Thread: 2 Border Patrol Agents Killed In Train Collision

POSTED: 6:43 am MST May 12, 2011
UPDATED: 10:54 am MST May 12, 2011

GILA BEND, Ariz. -- Authorities say two Border Patrol agents were rushing to help other agents pursuing a group of suspected illegal immigrants when they crossed a marked railroad crossing and their SUV was struck by the freight train.

Full Story: http://www.kpho.com/news/27866605/detai ... 22011&ts=H

Two U.S. Border Patrol Agents Killed

(Thursday, May 12, 2011)

Two Arizona-based U.S. Border Patrol agents died this morning as a result of an on-duty vehicle accident involving a train just south of Gila Bend, Ariz., in the Yuma Sector area of responsibility. The incident is currently under investigation.

The names of the agents are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Contacts For This News Release
Joanne Ferreira
CBP Public Affairs
Phone: (202) 344-1676
Fax: (202) 344-1393

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/new ... 122011.xml

Three A.Z law enforcement deaths and all needless and heartbreaking!
Been a painful May. Again! Due to illegal aliens.
The open border lobby amnesty dreamers are responsible for every tragedy. Yet Obama makes jokes and mocks us.
Makes me wonder just how many American lives have been Saved over
the years by your activism ALIPACers. Think about it and Pray for the
fallen hero's and their families.

The two agents have been identified as Eduardo Rojas and Hector Clark, both of Yuma Sector. May God keep their souls and comfort their families and coworkers...

Statement by Secretary Napolitano on the Deaths of CBP Border Patrol Agents

Release Date: May 12, 2011

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

"It is with great sadness that I learned this morning that U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol Agents Eduardo Rojas, Jr., and Hector Clark were killed earlier today in an accident near Gila Bend, Ariz. The agents were based out of CBP's Yuma Sector and were on duty at the time of the accident. We are working closely with the Arizona Department of Public Safety and other agencies to determine the cause of the accident.

The entire DHS family expresses our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of these agents. We also keep in our thoughts and prayers all of those who put their lives at risk every day, at home and abroad, to defend our country. We honor their service and pray for their continued safety.â€

Border Patrol SUV hit by train; 2 agents killed
m3report | May 12, 2011 at 12:10 pm | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/pg2Ga-1ss

Border Patrol SUV hit by train; 2 agents killed

by Karen Schmidt, Allison Oswalt and Dustin Gardiner

May. 12, 2011 12:08 PM
The Arizona Republic-12 News Breaking News Team

Two Border Patrol agents were killed early Thursday morning after their SUV was struck by a train near Interstate 8 in the Gila Bend area, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

The agents -- identified as Edward Rojas, 34, an agent since 2000, and Hector Clark, 39, an agent since 2001 -- were assisting other officials in pursuing a group of suspected drug smugglers when their SUV was hit, said Kenneth Quillin of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The collision occurred just before 6 a.m. in an area known as a crossroads for human-and-drug smuggling.
The train's crew saw the unmarked SUV on a frontage road that runs near the tracks when the SUV suddenly turned on to a private crossing, said Aaron Hunt, a Union Pacific Railroad spokesman.

The 4,600-ton train was going 62 miles per hour at the time of the collision and the crew sounded the whistle about a quarter-mile before the wreck.

When the SUV turned on to the crossing, it was immediately in front of the locomotive and the crew was helpless, Hunt said.

The train struck the driver's side of the SUV and dragged the vehicle almost a mile from the point of the collision.

Rojas and Clark were part of a federally funded task force that operates in the area, searching for human and drug smugglers.

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne said the deaths serve as a reminder to the dangers law-enforcement officers face throughout the state.

"These agents were pursuing suspected drug traffickers at the time of the accident and they died doing their job to protect U.S. citizens," Horne said in a statement.

Officials believe the agents were pursuing suspects who were on foot, Quillin said. It was unknown how many suspected traffickers were being pursued or whether anyone had been apprehended, Quillin said.

Border Patrol agents frequently work in the area, about 80 miles north of the border with Mexico, along with sheriff's deputies, Department of Public Safety officers and local police.

"They were trying to position themselves in a road to the north" of the area near the collision, Quillin said.

The collision occurred near Interstate 8 and Paloma Road, one mile east of milepost 105, according to Aaron Douglas of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

The Border Patrol agents were stationed in Yuma. Quillin said the names of the agents will not be released until their families have been notified.

The FBI, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and Border Patrol were investigating.

In an earlier report, a sheriff's spokesman said both agents were seriously hurt and were being taken by helicopter to a hospital, but that turned out to be in error.



The frontage road running parallel to Interstate 8 will be closed until 1 p.m., according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

https://www.azcentral.com/news/articles ... z1MAZE3hlt

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The article above has been updated to the following

~~~

Border Patrol agents killed in pursuit of suspected drug smugglers

Witness: 'I just saw a cloud of dust ... I knew right away,

by Karen Schmidt, Allison Oswalt and Dustin Gardiner - May. 12, 2011 03:55 PM
The Arizona Republic-12 News Breaking News Team


Two Border Patrol agents were killed early Thursday morning after their SUV was struck by a train near Interstate 8 in the Gila Bend area, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

The agents -- identified as Edward Rojas, 35, an agent since 2000, and Hector Clark, 39, an agent since 2001 -- were assisting other officials in pursuing a group of suspected drug smugglers when their blue, unmarked Chevy Tahoe was hit, said Kenneth Quillin of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.


The collision occurred just before 6 a.m. in an area known as a crossroads for human-and-drug smuggling.

Eight suspected smugglers were taken into custody in the area following the wreck, according to the Sheriff's Office, along with more than 300 pounds of marijuana. But Sheriff Joe Arpaio said authorities have not established a connection between the suspects and the border agents' pursuit.

The train's crew saw the Tahoe on a frontage road that runs near the tracks when the SUV suddenly turned on to a private crossing, said Aaron Hunt, a Union Pacific Railroad spokesman.

The 4,600-ton train was going 62 mph at the time of the collision and the crew sounded the whistle about a quarter-mile before the wreck.

When the Tahoe turned on to the crossing, it was immediately in front of the locomotive and the crew was helpless, Hunt said.

The train struck the driver's side of the SUV and dragged the vehicle almost a mile from the point of the collision.

Rojas and Clark were part of a federally funded task force that operates in the area, searching for human and drug smugglers.

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano released a statement Thursday afternoon extending her "deepest sympathies" to the families of Clark and Rojas.

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne said the deaths serve as a reminder to the dangers law-enforcement officers face throughout the state.

"These agents were pursuing suspected drug traffickers at the time of the accident and they died doing their job to protect U.S. citizens," Horne said in a statement.

Officials believe the agents were pursuing suspects who were on foot, Quillin said. It was unknown how many suspected traffickers were being pursued or whether anyone had been apprehended, Quillin said.

Francisco Gonzalez, who supplies equipment to a dairy in the area, was driving behind the SUV when the wreck occurred after the sun rose Thursday morning.

There are two sets of train tracks that run parallel to one another where the collision occurred, Gonzalez said, and there were train cars parked on the north set of tracks nearest the frontage road.

Gonzalez did not believe the parked train cars obstructed the agents' view of the moving train because the line of parked train cars ended about 100 feet before the crossing where the agents were struck.

Gonzalez also said he heard the train whistle at least three times before the wreck and that the agents did not appear to be speeding alongside the train before they turned on to the tracks.

"I didn't see any brake lights. It was just a split second," Gonzalez said. "I just saw a cloud of dust and that's all I saw. I knew right away, 'Oh my God'."

John Utz, who has lived in the area for decades, said he was preparing for work and heard the train's conductor sound the whistle several times before the wreck occurred.

"He was really laying down on that horn," said Utz, who noted that several wrecks have occurred that the crossing.

"It ain't surprising," Utz said. "It happened all the time when I was a kid."

Border Patrol agents frequently work in the area, about 80 miles north of the border with Mexico, along with sheriff's deputies, Department of Public Safety officers and local police.

"They were trying to position themselves in a road to the north" of the area near the collision, Quillin said.

The collision occurred near Interstate 8 and Paloma Road, one mile east of milepost 105, according to Aaron Douglas of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

The Border Patrol agents were stationed in Yuma.

The FBI, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and Border Patrol were investigating.

In an earlier report, a sheriff's spokesman said both agents were seriously hurt and were being taken by helicopter to a hospital, but that turned out to be in error.

The frontage road running parallel to Interstate 8 will be closed until 1 p.m., according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Clark, a Yuma native, had worked with the Border Patrol since 2001 and is survived by his wife and two children.
Rojas joined the Border Patrol in 2000 and the El Paso native also leaves behind a wife and two children.

www.azcentral.com

Our prayers to the families and friends of these dear souls.

Added to Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-6293--0-0.html

Brewer responds to B.P. deaths: Secure the Border

by KTAR.com (May 12th, 2011 @ 4:29pm)


Comments:21


PHOENIX -- Early Thursday morning two Border Patrol agents, on the trail of a group of illegal immigrants, were killed when a train collided with their truck near Gila Bend.

The collision happened in an area of the state that is known as a smuggling corridor for drugs and humans, as it has been dubbed the "Devil's Highway" as it leads north from Mexico through the Arizona desert.

The Border Patrol's Ken Quillan said the agents "were assisting agents on the ground with a suspected group of illegal aliens" when they died.

"It is unknown at this time if the aliens were apprehended or not," Quillan said. "The scene is still under investigation."

Brewer, in a statement, said the deaths were a reminder of the dangers Border Patrol agents face every day.

"As with members of our law enforcement and military, these two Border Patrol agents were doing the work necessary to secure our nation and protect our communities," she said. "They face real risks and offer real sacrifice. We owe them our gratitude."

Later in the day Brewer made a different statement, one that is probably directed towards the Federal Government:

http://ktar.com

This is the comment that goes at the end of the article above.

Two border agents were killed today pursuing suspected drug smugglers in AZ. Obama: Stop the Jokes - Secure the Border

http://bit.ly/iMjhrBless than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyJan Brewer
GovBrewer