-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_dougherty/20000328_xnjdo_border_acc.shtml Border accident or bounty hunting? Stories conflict as to why Mexican soldiers shot at U.S. border agents By Jon E. Dougherty © 2000 WorldNetDaily.com Against a sinister backdrop of possible bounty-hunting by Mexican soldiers, U.S. Border Patrol officials say they are increasingly worried about "armed incursions" into U.S. territory by heavily armed Mexican army units, citing a recent incident in which Mexican soldiers chased -- then fired shots at -- Border Patrol agents. The National Border Patrol Council, a nationwide union that represents all 8,250 "non-supervisory Border Patrol employees," said although the shooting aspect was unique, Mexican anti-drug police and specialized anti-narcotic army troops make routine "incursions" into U.S. territory. On Mar. 14, shortly after 10 p.m. local time, "two Mexican army Humvees carrying about 16 armed soldiers drove across the international boundary and into the United States near Santa Teresa, New Mexico." There the vehicles pursued a Border Patrol vehicle, which was "outfitted with decals and emergency lights (that were activated for much of the pursuit) over a mile into the United States." The lead Mexican army vehicle, the Border Patrol council said, 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." 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. Though the incident "is the most serious to date," the council said, "it is but one of hundreds of incursions that have been reported over the past several years," and it has led union officials to call on Congress and the Clinton administration to deal with it. "We will pursue all avenues to bring out the truth," said Martin L. Wilson, president of the Border Patrol union's Local 1929, which includes the Santa Teresa district. "We will not let this incident go away without looking for answers and changes for the betterment of the members of our local." Martin said the agents involved had "promised to give us a first-hand account of the incident," and he emphasized that "this local has not called for the ouster of the (Border Patrol) chief (Gus de la Vina), regardless of what has been put out by outside groups." Mariela Melero, regional spokesperson for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, based in Dallas, told WorldNetDaily high-level contacts with the Mexican government regarding the incident are in the works, but had no specifics. The Border Patrol is part of the INS, and both agencies fall under the jurisdiction of the Justice Department. The El Paso, Texas Border Patrol office told WorldNetDaily, "in both instances, Mexican soldiers apparently were not aware they had crossed into U.S. territory." The El Paso office acknowledged that two shots had been fired by the Mexican soldiers, but said that after "Border Patrol agents identified themselves and explained" that the Mexicans were on U.S. soil, one of the Humvees carrying the soldiers "retreated" south while the occupants of the second vehicle "surrendered to the Border Patrol agents." INS officials said that shortly after the incident, the Mexican colonel in charge of the two squads met with Luis Barker, chief Border Patrol agent in charge in El Paso. "The Mexican colonel explained that the Mexican vehicles and officers were part of a counter-narcotics unit that had previously been working primarily in the interior of Mexico and were unfamiliar with border areas," INS said. Paul M. Berg, chief of the Border Patrol Agent's Association, said that U.S. border officers had been caught armed in Mexico before as well, and so far U.S. officials have been able to negotiate their release "with their weapons over the outcry of the Mexican people, who wanted the agents prosecuted. "The return of the (Mexican) soldiers will continue to build the relationships necessary to be able to accomplish this in the future," he said. Berg added that an "official protest has been lodged by the (U.S.) Ambassador to Mexico with the Mexican government and they will investigate." Earlier, however, the Border Patrol agents' union alleged a far more sinister explanation for the shooting -- that the Mexican soldiers who shot at U.S. agents may have been attempting to collect a drug trafficker's bounty by killing U.S. law enforcement personnel. "That was no accident," Joseph Dassaro, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, told reporters in El Paso, Texas. "The Mexican military was well into U.S. territory for way over a mile and chased and fired at agents." As confirmed by Border Patrol officials, the Juarez cartel, one of Mexico's biggest drug gangs, has indeed placed a bounty of $200,000 on U.S. lawmen. Jon E. Dougherty is a staff reporter for WorldNetDaily. -- ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. 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