and it’s all Mexico’s fault. Open your eyes people. It’s a problem for and from both sides.
We can fix the immigration problem with ONE step.
1) Stop outsourcing to Communist China and Communist Vietnam. Goods are produced in Mexico instead. As a result they are safer, better, and Mexicans have jobs and stay home. No need to build an embarassing Berlin-style wall.
Think outside the box, people.
#5, Scott,
Good idea. I am not a fan of land mines but the threat of live fire in a “no-man’s land” might be sufficient to make a few think twice. Then again, maybe it wouldn’t.
#17, Eric,
Could you name a few of these people that criticize illegal immigration and the cost of food? I beef about the cost of certain staples such as dairy that reflect the cost of high grain prices. I would gladly pay more for fresh vegetables if it meant a decent wage for the pickers.
whats up with the font being hella small?
that shit needs to be fixed
also, the landmines should have lasers on em. green ones
We won’t rest ’til we have our very own Palestine…
Shoot to kill.
I know….
Just convince everyone Mexico is full of drug dealers and terrorists and INVADE them. That will teach them, and you might even get low priced oil from the deal.
#15… it is true. That is no assumption. The Mexican gov’t publishes guides for Mexicans trying to slip in to the US. They started it last year.
Maybe Mexico can send over some teachers so many of you can learn how to spell!
If you’re presumably American and want English to be the official language, learn how to use it!
Eric it doesn’t work if the illegals get papers showing they are legal. Most employers don’t knowingly hire illegals.
So much xenophobia.
Ah, Angel, you won this argument. It’s all xenophobia.
So you want to kill the brown people because they are looking for money to better their family or just a better life… I believe that the hispanic people are bettering our economy if anything…none of these lazy ass white men will get out here and do the jobs that they do for what the hispanics are doin it for… this is suppose to be the land of the free… so the point that was trying to be made was that the immigrants tring to cross the border were attacking… just imagine what these ruthless-ass white men are doing to those brown people… I guess americans will always think there shit don’t stink compared to the other colored people… and we think we’ve changed, hmMM!!!!!!