Thread: 3 In Custody In Border Agent's Death - July 28,2009 UPDATE

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-164713.html

SIX IN Custody in Slaying of Agent Rosas

RELATED

Man arrested in border agent's killing charged with being in U.S. illegally

2:01 p.m. July 27, 2009

SAN DIEGO – A man arrested in San Jose after the fatal shooting of a U.S. Border Patrol agent has been charged with being in the country illegally after a previous deportation, authorities said Monday.

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-164722.html


RELATED

Mexican border on edge after U.S. agent slain

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-164723.html

The TV news in San Diego said that the F.B.I. is now in possession of the gun that was on the smuggler who was arrested in Mexico soon after the border patrol agent was shot. The F.B.I. says that the gun is NOT the agents gun. They are going to test it to see if it was the gun that shot the agent.
I'll follow up on this.

FBI won't say whether San Jose arrest linked to border agent killing

By Debbi Baker and Sandra Dibble
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS
2:00 a.m. July 28, 2009

A man arrested in San Jose after the fatal shooting of a U.S. Border Patrol agent has been charged with being in the country illegally after being deported twice, authorities said.

Salvador Picaso-Ambriz, 39, of Mexico was arrested Friday at O'Connor Hospital at the request of federal authorities, San Jose police Sgt. Ronnie Lopez said.

Picaso-Ambriz appeared in federal court in San Jose yesterday morning and is being held in federal custody without bail, officials said.

FBI spokesman Darrell Foxworth would not say whether Picaso-Ambriz's arrest was connected to the death of Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas, 30, on Thursday. Court records show a San Diego County sheriff's deputy was present when federal authorities talked to Picaso-Ambriz in San Jose on Friday.

No one has been arrested or charged in the agent's death, Foxworth said.

In Mexico, a human smuggler suspect detained after the shooting was ordered held for 40 days as Mexican prosecutors seek homicide, smuggling, firearms and organized crime charges.

Ernesto Parra Valenzuela, 36, was arrested Friday in Mexico in connection with the agent's slaying near the site where Rosas was shot. Late Saturday, Mexican federal police reported that Parra was fingered as the gunman by a member of a smuggling group.

Rosas was shot about 9:15 p.m. Thursday in a remote area east of Campo while pursuing a group of people presumed to have entered the country illegally.

Rosas — who spent three years with the Border Patrol — was separated from other agents, who heard shots and found the agent dead from multiple wounds.

The FBI has offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Agents can be reached at (858) 565-1255.
Rosas' funeral is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday at Southwest High School, followed by interment at Evergreen Cemetery, both in El Centro.

A memorial account has been established for Rosas' wife and two young children at Cabrillo Credit Union, 10075 Carroll Canyon Road, Suite 120, San Diego, CA 92131.

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/ ... ?uniontrib

San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial

A valiant officer

Border Patrol agent who died in line of duty merits respect

2:00 a.m. July 28, 2009

There are bloodstains on the border after a tragic act of lawlessness which cries out for justice — not political grandstanding or rank opportunism by those pushing their own agendas.

Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas was killed on Shockey Truck Trail in Campo. Rosas was on patrol when he spotted a suspicious group of people and called for backup. After the suspects split up, he pursued some of them by himself. His fellow agents lost radio contact with him, and later heard gunshots in the distance. When they came upon Rosas, he had been shot multiple times. The agent was 30 years old and left behind a wife, 2-year-old son and 11-month-old daughter.

A multi-agency investigation is under way. The FBI has offered a $100,000 reward for information. Late last week, three people were arrested in San Jose, possibly in connection with the murder. Meanwhile, Mexican authorities arrested four men who they said were human smugglers with possible ties to the killing. One of the men identified the shooter as Ernesto Parra Valenzuela, a man arrested earlier in Tecate, Mexico. U.S. investigators will want a crack at Valenzuela to see if he's their man.

Predictably, anti-immigration activists and border vigilante groups wasted no time in trying to use this tragedy to bolster their argument that the U.S.-Mexican border is a war zone and that the U.S. government is failing to protect those who protect us. And, sadly, some politicians have likewise tried to use the death of agent Rosas to score political points. Neither response is very dignified. Rosas deserves better. A highly regarded agent who started his law enforcement career as a reserve officer at the El Centro Police Department when he was in his early twenties, he died valiantly in the line of duty. That merits respect.

And while some will point to this tragedy as an example of why Americans shouldn't reform its immigration laws, we see it differently. Currently, there is too much foot traffic on the border. So, when a Border Patrol agent stumbles upon a crowd of people or pulls over a vehicle, he has no idea what he's getting himself into. If there were a way for an immigrant work force to enter the United States legally, those workers wouldn't need to come illegally by crossing the border. Then the brave men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol could concentrate on hard-core criminals, such as drug and gun smugglers, instead of gardeners and dishwashers.

But the real significance of this story isn't political. It's personal. The most heart wrenching aspect of this tragedy is that two children will have to grow up not knowing their father. We can't do anything about that, although we wish we could. But, as for the grateful residents of San Diego County, we'll long remember the bravery of Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas.

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/ ... ?uniontrib

Border isn't secured.

Predictably, anti-immigration activists and border vigilante groups wasted no time in trying to use this tragedy to bolster their argument that the U.S.-Mexican border is a war zone and that the U.S. government is failing to protect those who protect us.

How dare they PROFILE people who want a secure border as being anything other than concerned Americans. Crime is spreading into our country more each day and something needs to be done about it.

Move to NEW Section for "Americans Killed by Illegals."