Thread: Border Patrol: Leave security to professionals

Border Patrol: Leave security to professionals
By Karl Anderson / For the Las Cruces Sun-News
Article Launched: 05/05/2008 08:05:47 AM MDT


ALAMOGORDO - The Border Patrol says while it appreciates the tips generated by watchdog groups like the Minutemen, it would prefer if border security were left to the professionals.
The Minutemen and a second group, the Patriots Border Alliance, are very familiar to the federal agency.

"We have tried to discourage them from operating," said Doug Mosier, with the Border Patrol's office of public affairs in El Paso, Texas. "We would prefer they leave this job to the Border Patrol because they are not trained, as our agents are, for the potential dangers that are very real on our border."

But Mosier was very clear about the rights of these groups to be where they are.

"They have the constitutional right to be there doing what they do," he said.

He admitted that while the presence of these groups has been discouraged, there have been no problems to date with that presence.

"We have had no encounters with either group that would cause us to deem them a hindrance," he said. "And to their credit, they have provided information to us on occasion that has led to the apprehension of some illegal migrants."

But Mosier debunked some of the information given last Tuesday at the Eagle Forum meeting by Bob Wright, president of the Patriots Border Alliance.

In his talk Tuesday, Wright said he was shocked when he visited the border to find hundreds of people there, waiting for the opportunity to cross illegally.

"Where and when was that?" Mosier asked. "We
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have never seen anything like that, nor have we even heard of anything like that."
Another subject Wright spoke of were alleged "sex trees," where women are literally tied to trees and raped on the border.

"Again, we have never heard or seen such a thing," Mosier said. "I am sure if this was factual, we would have at least heard something about it."

But Mosier did admit is has been and continues to be dangerous at times for women, along with anyone in general, who attempts to cross the border.

"We know that some are attacked," he said. "But trees? No. That is not true."

Wright also mentioned that drug cartels control northern Mexico, and that effects of recent drug wars near the border have spilled into the United States to some degree. "That is a question for the Mexican government," Mosier said. "I think they are the only ones who can truly answer that. We do not have evidence to validate that one way or the other, and I don't think that assumption can be made by anyone."

Mosier said any spillage into the U.S. from a drug war is also speculative.

"Drugs have been a problem on our borders for decades," he said.

"I don't think a current drug war has caused this to now become a problem. It has been a problem for quite some time."

http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_9158043

Tip of me hat to Mr.Anderson (Matrix ?) for a fair piece of journalism .
Minute Men and Constitutional rights . Now thats a good fit imo

This dude is obviously uninformed. Maybe we should gift him with subscriptions to newspapers located along the border. And send him the movie "Border." And send him some pictures from Archives. I hate it when people speak with authority, they haven't got a clue, and they expect you to swallow it hook, line, and sinker.

Originally Posted by Faye

This dude is obviously uninformed. Maybe we should gift him with subscriptions to newspapers located along the border. And send him the movie "Border." And send him some pictures from Archives. I hate it when people speak with authority, they haven't got a clue, and they expect you to swallow it hook, line, and sinker.

I thought it was a fair article , where as you attacked it . I haven't seen "Borders" .But everything else i've watched . Was i that wrong in thinking he was being sincere. He may not have first hand knowledge on everything

Q&A with Border Patrol's Doug Mosier, Public Affairs Director Michele LeBoeuf, Patrol Agent and Public Information Officer

Doug Mosier is currently in his 19th year serving as Director of Public Affairs for the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol. He is a native southern New Mexican, who graduated from Deming High School and Eastern New Mexico University with a Bachelor of Science in Communications. He worked in radio and television journalism in New Mexico and west Texas for ten years before becoming a civilian public affairs professional for the U.S. Government.

LiLC: What areas are under your jurisdiction?

DM: The El Paso sector includes the entire state of New Mexico and portions of the two western-most counties of Texas. We cover about 125,000 square miles of territory with twelve border patrol stations and six permanent traffic check points.

LiLC: How many checkpoints are in Las Cruces and what role do they play in keeping our borders safe?

DM: There are three major checkpoints in Las Cruces stationed on the major highways leading from El Paso: IH-10, IH-25 and Highway 185. The Las Cruces checkpoints perform the important function of screening vehicles headed for the interior of the country. It is a job that we take very seriously, and it requires constant vigilance.

LiLC: In recent years this country has developed a heightened awareness of its vulnerabilities. What is the current mission of the Border Patrol?

DM: Our current objective is to prevent terrorism and instruments of terror from entering the United States through international ports of entry. Our traditional role is to prevent illegal immigration and smuggling activity. We are the first line of defense between the international ports of entry - so you can imagine the awesome responsibility that comes with that.

LiLC: What are some of the major issues that border patrol agents are faced with everyday?

DM: Our most pressing issue is simply homeland security, first and foremost. The smuggling of both narcotics and human cargo has become big business; some drug smuggling organizations crossed over to smuggling people because it has become more lucrative for those willing to run the risk of getting caught. This area is also a major corridor for narcotic smuggling. Just in the last fiscal year, the Border Patrol seized about $164 million in narcotics just in the borderland region.

LiLC: What other agencies help the border patrol ensure community
safety?

DM: The CBP CVP customs and border protection also includes inspectors who perform the task of screening persons in vehicles at our nation's ports of entry. We also have a good working relationship with numerous local, state and federal agencies in the area, including our Mexican counterparts. The Border Patrol utilizes a Mexican Liaison Unit whose sole responsibility is to maintain contact with Mexican authorities continuously in order to strengthen that relationship. Citizens have also been very helpful in reporting suspicious activity.

LiLC: The Minutemen are a group of citizens who have taken border patrol into their own hands. What is your office's position on their presence?

DM: The Minutemen are a completely separate and independent group from the U.S. government. We appreciate reports from citizens regarding suspicious activity so that we may act on it, and we recognize and respect their right to be out there, but at the same time we feel a strong commitment to monitoring their activity along the border. We have always maintained that we would prefer to have trained professionals upholding the responsibility of homeland security along the border.

LiLC: Michele, what is a day in the life of a border patrol agent?

MLB: A day in the life of an agent is different each day you go to work. At my particular station, I am primarily involved in line watch activities directly on the border. This could include sign cutting, which is an ancient art of tracking sign, or footprints, intrusions on the earth. All agents use a blend of technology and infrastructure from sensors to cameras. This job isn't just enforcing the law of the land, but also helping those in need. Illegal immigrants can enter the country and find themselves in need of rescue or medical attention, and because we are usually first on the scene, we administer the care they need. We aren't just hardened law enforcement agents - we are out there to help people too. Being a border patrol agent has been a great and rewarding career, second to none.

LiLC: Do you have any programs that get the community involved?

DM: We were the first sector in the country to have a Citizens Academy. It is a six week course where community members meet with our instructors, tour our facilities, view presentations from agents, and ask any questions about the mechanics of the border patrol. We have an open-door policy because we believe that an educated public only increases the abilities of law enforcement agencies.

For more information on the Border Patrol's Citizens Academy, call 915.834.8901.

Border Patrol jurisdiction covers roughly 125,000 square miles of territory, with three major checkpoints.
Main objective is homeland security.
Doña Ana is first county to provide a Citizens Academy for its community.
http://www.lascrucesrelocation.com/html ... osier.html

Originally Posted by jimpasz

Border Patrol: Leave security to professionals
By Karl Anderson / For the Las Cruces Sun-News
Article Launched: 05/05/2008 08:05:47 AM MDT


ALAMOGORDO - The Border Patrol says while it appreciates the tips generated by watchdog groups like the Minutemen, it would prefer if border security were left to the professionals.

Yes, really professional when they turn their backs to those breaking the laws and even give them rides back home when they are ready to go back.

What they really mean is stay out of our business so we can do what we want to do and have no consequences. I guess the Border Patrol has forgotten who pays their salary.

tencz57, I guess I attacked because I know people in the Patriots Border Alliance and get information from them. What this man is saying and what I get from info and pictures from the PBA don't jive.

maybe because most of the border groups are out in AZ and CA and he does not see them or work around them or have anyone who does

The ones I deal with are in Texas and New Mexico.

Originally Posted by Faye

The ones I deal with are in Texas and New Mexico.

and what do those agents say?
do they agree or disagree with this Mosier character