Our Escalating Border War

[American Patriot]

Swine Flu Confirmed at Shelter for Unaccompanied Minors



by Kristin Tate 25 Jun 2014 1173 post a comment


HOUSTON, Texas--An unaccompanied minor from Central America who entered the U.S. illegally has been confirmed as having the Swine Flu, also known as the H1N1 flu.

A spokesperson from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that the sick child is at the Lackland Air Force base in San Antonio, according to KRGV. 2,000 H1N1 vaccinations are being brought to the air base, where more than 1,000 illegal immigrant minors are currently staying.
Congressman Louie Gohmert told Breitbart Texas that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services--the agency currently caring for many of the unaccompanied minors--is not doing an adequate job of screening and treating diseases.
"Having spent the weekend on our border, I can tell you that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is not taking charge of the undocumented children in any kind of reasonable time frame as they are absolutely required to do," Gohmert said. "It is becoming more and more apparent that the Obama administration’s reckless disregard for enforcing this nation’s laws at the border has become a reckless disregard for human health and life. Even when they spend a hundred times more than necessary, they can’t even build a website."
This is not the first time health concerns have been raised regarding the illegal immigrant population.
Breitbart Texas previously reported on an outbreak of scabies among the migrants. Several Border Patrol agents contracted the skin infestation.
Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol spokesman Omar Zamora told Breitbart Texas, "We don't screen for diseases. All we are is a processing center, so we don't do that."

[American Patriot]

MEXICAN MILITARY CHOPPER FIRES AT US BORDER PATROL

Posted on June 27, 2014



KXNT: “Border Patrol agents in Arizona were reportedly fired upon by a Mexican military helicopter that traveled across the border. KVOA-TV reports that Mexican authorities were conducting a drug interdiction operation when the incident happened early Thursday morning on the Tohono O’odham Indian Nation. The Mexican chopper fired at the agents and then flew back into Mexico.”

The report says 2 rounds were fired after midnight, no injuries, and Mexico called to apologize.

.


KXNT- Report: Mexican Military Chopper Crosses Into US, Shoots At Border Agents

[American Patriot]

Border Resident: Nancy Pelosi Should Visit My Ranch

Captured illegal immigrants heard saying, "That's okay, Obama's gonna let me go." June 27, 2014 9:40 AM
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Border Patrol (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)


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Border Patrol, Brooks County, Mexican Border, Nancy Pelosi, Texas

Joe Gomez Joe Gomez started his radio career at one of the oldest News/Talk...


BROOKS COUNTY (KRLD) – “I’ve had a 7-year-old little girl from El Salvador with her mother come to my front door just in dire need, lost, needing help,” says Linda Vickers, who owns a Ranch in Brooks County.


“They wanted to get a ride to Houston; they didn’t want me to call border control. This ranchland is ruthless. It’s deep sand; it’s hot; it’s humid; it literally sucks the life out of a person.”


Vickers says even though her ranch is about 60 miles north of the border, bands of illegal immigrants are still crossing onto her land by circumventing border patrol check points.


“I have a set of dogs here that are a deterrent and they tend to put some of these people in trees. I’ve even had an MS-13 gang member in a tree up here in front,” says Vickers.


House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is scheduled to travel to South Texas on Saturday to meet with immigrant children at a detention facility and be briefed about the ongoing humanitarian crisis along the Texas-Mexico border.


Vickers wishes Pelosi or a member of her staff would come to her ranch to see first hand what everyday Texans are going through.


“I’d have to ask my husband if he’d have Nancy Pelosi on the property first,” says Vickers, who’s also a member of Texas Border Volunteers. “No. We’d have her here.”

Resident: Pelosi Should Visit My Ranch




1080 KRLD

play


(Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Vickers goes onto speak about the things Pelosi might see.


“On one hand, I have women and children and young people in distress — and then on the other hand, I’ve had a criminal element of gang members,” says Vickers. “Young men that have had multiple deportations and do not want to get caught. I’ve heard them tell border patrol as they’re loading them into their vehicle ‘That’s okay, Obama’s gonna let me go.’”


Congressman Henry Cuellar (R-Laredo) says he spoke with Pelosi about her impending visit.


“We talked about it. She’s coming to Brownsville and I welcome her down to South Texas. It’s important for everybody to come down and see exactly what’s happening. South Texas has now garnered not only national but international news because we also have the first lady of Honduras visiting with members of her husband’s cabinet.”


In a statement released Thursday Pelosi stated, “The humanitarian crisis unfolding across our nation’s southern border demands Congress come together and find thoughtful, compassionate and bipartisan solutions.”


Pelosi went onto say. “We must ensure our laws are fully enforced, so that due process is provided to unaccompanied children and the safety and well-being of unaccompanied children is protected. We must also work to address the root causes of the problem.”


Pelosi will be joined by Democratic Reps. Filemon Vela of Texas, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee; Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Rubén E. Hinojosa of Texas and Steven Horsford of Nevada.

[vector7]

Armed militia members drawing fire from Border Patrol



by Ildefonso Ortiz 29 Aug 2014 60 post a comment
MCALLEN, Texas – A group of armed men along the Rio Grande River led to a shooting incident involving Border Patrol.

The shooting took place Friday afternoon near the Sabal Palms nature center when a U.S. Border Patrol agent assigned to the Fort Brown station was pursuing a group of suspected immigrants, said Border Patrol spokesman Omar Zamora.
The individuals hid in the brush and as the agent pursued them he encountered a man who was carrying a firearm. The agent fired several shots at the individual but did not hit him and called for backup, Zamora said.
The individual had been at the area with two other men also carrying firearms who were turned over to Cameron County Sheriff’s Office who has taken over the investigation.

In recent months South Texas became ground zero for a shift in immigration routes that led to an unprecedented number of detentions of illegal immigrants. In response to the border crisis, Texas Governor Rick Perry announced the deployment of Texas National Guard troops to the Rio Grande Valley but not the rest of the Texas border. Various groups have expressed their desire to travel to the area and assist border patrol in securing the border, it could not be officially confirmed if the men involved in the shooting incident were part of one of those groups.
Soon after the incident happened the National Border Patrol Council, the union that represents the agents in green, sent out a statement via social media stating that patrolling the border is no place for anyone other than the trained men and women of the agency.



Border Patrol Opens Fire On Militia In Texas

Posted by Bob Owens on August 30, 2014 at 1:44 pm

Bearing Arms noted almost exactly a month ago that the next “shot heard ’round the world” may be fired in Texas, as private militias have headed to the U.S. Mexican border to help stop the flood of criminal aliens flowing northward from Central America through Mexico into the United States.

What we didn’t expect is that the first shots fired at the militias weren’t from smugglers, Mexican military members working for the cartels, or the Islamic terrorists the cartels are helping to smuggle across the border as the Obama Administration refuses to stop them.

Instead, the first shots fired were blue on blue.

A Border Patrol agent pursuing a group of immigrants in a wooded area near the Texas-Mexico border on Friday fired several shots at an armed man who later identified himself as a militia member.

Border Patrol spokesman Omar Zamora said agents had been chasing a group of immigrants east of Brownsville Friday afternoon when an agent saw a man holding a gun near the Rio Grande. The agent fired four shots, but did not hit the man. The man then dropped his gun and identified himself as a member of a militia. Zamora said no other details were immediately available.

Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio, whose agency is involved in the investigation, said the incident occurred on private property and it appeared the man had permission to be there. He was not arrested, Lucio said.

Fortunately for the militiaman the Border Patrol agent can’t shoot straight, and he was unharmed.

Federal, state, and local officials insist that they have enough resources to control the continued criminal invasion of our Republic.

The number of criminal aliens coming over the border convincingly proves otherwise.

Militia units are not attempting to apprehend criminals coming over the border, but are attempting to spot them as they infiltrate so that authorities can make arrests.

It remains to be seen if the Border Patrol agent will face an internal or criminal investigation.

[American Patriot]

John Titor strikes again.

[American Patriot]

Armed citizen militias build up along US-Mexico border

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Tom Fernandez

Armed militias continue to patrol the United States-Mexico border seeking to repel any migration north, but critics warn that these self-styled ‘freedom defenders’ lingering on private land represent a powder keg that could have “disastrous” consequences.


Near Brownsville, Texas, a group of private citizens simply known as the Patriots were invited to watch 21 acres of border land owned by Rusty Monsees. The group, Reuters reported, has been on the land since early summer, when news reports announced that unprecedented numbers of unaccompanied minors from Central America had crossed the border.


In the first half of 2014, around 52,000 children, among many others, attempted the trek, fleeing poverty, violence and systemic abuse present in their home nations. Many have ended up warehoused in US military installations and other facilities awaiting their fate amongst an inhospitable, nativist climate. President Barack Obama has vowed some type of immigration reform via executive action in the face of an inert Congress. Yet Obama has said he will not move on reform until after congressional midterm elections in November.


The numerousmilitias along the border join the US Customs and Border Protection as well as the Texas National Guard. The Patriots Information Hotline, a networking call center, claims 22 groups of “armed patriots” are patrolling the border, from Texas to California.


The US Border Patrol has warned that armed vigilantes taking intimidation tactics too far could have “disastrous personal and public safety consequences.”


Yet the Patriots back in Brownsville insist the description “vigilante” is unfair, and that they are not itching to fire their high-powered firearms.


“Everybody has this bad taste in their mouth about ‘militias.’ They think we’re out here trying to smoke people and kill them as soon as they cross the border. Which obviously, is not the case,” said “Huggie Bear,” a member of the Patriots who is a former US Army infantry team leader.


“Our goal here is to try to deter them from coming. They see us, they don’t know who we are, so that kind of scares people away for a while,” he told Reuters.


Militia groups on the border have been invited by private landowners to patrol in certain areas, as is the case with the Patriots near Brownsville. Expenses are usually paid by the militia members, with sympathetic donors also offering support funding, according to Reuters.


Monsees said he asked for help on his border land given “illegals” have allegedly poisoned his dogs and shot at his house. “If they [the militia] leave, I’m dead,” he said.
Others in the area echo these sentiments, saying the militia groups give them a sense of peace.


“Whoever says there’s not a problem by the border wall, they don’t live out here,” said Fernando Rivera Jr., a property owner in Brownsville. Rivera said his son patrols the family’s backyard with a shotgun to deter what he calls criminals from crossing the border.


“Now, when they’re on patrol, it’s actually peaceful,” Rivera said. “The dogs don’t bark as much. I can actually get some sleep.”


The militaristic Patriots are also equipped with all-terrain vehicles, thick body armor, plastic handcuffs to detain migrants and communications equipment that can supposedly reach Border Patrol agents.


The only live fire the group has encountered, according to Reuters, was from Border Patrol, who thought an armed member of the Patriots was an undocumented immigrant. Once shots were fired, the Patriot reportedly dropped his firearm. No one was injured in the encounter.


The situation exemplifies the challenges and worries the militias pose to law enforcement.


“When there are situations with any individual who is bearing arms in public or on private property, there is always a concern amongst law enforcement of possible misidentification that can lead to friendly-fire tragedies,” said Eddie Guerra, sheriff of Hidalgo County in Texas.


Regardless, groups like the Patriots stay vigilant.


“If you spot them and shine your light on them, that lets them know that you’re there,” said Will, 25, who came from Indiana to join the Patriots. “Nine times out of 10, they’re not going to come over.


“Even if they are going to try to cross again, we’re still making it harder for them, and that’s the reason we’re here.”

[Ryan Ruck]

Cartel Claims They Have Kidnapped Border Patrol Agent

December 26, 2014

A person claiming to be a member of a cartel claims they have kidnapped a border agent and threatened their life, according to police.

Border Patrol is making contact with all personnel in the Rio Grande Valley.

They have now confirmed that all agents working the day of the threat have been accounted for at this time.

Now, they are working to verify all those off-duty at the time of the treat are safe.

The caller dialed 9-1-1 yesterday and said they have kidnapped a Border Patrol agent, La Joya Police Chief Geovanni Hernandez confirms.

The La Joya Police Department contacted Border Patrol and the FBI, Hernandez said.

A Border Patrol spokesperson did not confirm the threat, but they did confirm the agency is doing an accountability check of all agents stationed in the RGV sector.

Right now there are more than 3,000 Border Patrol Agents stationed in the Rio Grande Valley.

Action 4 News will continue to follow this story.

Hmmm... A new cartel tactic following on the success of this tactic by the Dirka terrorists and, knowing how Obama will throw money at them?

[Ryan Ruck]

BREAKING: US CBP Chopper Down at Texas Border, Fired on from Mexico

June 5, 2015

Breitbart Texas has learned that a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) helicopter was shot down or forced to initiate an emergency landing in Laredo, Texas due to receiving gunfire from the Mexican side of the border. The helicopter was interdicting a narcotics load and working alongside agents from the U.S. Border Patrol, who operate under the umbrella of the CBP. The helicopter was operating in the Laredo Sector of Texas, immediately across the border from the Los Zetas cartel headquarters of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.

The helicopter was in U.S. airspace and participating in the interdiction of a narcotics load coming from Mexico into the United States.

A federal agent who spoke with Breitbart Texas on the condition of anonymity said, “U.S. Border Patrol agents were attempting to intercept a drug load. A law enforcement chopper was assisting Border Patrol agents. The chopper received gunfire from the Mexican side of the border. The chopper had to do an emergency landing due to the gunfire.”

Border Patrol agent and National Border Patrol Council Local 2455 President Hector Garza confirmed that he received unofficial reports on this matter that indicate the information provided to Breitbart Texas by the unnamed federal agent is accurate.

UPDATES:

The shooting occurred in an area known as La Bota Ranch, a subdivision of Laredo, Texas. A source who operates under the umbrella of the CBP told Breitbart Texas that the narcotics trafficking event was a well-coordinated operation with individuals participating on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. The shooting came from the Mexican side and all individuals fled and got away. The individuals on the U.S. side also got away into the state of Texas.

Another source close to the matter told Breitbart Texas that “at least five shots were fired from Mexico and three hit the CBP chopper. The source claimed that two shots hit the cabin and one hit the engine. Another source close to the matter told Breitbart Texas that two shots hit the engine and one hit the cabin. Both sources cited in this paragraph claimed that an agent in the cabin was not wearing a vest and had it stashed on the floor and that the vest being on the floor ultimately saved the agent’s life. Agents explained that their vests are often placed below them in choppers because any rounds would come from below.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation released this statement to Breitbart Texas:

On June 5, 2015, at approximately 5:00pm during an operational flight near the Rio Grande River in Laredo, Texas, a US Customs and Border Patrol (USCBP) helicopter was struck several times by ground fire. The rounds penetrated and damaged the aircraft, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing. The pilot sustained no injuries and no individuals on the ground were affected. USCBP, FBI, Texas Rangers, Homeland Security Investigations and Laredo Police Department responded to the scene. The FBI has initiated an investigation and will continue processing the crime scene with the Texas Rangers. Since this is an ongoing matter, no further details will be provided at this time.

A map of the area is below:

[Ryan Ruck]

Border Patrol Union Claims Mexican Military Shot Agents

December 1, 2016

The local Border Patrol Union said the shooting of two law enforcement officials near the river in Starr County was intentional.

A DPS trooper and a U.S. Border Patrol agent were shot last Friday in Fronton. Authorities reported Mexican law enforcement or military were involved in a shootout with gunmen across the Rio Grande that day.

The FBI and the Texas Rangers are leading the investigation. They said both of the agents are recovering well.

However, the Border Patrol union said more needs to be done to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

Border Patrol Union vice president Chris Barrera represents Border Patrol agents who are not allowed to speak to the media. He said the agent and the DPS trooper were targeted by Mexican authorities.

“When two people get shot in the torso at over 250 yards away, that’s not an accident. That’s deliberate, well-aimed, well-trained shooting,” he said.

Border Patrol Deputy Chief Raul Ortiz said the FBI and DPS will determine exactly what happened that day. He said he’s just glad no one was seriously hurt.

“I think a lot of that information is going to unfold as the investigation continues,” he said.

Authorities said a ballistics vest saved the Border Patrol agent from serious harm.

Cabrera said some agents have to share armor; much of it across the sector is outdated. He said more agents need to have one of their own.

However, Ortiz said all agents are assigned vests and are encouraged to wear them every day. He said agents also have additional equipment available to them.

“What we have done to ensure that our agents are prepared in all our areas is we have what we call war riders,” he said. “In the simplest terms, it provides additional equipment that the agents can utilize in a high threat situation.”

Cabrera said even though the incident wasn’t fatal, it shouldn’t be taken lightly.

“Had this been the reverse scenario, somebody shooting into Mexico, Mexico would be having a fit right now,” he said.

Cabrera said someone should be held accountable for an incident that could have been much worse.

Ortiz said Border Patrol sent more equipment to agents in Starr County. He said special operations groups will also work in the area.

[vector7]

Mexico’s President Cancels White House Visit After Trump Hits Cartels

http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/...cels-u-s-trip/

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has cancelled his planned visit to the U.S. where he was expected to meet with President Donald J. Trump. The cancellation comes after Mexico’s government denounced Trump’s new border security measures aimed at interfering with the cash flow of the very Mexican cartels believed to have financed the current Mexican president’s campaign.

On Thursday morning, Peña Nieto took to Twitter to announce that his staff had notified the White House that he would not be going to the scheduled meetings with Trump.

On Wednesday, Trump signed two executive orders dealing with enforcing current immigration laws and the construction of a border wall. Trump specifically called out Mexican cartels in the executive order. In response to the anti-cartel measures, Peña Nieto took to social media, as Breitbart Texas reported.

In addition to denouncing the measure, Peña Nieto announced that he would be ordering the 50 Mexican Consulates in the U.S. to step up their efforts to protect “migrants”. The Mexican president made no mention of the fact that the migrants are one of the largest funding mechanisms for the cartels who reportedly helped him gain his office.

In response to Peña Nieto’s announcement, Trump responded on Twitter that it would be better to cancel the meeting. According to Trump, the U.S.- Mexico relation has been one sided with the current $60 billion trade deficit with Mexico in connection with the current North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Mexican President Peña Nieto has been the subject of immaculate investigative reporting in his own country, though his reported ties to Mexican cartels received little attention from the U.S. during the presidency of Barack Obama.

As Breitbart Texas previously reported:

An in-depth investigation has revealed that through the use of shell companies, members of the Juarez Cartel financed the political campaign of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. The cartel members appear to have also used government programs to launder money and profit form their networks of contacts.

The bombshell revelation was made this week by the independent news outlet Aristegui Noticias who claim that top officials of the Juarez Cartel financed thousands of cash cards that were handed out by Mexico’s Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI) during the 2012 political campaign that resulted in the victory of Enrique Pena Nieto. According to the Mexican journalists, the cash cards were provided by a company called Monex. They were reported to be financed through a series of shell corporations by key players with the Juarez Cartel.

Through a three part series, the Mexican news organization identified Rodolfo David “El Consul” Avila Cordero as a key figure in the financial scandal that implicates the leading figures in Mexico’s ruling party the Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI).

Avila Cordero was arrested in 2005 in Mexico City in connection with the seizure of almost $750,000 in cash. At the time authorities had identified him as a top tier operative with the Juarez (Carrillo Fuente) Cartel who worked as their financial operator an a key figure in their connections with Colombian drug lords. Avila Cordero had earned the nickname “The Consul” because of his links to high ranking officials within the Mexican government and acted as an ambassador of sorts, Aristegui Noticias reported.

Eight years after his arrest, Avila Cordero became a contractor for a government funded program called Crusade Against Hunger. Using a company called Conclave SA de CV and Prodasa SA de CV, Cordero was able to secure more than $396 million pesos or $25 million in government contracts through rigged bidding processes by government officials.

The Crusade Against Hunger is a pet project of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto who claimed that with that program he would improve the quality of life for his people.

According to the investigation by the Mexican journalists, Conclave and Prodasa are shell companies that do not have real offices or staff.

As previously reported by Breitbart Texas, Carmen Aristegui, the founder of Aristegui Noticias, was a top rated radio journalists in Mexico, however her investigation into properties given to Pena Nieto as bribes led to her news outlet firing her and her staff. Despite being off the air, Aristegui continues reporting through her website.

As part of the investigation Aristegui Noticias also confirmed that Conclave was involved in the trading of soccer players with European soccer clubs.

Breitbart Texas also illuminated the current realities in Pieña Nieto’s Mexico, especially along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Mexican president has allowed paramilitary narco-cartels to control entire Mexican states. We wrote:

Though many politicians, journalists, and pundits have criticized the concept of a physical border barrier while others claimed the border to be safe, the aforementioned groups and individuals are simply ignorant on the topic or engaging in intentional deception. Breitbart Texas and the Cartel Chronicles effort has reported ad nauseum on Mexican cartels that have operational control over entire Mexican border states — including the governors’ offices and newsrooms. Our reporting has shown that U.S. law enforcement encounters with known or suspected terrorists have occurred frequently in remote areas along the U.S.-Mexico border. We’ve shown that there are humanitarian consequences associated with an unsecured border — not just for U.S. citizens, but for foreigners as well.

Our reporting has shown that one of the Mexican cartels, Los Zetas, is currently stockpiling Russian rocket-propelled grenades and their launchers at the Texas border, that they recently forced down a U.S. helicopter by open firing on the aircraft and striking it. Los Zetas are headquartered in Nuevo Laredo, a city that sits immediately across the shallow and narrow Rio Grande from Laredo, Texas. There are no fences or walls in the region and the local police do not have a presence in many of the gang-infested narco-neighborhoods that sit in Texas along the open border.

This particular cartel also committed mass murders in communities near the Texas border in Mexico. They “disappeared” hundreds of civilians and burned them in a network of ovens that were operated in government facilities.

Along with Los Zetas, the Gulf Cartel is also headquartered immediately south of the Texas border. The Mexican state of Tamaulipas is largely controlled by the two paramilitary groups. All of the news outlets in the region have a “link” who works for the cartel and tells journalists what they can and can’t write about. Journalists and editors who ignore the control of the local cartel faction are brutally murdered. Many concerned citizens in Mexico have taken to anonymous social media accounts to report on the cartels. When the now-citizen-journalists are discovered, they are brutally murdered.

The cartels in this region have also set up metropolitan camera and surveillance systems across the cities they control. Two of the past three governors for the state are currently fugitives from U.S. justice for their roles and relationships with the cartels. One of the former-governor fugitives was being protected by the state government as recently as a few months ago.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.

Brandon Darby is managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.


Trump wants 20 percent import tax to pay for Mexico wall
By Daniel Halper January 26, 2017 | 3:42pm | Updated
http://nypost.com/2017/01/26/trump-w...r-mexico-wall/

President Trump intends to pay for the coming US-Mexico wall with a 20 percent tax on all imports coming from Mexico, White house spokesman Sean Spicer said Thursday.

He said the plan now taking shape would tax imports from countries “that we have a trade deficit from, like Mexico.”

“If you tax that $50 billion at 20 percent of imports – which is by the way a practice that 160 other countries do – right now our country’s policy is to tax exports and let imports flow freely in, which is ridiculous,” Spicer told reporters aboard Air Force One.

“By doing it that we can do $10 billion a year and easily pay for the wall just through that mechanism alone. That’s really going to provide the funding.”

The news came the same day the president of Mexico canceled his trip to the US next week after Trump said there was no point to their meeting if mexico won;t pay for the wall.

“This is something that we’ve been in close contact with both houses in moving forward and creating a plan,” Spicer said of the tax plan, suggesting that congressional Republicans back the proposal.

“It clearly provides the funding and does so in a way that the American taxpayer is wholly respected.”

Building a wall on the US’ southern border–paid for by Mexico–was a key campaign promise from Trump.

[vector7]

Mexican Official Threatens to Unleash Cartels, Flood U.S. With Drugs and Narcotics

Posted on January 29, 2017

by sundance

If people had doubts about the Mexican government being influenced and controlled by drug cartels, well, they can put that doubt away.

In a stunning segment on Fareed Zakaria’s CNN broadcast today Mexico’s former foreign minister, Jorge Castaneda, states the Mexican government is willing to counter U.S. President Donald Trump policy by unleashing drug cartels upon the U.S. border.

Watch, and more importantly LISTEN, to his words at 02:10 below:

This is the most politically explosive admission by the Mexican government in the past decade. Even Fareed Zakaria realized what was being threatened and quickly attempted to redirect the conversation.

Castaneda is openly admitting a willingness to promote drug trafficking. Additionally, Jorge Castaneda is so proud of the threat, he even posted a video of the discussion on his own YouTube page.

However, don’t expect the video to remain in place too long, because the implications here are so politically explosive, and the admission so brutally obvious and threatening, it could undermine the entire argument of the Mexican government and expose an open secret of collusion they would prefer to remain hidden.

And excellent article written in December of 2016 outlines the strategy of Castaneda as it pertains to fighting Donald Trumps efforts. –SEE HERE–

Castaneda not only threatens to send drugs, he also threatens to flood the United States will illegal South Americans and openly admits Mexico could stop the border crossings if it wanted to, but instead chooses to use immigration as a weapon against the United States.

(Via VDare) […] He openly states Mexico should use Central American immigration as a weapon against us [Mexico can use Central-American immigration as bargaining chip with Trump, Univision, December 8, 2016]:

There has been a surge in Central American immigrants heading for the United States since Donald Trump won the Election in November, according to several initial reports… If this is the case, it is only logical. Trump has vowed to build his wall. It does not matter if Mexico will pay for it or even if the threat is true. It makes perfect sense for anybody hoping to make it to the United States, from Salvador, Honduras or Guatemala, to do so before any wall is put up….If they have relatives in the United States, or if they think that their reception will be better with President Barack Obama still in power until January 20, then their decision is perfectly rational.

Castaneda recounts how during the Surge of 2014, the Obama Administration pressured Mexico:

When the first wave of unaccompanied minors came to the United States in July 2014, Mexico complied with the White House request to cooperate in stopping the flow of immigrants. The logic behind it was sound. The goal was to avoid sparking anti-immigrant hysteria in the United States precisely when immigration reform seemed set to prosper.

My italics! By “hysteria,” Castaneda means provoking Americans who want a sane American immigration policy. (read more)


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[vector7]

Mexico's Vicente Fox to Trump: We are 'ready for the trade war'

By Madeline Conway
01/27/17 11:49 AM EST

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Wading into the growing feud between the new White House and Mexico, one of the country’s former presidents on Friday warned President Donald Trump that Mexico is “ready for the trade war” and described relations between the two nations as at one of the lowest points in history.

Vicente Fox, who served as president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006, appeared on American television programs Friday morning to praise current leader Enrique Peña Nieto for canceling a scheduled meeting with Trump in Washington (Trump claims it was a mutual decision). Peña Nieto was under pressure to change course as Trump continued to insist that Mexico will pay for a border wall between the two countries.

“Just today President Peña stand in front of this guy Trump, has brought back very strong Mexican spirit, and we're ready for the trade war,” Fox told NBC’s “Today” show. “We're ready, of course, for not paying that wall.”

Describing the move to cancel the meeting “very wise,” Fox compared Peña Nieto’s decision to another pivotal moment in the history of U.S.-Mexico relations, when Mexican President Lázaro Cárdenas nationalized the oil industry there to the chagrin of American companies in 1938.

Aside from that event and the U.S.-Mexican War in the 1840s, Fox told NBC, “we are at the very lowest point” in terms of relations between the two countries because of Trump.

Fox is an outspoken critic of the new American president, and in recent days he has taken to calling out Trump on his immigration policies on Twitter in messages laced with the occasional profanity-turned-hashtag. Among other points, he has asserted, again and again, that Mexico will not pay for Trump’s wall. And on Thursday, he compared Trump to Adolf Hitler and the Republican Party to Nazis.

Trump risks isolating critical neighbor with Mexico feud

By Eli Stokols, Nahal Toosi and Louis Nelson

Fox kept up his criticism of Trump on Friday, sending the White House this message in an interview with MSNBC: “Señor Trump, please, please grow up. I mean, now you're president of a great nation, of the most powerful nation in the world. Please, grow up. Be or try to be a real president.”

“Mexico is not paying for the wall,” he added later. “You are paying for the wall. Taxpayers in the United States are paying for the wall.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/0...nte-fox-234266

[Ryan Ruck]

Border Patrol Shooting Suspects At Large After Fleeing Towards Mexico

February 3, 2017



Border Patrol said the search for two gunmen accused of shooting at agents in the Rio Grande Valley area continues.

The incident happened Friday morning near FM 2520 and Military Highway near San Benito.

Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sector Chief Deputy Raul Ortiz said the incident raised concerns for agents and people living along the border.

Ortiz said the agency started to notice an increase in border crime between Los Indios and San Benito.

“So this morning we had a vehicle loaded up with some narcotics,” he said. “Our agents were able to spot the vehicle as it was leaving their river area and engage in a short pursuit.”

Ortiz said Border Patrol agents tried to stop a van driving north onto Military Highway 281 from the Rio Grande. He said the driver turned the van around and headed back south towards the river.

“It appears that there were some folks that were waiting for the two subjects to pick them up,” he said.

Border Patrol agents followed in a short pursuit forcing the suspects abandon the vehicle and escape towards the river.

“There was an exchange of gunfire on the Mexican side. Our agents were in the area trying to secure the scene,” he said. “We got out team working with our Mexican partners to try and identify who those subjects are.”

Ortiz said no one was injured.

Cameron County resident Eriberto Chavez also lives along the border. He thought it was farmers working beyond the fence.

“The tractors were out here working. They were out for three days with the sugarcane, lots of people working out here,” he said.

Chavez said he was shocked to learn there was a gunfire exchange. He said he fears for the safety of his children. Although he does notice law enforcement presence in the area, he said it might not change things.

Ortiz said they continue to work with Mexican law enforcement to identify and capture the two suspects.

[vector7]

The New Mexican War

http://www.thediplomad.com/2017/02/t...n-war.html?m=1

Saturday, February 11, 2017
The New Mexican War

Much has been written, including in this blog, of the threat to America posed by radical Islamic terrorism. Not so much has been written about another threat, perhaps an even greater one. I refer to the threat posed by Mexico to the United States; it is multi-faceted and persistent, and forms a long established core component of Mexico's foreign policy.

Before I get into the subject let me engage in the usual disclaimer required in our snowflake culture. I have been in Mexico many times both on vacation and for work as a US diplomat. I know Mexico well, am fascinated by its history, and consider Mexico City one of the great cities in the world. If you want outstanding restaurants and, above all, world class museums and other cultural institutions, go to Mexico City.

That said, I also have long considered Mexico a major threat to America. I have dealt with Mexican diplomats at the UN, the OAS, and in Central and South America. They are first rate. They are patriotic, well-trained, dedicated, and hard working. They, almost to a man and a woman, are also possessed with a deep, deep animus towards the United States. At the UN and the OAS, for example, Mexico, in my experience, played the role of opponent to whatever we sought to do. They not only consistently voted against us, they collaborated with our opponents on resolutions and projects antithetical to our interests, and, for example, refused to oppose Cuban and Venezuelan human rights violations. They rarely passed on an opportunity to stick it in our eye.

Mexico had a major role in fostering guerrilla groups in Central America during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, backing off only when it became a hindrance to the NAFTA deal with the United States, and when some of the groups began operating in Mexico. Mexico is feared and resented throughout Central America as a bully and for its mistreatment of Central American migrants. The horror stories these migrants tell of their passage through Mexico are hair-raising and heartbreaking.

I wrote during the recent hysteria over Russian hacking and interference in our 2016 elections that,

Is there foreign interference in our elections? You bet.

The biggest offender? Not Russia, but Mexico. Mexican officials publicly called on Mexicans in the US to oppose Trump; Mexico's over fifty--yes, fifty--consulates in the US (here) are hot beds of political activity and activism. Millions of illegal and legal aliens largely from Mexico and Central America vote, yes vote. We need to have an in-depth investigation into Mexico's interference in our elections, an interference that goes well beyond revealing embarrassing DNC texts.

There. That's an investigation the GOP should endorse, and the new SecState should take up the issue of Mexican interference in our elections.

That interference in our politics has not ceased since the elections. It, in fact, has increased. Some years ago, I mentioned to a senior colleague in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at State, my concern over the openly political activity engaged in by Mexico's consulates and diplomatic personnel in the U.S. She acknowledged it was a problem but not one anybody wanted to take up. *Well, it is now at a stage when it must be taken up. If the Trump administration is serious about protecting our borders and sovereignty the time has come for tough action on Mexico.

We see this story in the Wall Street Journal (and here) in which Mexican officials, including their diplomats in the US, are seeking to "jam" US courts with contested deportations. The Mexican government has set aside millions of dollars to help illegal Mexican migrants in the US fight efforts to deport them. In addition, Mexico, apparently, is contemplating the grotesque tactic of demanding that we PROVE that deportees are Mexican citizens before Mexico will accept them. In other words, we have to provide the documentation that Mexico failed to provide its own citizens. Mexican officials are holding meetings in Arizona with US politicians warning them about the harm to US-Mexico relations if illegal aliens are deported or prevented from coming to the US. Mexican officials are openly encouraging activists to block deportations. I find this nothing short of outrageous, but, nevertheless, a clear manifestation of the hostility that has long existed in Mexican officialdom for the USA.

We must not only defend our border but, in my view, it is well past the time for the US to begin shutting down most of these Mexican consulates. There is no justification for Mexico to have over fifty consulates in the US. Had I the power, we would give Mexico one week to close 25-30 consulates. In addition, we would work out a plan to close additional consulates depending on how Mexico behaves. If Mexico, in fact, refuses to take back deportees, then we would need to take additional actions such as shutting down our visa issuance in Mexico, kicking out their ambassador from Washington, closing down the border crossing for periods of time, and even halting remittances to Mexico--just to let Mexico feel the pain. As part, of course, of any comprehensive reform of our immigration laws, no federal money should go to supporting illegal aliens in the US.

The Southwest USA does not "belong" to Mexico. Mexico, please note, held California for about 25 years; they had Texas for even less time. Spain held the area for a couple hundred years, and we've had it for some 170 years. So enough with that argument. It is tiresome.

The USA has the right to defend its sovereignty and borders. Mexicans have no right of access to the US any more than anybody else does.

[Ryan Ruck]

3 Texas Fishermen Shot by Mexican Cartel Gunmen; 2 injured, 1 Dead

March 17, 2017

When authorities responded to a “shots fired” call in the rural community of Fronton, Texas, they discovered what witnesses are saying is a case of cross border violence.

Federal authorities found two fishermen who had been injured and a third killed by gunfire. The two survivors are expected to recover.

According to KRGV, the men were fishing, minding their own business, when a group of suspected gunmen from the Mexican side fired on them for no apparent reason.

No additional information was released, and the investigation is ongoing at this time.

This deadly shooting comes just months after a man was murdered at Falcon Lake by cartel gunmen. Falcon Lake is an area frequently used by Los Zetas for illegal activity such as smuggling drugs and illegal immigrants into the U.S.

[Ryan Ruck]

Reports: Border Patrol Agent Kidnapped, Tortured, Mutilated

June 11, 2017

U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed that a Border Patrol agent was recovered after being badly injured. Reports coming in from various news outlets say that the agent was tortured and horrifically mutilated.

On June 10, U.S. Customs and Border Protection released the following statement about the incident:

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection is assisting in the investigation of a report of an assault against an off-duty Border Patrol agent assigned to the Deming, New Mexico, Border Patrol Station.

The agent was discovered on the side of the road by a motorist at 11 p.m. MDT. The agent suffered multiple, serious injuries to his head, chest and hands.

Emergency Medical Services transported the agent to a nearby hospital where he is being treated for his wounds. The agent is in stable condition.

CBP is working closely with the FBI, Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office, and the El Paso Police Department on the ongoing investigation. CBP has informed its workforce of this report and has reminded its law enforcement personnel to be alert and aware of their surroundings and potential threats related to their service.”

That’s the only official word on the incident. However, unofficial information has been leaking out from reporters.

Brandon Darby, the editor-in-chief for Breitbart Texas, said that Customs and Border Protection did not issue a warning to agents until after he had contacted them.

Darby later reported that he had hands on a document that identified the border patrol agent and noted that he was kidnapped and assaulted. He says that the FBI is leading the investigation and that, “Agents are advised to remain vigilant and maintain a heightened level of awareness.”

The area immediately south of the border in the El Paso sector, where the Deming station is located, “is controlled by the Juarez Cartel and their enforcers, La Linea”, according to Darby.

Robin Zielinski, a photojournalist with Las Cuces Sun-news later released that the Border Patrol agent’s fingers were cut off during the attack.

Details are still trickling out, but authorities aren’t openly talking about what happened.

This is a developing story and we will keep you updated. For all of our updates, follow us on Facebook and go to your news feed preferences under your settings, then select that you want to see more of Blue Lives Matter posts in your news feed. Otherwise, Facebook may not show you updates.




BREAKING: Border Patrol Agent Found Seriously Injured on Side of Roadway after Attack

June 10, 2017

An off-duty U.S. Border Patrol agent was discovered on the side of a roadway with serious injuries to his head, chest, and hands, according to officials. The Border Patrol agent appears to have been ruthlessly attacked. Sources first alerted Breitbart Texas to the incident and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed many of the details on the matter. The Border Patrol agent is assigned to the Deming, New Mexico, Border Patrol Station which is in the El Paso Sector.

According to CBP:

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection is assisting in the investigation of a report of an assault against an off-duty Border Patrol agent assigned to the Deming, New Mexico, Border Patrol Station. The agent was discovered on the side of the road by a motorist at 11 p.m. MDT. The agent suffered multiple, serious injuries to his head, chest and hands. Emergency Medical Services transported the agent to a nearby hospital where he is being treated for his wounds. The agent is in stable condition. CBP is working closely with the FBI, Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office, and the El Paso Police Department on the ongoing investigation. CBP has informed its workforce of this report and has reminded its law enforcement personnel to be alert and aware of their surroundings and potential threats related to their service.”

The region immediately south of the border in the area is controlled by the Juarez Cartel and their enforcers, La Linea. They operate in the El Paso Sector and are known to abduct individuals and administer torture techniques.

The fact that the FBI is investigating the matter, rather than just local law enforcement agencies, would indicate that the attack on the Border Patrol agent is due to his employment as a law enforcement officer with the U.S. government.

Also, the warning issued by CBP to Border Patrol agents indicates that the violent attack was related to the agent’s employment as a law enforcement officer with the U.S. government. The warning shows that CBP feels this attack indicates possible risks to additional agents along the U.S.-Mexico border.

CBP did not alert the public or other Border Patrol agents until after the agency was contacted by Breitbart Texas. Only after CBP was contacted, did they hurry and publish a statement. A spokesman for CBP contradicts this assertion and claims that they internally notified agents, not the public, prior to being contacted by Breitbart Texas.

Important to note: @CustomsBorder did NOT issue warning to agents until AFTER I contacted them for comment. https://t.co/ifBs4RdjXN

— Brandon Darby (@brandondarby) June 10, 2017

[Ryan Ruck]

[Ryan Ruck]

Border Patrol Agent from Big Bend Sector Killed in Line of Duty

November 19, 2017

A U.S. Border Patrol agent died this morning as a result of injuries sustained while on patrol in the Big Bend Sector.

Agent Rogelio Martinez and his Big Bend Sector partner were responding to activity while on patrol near Interstate 10, in the Van Horn Station area. Agent Martinez’s partner reported that they were both injured and in need of assistance. Responding agents provided immediate medical care, and transported both agents to a local hospital.

Big Bend Sector was later told that Agent Martinez expired from his injuries. His partner remains in the local hospital in serious condition.

Border Patrol agents from Big Bend Sector and the Culberson County Sheriff’s Department secured the scene. The Border Patrol’s Special Operations Group and agents from CBP’s Air and Marine Operations are searching the area for potential suspects or witnesses.

The Culberson County Sheriff’s Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Office of Inspector General, and CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility are investigating.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Agent Martinez and his family, and with the agent who was injured.

[vector7]

Trump sends 5,200 troops backed 150 miles of razor wire and Blackhawks, drones and C-130s in the air to the Mexican border to 'deter' caravan from ever arriving - as agents rehearse for riots in El Paso

• President Donald Trump has called for the troops to deter what he calls an 'invasion'
• The president claimed the caravan contained 'many Gang Members' and 'some very bad people'
• Last week he said it included 'Middle Easterners' but admitted he had no proof of his claim
• Three helicopter companies and three engineering battalions to participate
• Enhanced optics, fencing, 'hardening' of the border
• The caravan is making its way through Mexico, though numbers have dropped to about 4,000
• The Pentagon is planning to send 5,000 troops, including military police, engineers, and Marines
• Four Blackhawks, C-130s and a c-17 transports, unmanned vehicles
• Trump called the caravan an 'invasion,' warning: 'our Military is waiting for you!'

By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.s. Political Editor For Dailymail.com
Published: 17:16 EDT, 29 October 2018 | Updated: 10:49 EDT, 30 October 2018

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The Pentagon is dispatching 5,200 active military troops to 'harden' the southern border and comply with President Donald Trump's order to deter an immigrant caravan the president called an 'invasion', it said Monday.

Eight hundred troops were already en route Monday – a force the Defense Department is dramatically increasing by adding helicopter companies and engineers who are bringing 'heavy equipment.'

In total DOD is sending 5,200 troops to 'harden' the border, the Pentagon said at a briefing Monday.

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US riot police officers take part in a border security drill at the US-Mexico international bridge, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on October 29, 2018. The Pentagon is sending 5,200 troops to the southern border

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Ready for action: Customs and Border Patrol Agents train on the US-Mexico International Bridge between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez

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US riot police officers take part in a border security drill at the US-Mexico international bridge, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on October 29, 2018. - Dozens of migrants get to the border crossing linking El Paso, texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, every day, ahead of a caravan of Central Americans seeking political asylum in the United States

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Dozens of migrants get to the border crossing linking El Paso, texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, every day, ahead of a caravan of Central Americans seeking political asylum

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Right on the border: An agent foes as far as he legally can on the International Bridge between El Paso and Cuidad Juarez as his unit trains for possible riot deployment

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Show of force: CBP agents trained in riot control techniques on the International Bridge which links El Paso and Ciudad Juarez

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Ready for trouble: The Pentagon and Customs and Border Patrol said agents are being backed by 5,200 troops who will be deployed by Friday

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Testing techniques: Agents were trained in how to deal with hostile crowds as they took over the bridge linked El Paso to Ciudad Juarez Monday

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Waiting to get in: At the Paso del Norte International Bridge between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso migrants are lined up already - even though the caravan is more than 1,000 miles to the south

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Head-on: This is the tip of the Customs Border Patrol spearhead - two armed agents waiting at the midpoint of the bridge which links El Paso in the north to Ciudad Juarez to the south

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Caravan on its way: Honduran migrants taking part in the caravan heading to the U.S. resume their march from San Pedro Tapanatepec to Santiago Niltepec, Oaxaca State, more than 1,000 miles from the border

'We'll reinforce along priority points of entry so as to enhance [Border Patrol]’s ability to harden and secure the border,” said Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy Monday.

The forces are 'just the start' of the operation,' he said.

The 800 troops en route are in addition to the more than 2,000 members of the National Guard already providing assistance at the border now. Officials say the troops will provide "mission enhancing capabilities" and will be armed.

'We are bringing three helicopter companies in. They are enhanced with optics and censors that will allow them to operate at night and provide assistance to bring our [border patrol] personnel exactly where they need to be regardless of the conditions,' he said.

The Pentagon says the added forces will be able to 'spot, identify groups and rapidly deploy' personnel as need.

'The helicopters will ensure the agents can arrive in the most austere locations and fast-rope down and conduct and work the law enforcement activities,' said Gen. O'Shaughnessy.

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The effort will be aided by Blackhawk helicopters

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Unmanned aerial drones also will assist the effort

Asked if the troops were a 'political move' just days before an election as the size of the caravan has receded, he responded: 'We have to be prepared for I the potential arrival of a very large group.'

Troops will come from Fort Bragg, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Fort Stewart, Fort Campbell, Fort Riley and Fort Knox, Fox News reported.

The armed troops won't take part in law enforcement activities in keeping with the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits it.

'We will not allow a large group to enter the United States in an unsafe and unlawful manner,' said Kevin K. McAleenan, head of Customs and Border Protection.

Speaking of the arsenal being brought to assist border agents, guard forces, and troops, McAleenan said: 'These agents will be augmented and supported by over two dozen CBP air assets for surveillance and mobile response, including four Blackhawks and six additional helicopters as well as multiple fixed wing assets and unmanned aerial systems.'

He said the agency would potentially pull a 'few hundred' forces from the northern border since there is no caravan there.

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Members of the Arizona National Guard listen to instructions on April 9, 2018, at the Papago Park Military Reservation in Phoenix. The Pentagon is now sending 5,200 active duty troops to assist 2,000 guard and thousands of border patrol agents already on the U.S.-Mexico border


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'Many Gang Members and some very bad people are mixed into the Caravan heading to our Southern Border,' Trump wrote as it was revealed the military was dispatching 5,000 troops to the border

The dramatic dispatch of U.S. forces to the border comes just days before the off-year elections, with Democratic critics arguing Trump is using the perceived threat of the caravan to motivate his political base.

According to the Pentagon forces will first build up in southern Texas and Arizona, then California.

Priority will go to 'harden' points of entry.

The engineering battalions have expertise in 'building temporary vehicle barriers, fencing and are bringing in heavy equipment,' according to the Pentagon.

President Donald Trump issued yet another dire warning about the 'invasion' posed by the migrant caravan making its way through Mexico, as it was revealed that the Pentagon is upping its troop levels far above the initial 800 announced.

TheWall Street Journal reported earlier Monday on the dramatic troop increase complying with the president's demand that military forces be put in place to stop the caravan of Central American migrants.

'Many Gang Members and some very bad people are mixed into the Caravan heading to our Southern Border,' Trump wrote on twitter, moving away from last week's claim that the caravan contained 'Middle Easterners.'

Trump's earlier claim drew skepticism, and he was forced days later to back down. 'There's no proof of anything. There's no proof of anything. But there could very well be,' Trump said.

Trump spoke directly to the mostly Honduran members of the caravan in the tweet, saying: 'Please go back, you will not be admitted into the United States unless you go through the legal process. This is an invasion of our Country and our Military is waiting for you!'

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This map shows the progress of the migrants as of Sunday, when a new caravan also departed from San Salvador

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A caravan of thousands of migrants from Central America makes its way to San Pedro Tapanatepec on Saturday

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Mexican police briefly tried to block the road and convince the migrants to apply for asylum in Mexico on Saturday

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Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Mattis said on Sunday that military equipment is already moving to the southern US border. Pictured above are mounted border patrol agents at a newly constructed section of border wall in California on Friday

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Aerial view of Honduran migrants heading in a caravan to the US, as they leave Arriaga on their way to San Pedro Tapanatepec, in southern Mexico on Saturday. The caravan now numbers about 4,000.

American military equipment has already begun arriving at the southern border ahead of an imminent troop deployment to block the migrant caravan, while in Mexico tensions have broken out with migrants attacking a local man who was distributing food.

Defense Secretary James Mattis said on Sunday military has already begun delivering jersey barriers to the southern border in conjunction with plans to deploy active duty troops.

According to the Journal, the 5,000 troops will join the 2,000 National Guard members already dispatched.

Among those ordered to the border will be military police, engineers, and Marines.

The latest plans would have the Defense Department order 1,800 troops to Texas, 1,700 to Arizona, and 1,500 to California.

The report noted that the contingent would exceed the U.S. forces currently in Syria and Iraq, and equal half of the U.S. deployment in Afghanistan.

The new forces are expected to provide logistical assistance such as air support and equipment, including vehicles and tents.

The influx of troops comes as the caravan is shrinking, although another is being formed.

The caravan, which has had as many as 7,200 migrants, has dwindled to roughly 4,000. It took a day of rest in Tapanatepec on Sunday but vowed to press on to the U.S. border. The border is still at least 900 miles away, a daunting obstacle to migrants, many traveling with their families on foot.



Migrant Caravan: U.S. Military Will Have Up to 14,000 Troops, Many Armed, Ready to Intervene at Mexico Border

By James LaPorta and Tom O'Connor On 10/29/18 at 5:58 PM

US-Bound Migrant Caravan Swells To 7,000 Despite Trump's Threat To Stop Them

The U.S. military will have an actual force of up to 14,000 ready to intervene at the southern border with Mexico, including an additional 7,000 planned deployment in reserves on round-the-clock standby.

The Pentagon announced Monday that it will send up to 5,200 troops to the border ahead of the anticipated arrival of a caravan of Central American migrants that President Donald Trump has warned would not be able to enter the country. These troops, which "are in fact deploying with weapons" will join up to 2,000 National Guards already at the border for a combined force of about 7,200—or about the same amount of U.S. soldiers involved in the battle against the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria.

In addition, a U.S. Defense Department official with knowledge of the deployment—known officially as Operation Faithful Patriot—told Newsweek that "the units deployed right now are of actual strength between 5,000 and 7,000. With another 7,000 on standby on 24-hour notice."


Members of the Arizona National Guard take a break on April 9, 2018 at the Papago Park Military Reservation in Phoenix. In total, up to 14,000 U.S. military personnel may stand ready to intervene at the southern border with Mexico. CAITLIN O'HARA/AFP/Getty Images

Newsweek reviewed the operational documents for Operation Faithful Patriot. The documents are marked, “UNCLASSIFIED, FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY, LES,” meaning, law enforcement sensitive. Defense Secretary James Mattis and combatant commanders have authorized U.S. troops heading to the border to carry live ammunition, according to the documents obtained by Newsweek.

A detailed list of reserve forces included basic infantry aviation units as well as military dogs and linguistics personnel.

On October 13, a group of asylum seekers departed the city of San Pedro Sula, Honduras and has since reached Tapanatepec in Oaxaca, Mexico. From a peak of about 7,000 people last week, the estimated number of migrants was more recently placed at 3,500. In addition, however, at least two other smaller caravans from Honduras and El Salvador have set out to join the main group.

El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras—sometimes dubbed the Northern Triangle—have been plagued by high homicide rates and difficult economic conditions. In the 1980s and beyond, the U.S. military used Honduras as a base to support anti-communist actions in neighboring El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua, in part fueling civil wars that destabilized Central America.

President Donald Trump, however, has vowed to take a hard-line stance against undocumented immigration and has claimed that "many gang members" and "unknown Middle Easterners" were among the asylum seekers, though he has not provided evidence for this claim. He has warned the incoming group that the "military is waiting" should they arrive at the border.

https://www.newsweek.com/migrant-car...-armed-1192578

[vector7]

Bragg troops may be deployed to southern border

Drew Brooks Military editor



Fort Bragg soldiers, equipment and resources are being deployed to the southwest border to support Homeland Security efforts, officials told the Fayetteville Observer.

A spokesman for the 18th Airborne Corps confirmed Tuesday that local troops were part of the more than 5,000 active duty forces who began deploying on Monday and who are expected along the border by the end of the week.

The spokesman did not comment on the specific number of troops from Fort Bragg or the individual units that would be involved in the effort.

Once deployed, local troops would fall under U.S. Northern Command and will support officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Officials have previously said the deployed troops will not perform border patrol or law enforcement missions. Instead, the mission dubbed Operation Faithful Patriot will include a range of support that includes planning assistance, engineering, fixed and rotary wing aviation, medical teams, command and control facilities, temporary housing for CBP personnel and personal protective equipment for CBP personnel.

The troops could be called on to erect temporary barriers, barricades and fencing, officials said. And they will supplement 2,100 National Guard troops already deployed to the border under Operation Guardian Support.

On Monday, Air Force Gen. Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy, the commander of U.S. Northern Command, said the active-duty troops would work with the Department of Homeland Security “to harden the southern border.”

Troops are being deployed from military installations across the nation and will stage in California, Texas and Arizona, he said.

“By the end of this week, we will deploy over 5,200 soldiers to the southwest border,” O’Shaughnessy said. “That is just the start of this operation. We’ll continue to adjust the numbers.”

Speaking in Washington alongside Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, O’Shaughnessy said the deploying forces will include three combat engineering battalions, three medium-lift helicopter companies, military police and medical units.

McAleenan said the additional support would help prepare border officials for two large groups of migrants approaching the southern border.

One group has approximately 3,500 members and is currently in southern Mexico. The second, with approximately 3,000 migrants made up of families and unaccompanied children, is currently at a border crossing between Guatemala and Mexico.

“We are preparing for the contingency of a large group of arriving persons intending to enter the United States in the next several weeks,” McAleenan said.

He said officials will not allow a large group to enter the United States “in an unsafe and unlawful manner.”

“For those that seek to cross the border illegally, we will apprehend them and fully enforce the laws of the United States,” he said. “For those that seek to make an asylum claim safely and lawfully at a port of entry, the government of Mexico has already offered you protection and employment authorization.”

“If you are fleeing alleged persecution at home, you have arrived at a safe place to make your claim,” McAleenan added. “If you’re an economic migrant seeking to join family members in the United States, you should return home and apply for the appropriate visa.”

https://www.wral.com/bragg-troops-ma...rder/17957138/