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Armed Mexican drug trafficers, media ignore story

Armed Mexicans Attack Unarmed National Guard Troops on US Soil

By Jim Kouri

Saturday, January 6, 2007

In a story that should have rang alarm bells in every newsroom across the nation, armed Mexican entered the United States and attacked unarmed National Guard troops working at a border patrol post near the US-Mexican border. The troops had to retreat to safety.

Not surprisingly, the news story received scant coverage by the mainstream news media and hardly a mention on the Fox News Channel. It's a story that should outrage all Americans including President George W. Bush.

Unfortunately, President Bush and his Administration did not even comment on this vicious attack on unarmed US troops as well as the unbridled assault on American sovereignty. During a press conference held on Friday afternoon by Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, there was not one word about this unprovoked attack on soldiers.

According to syndicated columnist and journalist Sher Zieve, the attack was initiated by several Mexican nationals at about 1:00 AM (et) Thursday morning at one of the National Guard entrance identification team posts near Sasabe. The troops retreated to safety. According to KVOA TV News reports in Tucson, AZ, no shots were fired and no one suffered injuries.

The US Border Patrol is conducting an investigation into the attack. Investigators are attempting to determine who the armed men were, what they were doing and why they approached the post before returning to Mexico.

A Border Patrol agent, who requested anonymity, says that the well-armed intruders were drug traffickers who are fully aware US National Guard troops are prohibited from carrying any type of weapon and have been ordered not to confront lawbreakers coming across the border. The Guard troops are not allowed to apprehend illegal entrants, as well.

"Basically, the National Guard troops are doing what private groups such as the Minuteman Project have done at US borders -- observe and report," said a Homeland Security Department official.

What he failed to mention is that the Minutemen didn't cost taxpayers millions of dollars to just stand at the border unarmed and act as the eyes and ears of the already stretched-thin Border patrol agents.

"We don't know if this was a matter of somebody coming up accidentally on the individuals, coming up intentionally on the individuals, or some sort of a diversion," Rob Daniels, spokesman for the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector told KVOA News.

The west desert corridor has been the busiest in the Tucson Sector for marijuana seizures since last year. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, agents have seized 124,000 pounds of marijuana there since October 1, 2006.

With more Border Patrol agents and National Guard troops patrolling the Arizona section of the U.S.-Mexican border, it has become more difficult to smuggle drugs and people across may have caused drug and human smugglers to become more aggressive.

Since arriving in mid-June, the Guard has assisted the Border Patrol by manning control rooms, doing vehicle and helicopter maintenance, repairing roads and fences, constructing vehicle barriers and fences and spotting and reporting illegal entrants in entrance identification teams.

There are dozens of National Guard entrance identification teams along the Mexican border, including east and west of both Nogales and Sasabe and on the Tohono O'odham Nation. All of the teams are unarmed.

"This is one of the most expensive dog-and-pony shows dreamed up by the Washington establishment in recent history. Imagine using trained troops on the US border unarmed and prohibited from taking action. It's a scam," says Mike Baker, a political analyst.

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country.