Thread: Tijuana enclave feels sting of escalating border strife

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.latimes.com/news/printeditio ... &cset=true

From the Los Angeles Times
Tijuana enclave feels sting of escalating border strife
By Richard Marosi
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

December 14, 2007

TIJUANA — In an escalation of clashes between U.S. Border Patrol agents and rock-throwing smugglers, agents have begun launching pepper spray and tear gas into densely populated Mexican border neighborhoods, according to witnesses, Mexican authorities and human rights groups.

The more aggressive approach reflects the tense climate in this city's most notorious smuggling neighborhood, Colonia Libertad, where U.S. agents say they have had to counter human traffickers' increasingly aggressive tactics by ramping up their own use of force.

Agents have used pepper spray in the past, but usually aimed directly at the smugglers. The new tactics, which saturate large areas, have forced dozens of temporary evacuations and sent some residents to hospitals, according to witnesses.

Border Patrol officials say tear gas and pepper spray rarely cause serious injury or damage. They say that they use them against assailants trying to divert attention from border crossers by pelting agents, and that residents are not targeted.

Since Oct. 1, the Border Patrol has counted 90 assaults against agents in the San Diego area, five times as many as during the same period a year ago. Agents have suffered serious head injuries, officials say.

The acting Mexican consul general in San Diego, Ricardo Pineda, has met with Border Patrol officials to protest the aggressive use of tear gas and pepper spray, said Alberto Lozano, the consular spokesman.

"We told them the Mexican government cannot tolerate having Mexican nationals hit with these kind of devices on Mexican soil by U.S. authorities, regardless of the reason," Lozano said.

Residents of the area's hillside shanties and muddy streets say the Border Patrol's measures neglect their welfare. Some agents, they say, show compassion, even apologizing for the tactics. But others are defiant and continue saturating areas despite their pleas.

"I said to the agent, 'Put yourself in my place. I have two children,' " said Robis Guadalupe Argumeo, who added that her home has been gassed three times since August, most recently after a verbal exchange with an agent Saturday. "He said, 'I'm the policeman of the world. No one can touch me.' "

The agent, Argumeo said, was peering over the border fence pointing his pepper-spray launcher at her house. She said that she told him, "But this isn't Iraq, this is Mexico" but that he continued firing into the neighborhood.

The clashes are taking place east of the San Ysidro port of entry along a two-mile stretch of border where Colonia Libertad, one of Tijuana's most densely populated neighborhoods, pushes up against the frontier.

This was once a heavily trampled immigrant-smuggling corridor where hundreds crossed nightly, but trafficking slowed considerably a decade ago when U.S. authorities erected two layers of fencing.

In recent months, however, illegal crossings and assaults have increased dramatically, agents say. Apprehensions of illegal immigrants are up 7% this year in the San Diego area, the only area on the Southwest border that showed an increase from last year.

The situation has deteriorated to the point that authorities are considering whether to add barbed wire to fencing along certain areas bordering Colonia Libertad, an option avoided in the past because of the negative symbolism.

Agents say smugglers -- by wearing cardboard shields or heavy jackets to deflect the projectiles -- long ago adapted to the original tactic of shooting pepper balls directly at them. The agents say the pepper balls, which explode on impact, don't seem to affect some of the hardened smugglers.

Using larger quantities of pepper spray and tear gas is more likely to disrupt their operations and de-escalate violence, agents say.

Smugglers throw rocks and other objects as one way to give immigrants time to scale the fences and disappear. Agents say the attacks are highly coordinated.

Two years ago an agent fatally shot a rock thrower in Colonia Libertad, prompting protests from the Mexican government. Border Patrol officials say using nonlethal weapons is the best way to avoid deadly outcomes.

"It's either that or you allow those people to assault our agents at an astronomical level and somebody gets killed," said Agent Richard Smith, a Border Patrol spokesman. "The alien-and drug-smuggling organizations should be ashamed for using innocent people as shields. It just goes to show they prioritize profit over human safety."

Some Mexican residents sympathize with the U.S. agents. Carmen Lopez, 63, scolds smugglers who climb onto her tar-paper roof to get a better view of Border Patrol activity. "The smugglers tell me, 'We're just trying to make a living like anyone else,' " she said.

But a smuggler pelted her for complaining, and she now stays inside. If anyone's to blame, she said, it's the Tijuana police, who should crack down; until then the Border Patrol's tactics are justified.

"How can they be at fault? They have a right to defend themselves," Lopez said.

Many others disagree.

In the last few weeks, there have been at least six incidents of Border Patrol agents throwing or shooting pepper spray or tear gas into the area, forcing the temporary evacuations of dozens of people, according to witnesses and others. After a canister -- possibly of pepper spray, possibly of tear gas -- exploded outside her home in late November, Marisela Arias, 19, who is four months pregnant, said she struggled to breathe and fainted.

Her husband, Miguel Arias, 23, took her to the hospital, where he vomited, he said. Their extended family of more than eight left the house until the smoke cleared, he said.

Aberto Rojas, 37, who lives a few blocks from the Arias' home, said he had a similar encounter with the Border Patrol the next day. Agents had targeted a smuggler who was hiding behind a van near Rojas' property. The canister they fired in the smuggler's direction skipped on a parked car and bounced into Rojas' car repair shop, where the gas sent him and his brother scrambling for cover, Rojas said.

Up the hill on the same day, 15-year-old Juanita Gonzalez was washing dishes when several devices exploded on her patio, sending spray and smoke through the open window, she said. Gonzalez said she fled with her baby brothers, joining several other families rushing to evacuate on the block.

"My face was burning," said Gonzalez, who had to be helped out of the house because she was having trouble breathing. "I felt like I was drowning."

Argumeo, the woman whose home has been gassed three times, said that after one incident, her 12-year-old son had nosebleeds for a week. Her neighbor, Ramiro Lopez, said an errant explosive shattered his car window before exploding.

The car is the least of his worries, he said. "Something has to be done -- more than anything, for the children."

richard.marosi@latimes.com


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives.

Article licensing and reprint options



Copyright 2007 Los Angeles Times | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service
Home Delivery | Advertise | Archives | Contact | Site Map | Help


partners:
http://www.latimes.com/news/printeditio ... &cset=true

The acting Mexican consul general in San Diego, Ricardo Pineda, has met with Border Patrol officials to protest the aggressive use of tear gas and pepper spray, said Alberto Lozano, the consular spokesman.

"We told them the Mexican government cannot tolerate having Mexican nationals hit with these kind of devices on Mexican soil by U.S. authorities, regardless of the reason," Lozano said.

The United States government cannot tolerate having American law enforcement officers hit with these kinds of devices on U.S. soil by Mexican nationals, regardless of the reason.

Or would you rather we roll in with M1A1 Abrams tanks and .50 cal machine guns???

AZZHOLE!!!!

They don't like it? Then I suggest they get their police department to WORK on keeping would-be illegals AWAY from the border. BP agents have the right to defend themselves. No more Mr. Nice Guy!

I'm not buying this story!
As far as I know it is against the law for the agents to fire anything into Mexico, they maybe using gas on this side of the border and it's blowing into Mexico but I don't believe they are shooting them across the border.
Agents are not allowed to do anything until someone crosses the border even if they throw rocks at them while in Mexico.

American citizens aren't going to stand for Mexican nationals throwing attacking our law enforcement or smuggling into our nation.
keep them on your side of the border, and stop them from attacking our citizens. They do not get to attack on our side of the border just because they are standing on your side of the border.


We told them the Mexican government cannot tolerate having Mexican nationals hit with these kind of devices on Mexican soil by U.S. authorities, regardless of the reason," Lozano said.[/i]

I'm kinda wondering about the truth that the BP is deliberately firing into Mexico -

Sounds a little far fetched to me. If our border patrol agents are doing prison time for protecting themselves its gonna' get pretty crowded if this is true.

I don't believe this for a minute.

Border patrol agents are arrested and imprisoned for upholding the law this side of the border. Who in their right mind would believe this drivel? Firing anything across the border would have them doing time and they know it. If Johnny Sutton gets involved they'll do the time in a Mexican prison.

The Tijuana police and Calderon should be held responsible for smugglers being allowed to assault our Border Patrol.They could stop it if they wanted too.So I would say to Lozano; talk to the ones responsible NOT our Border Patrol.

San Diego News


E-Mail News Alerts
Get breaking news and daily headlines.

Browse all e-mail newsletters

Related To Story




Mexico Says Border Patrol Assaulting Tijuana With Tear Gas

Witnesses, Mexican authorities and human rights groups said U.S. Border Patrol agents have begun launching pepper spray and tear gas from San Diego into densely populated Tijuana neighborhoods in response to escalating clashes with smugglers, it was reported Friday.

Border Patrol agents told the Los Angeles Times they have had to counter human traffickers' increasingly aggressive tactics -- especially near Tijuana's most notorious smuggling neighborhood of Colonia Libertad -- by ramping up their own use of force.

Agents have used pepper spray in the past, but usually aimed directly at the smugglers, according to the Times. The new tactics, which saturate large areas, have forced dozens of temporary evacuations and sent some residents to hospitals, witnesses told the newspaper.

Border Patrol officials told the Times that tear gas and pepper spray rarely cause serious injury or damage. Agents say that they use them against assailants trying to divert attention from border crossers by pelting agents with rocks, and that residents are not targeted.

Since Oct. 1, the Border Patrol has counted 90 assaults against agents in the San Diego area, five times as many as during the same period a year ago, and some resulting in serious head injuries, according to the Times.

The acting Mexican consul general in San Diego, Ricardo Pineda, has met with Border Patrol officials to protest the aggressive use of tear gas and pepper spray, Alberto Lozano, the consular spokesman, told the newspaper.

"We told them the Mexican government cannot tolerate having Mexican nationals hit with these kind of devices on Mexican soil by U.S. authorities, regardless of the reason," Lozano told the newspaper.
Copyright 2007 by City Wire. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


http://www.10news.com/news/14856176/detail.html