Thread: Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on BA Death

Statement by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on the Killing of a Border Patrol Agent in the Line of Duty
Release Date: January 19, 2008

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

Earlier today the Border Patrol lost a brave agent assigned to the Yuma Sector in a heinous act of violence. The agent was struck and killed while attempting to stop two vehicles believed to have illegally entered the country and were absconding back into Mexico.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the agent's family, and with the entire Border Patrol community.

I am outraged by this tragic loss. I have spoken to the Mexican ambassador who gives me both his condolences and deep assurance that their government will be resolute in tracking down the perpetrators, and bringing them to swift justice.

I'm insisting that the full force of the law be used in this investigation. Our Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are already on scene assisting the Border Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in this effort.

Dangerous criminal groups have chosen to respond to our tougher security posture at the border with increased violence. They mistakenly believe that we will give way in the face of violence. We will continue to show them how wrong they are.

The American public stands with the men and women of the Border Patrol, and I am deeply grateful for their heroic service.

http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1200840987620.shtm

Hope posted in correct section.

put up your vehicle barriers faster. ya bald headed jacka$$

I am outraged by this tragic loss. I have spoken to the Mexican ambassador who gives me both his condolences and deep assurance that their government will be resolute in tracking down the perpetrators, and bringing them to swift justice.

I may be getting cynical in my old age, but I have my doubts as to whether any action is actually taken.

At least this time they acknowledged it and it got some news coverage. I think it was mainly due to the fact that Hunter mentioned it in his dropping out speach and too many people had already heard about it.

The guy makes me think of Barny Fife ... an empty chamber and hap-hazardly protecting this nation

meanwhile Calderon just had a pow-wow with all his Mexican consular corps and diplomats in Mexico City to instruct them to have zero-tolerance for anti-Mexican and anti-illegal alien efforts in the U.S.. There is an official visit for Calderon to U.S. in February to berate the U.S. for immmigration reforms and border security and a 100 million dollar public relations and ad campaign and plitical influence peddling to influence our elections and policy makers. This is outrageous.

And when will there be outrage enough to get the darn fence up???

Originally Posted by AirborneSapper7

The guy makes me think of Barny Fife ... an empty chamber and hap-hazardly protecting this nation

wait what am I doing? He REALLY does act like Barny Fife

The border agents who aren't maimed or killed by illegals are put in jail for doing their jobs. Can they make it any tougher to enforce our laws?

How the Mexican Government reacts to incidents: NOTE DATE 1-18-07

Border Agent Kills Immigrant; Mexican Government Protests

By JONATHAN CLARK
Published: January 18, 2007
BISBEE, Ariz., Jan. 17 —A Mexican immigrant was shot and killed on Friday by a Border Patrol agent in Arizona, prompting an investigation by federal authorities and condemnation from President Felipe Calderón of Mexico.
The immigrant, Francisco Javier DomÃ*nguez Rivera, 22, was shot as he and six others were being taken into custody by a Border Patrol agent, shortly after they crossed illegally into Cochise County in southeastern Arizona, between Naco and Douglas. Before he was shot, Mr. DomÃ*nguez Rivera scuffled with the agent, whose identity was not released, a Border Patrol spokesman said.

It was the first fatal shooting by a Border Patrol agent since Aug. 26, 2006, when an agent killed a man who was throwing rocks from the Mexican side of the border near Andrade, Calif., Xavier Rios, an agency spokesman, said.

The Cochise County Sheriff’s Department and the federal Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency of United States Customs and Border Protection, are investigating the shooting.

The F.B.I. is also looking at the case and will review the results of the other inquiries before determining whether to expand its investigation, said an agency spokeswoman in Phoenix.
“Any time there’s an assault on a federal agent, we’re involved,â€

This article is in conjunction with the above one---and raises the question--can a border agent get a fair trial?

Border Patrol agent heads to trial, questions about Mexican Consulate involvement
2007-08-07
Brady McCombs
In case you missed it, a Cochise County judge on Monday dismissed first-degree murder charges against U.S. Border Patrol agent Nicholas Corbett in the shooting death of a Mexican illegal entrant near the border but ordered him to stand trial on counts of second-degree murder, manslaughter and negligent homicide.

Here’s the story:Border agent’s first-degree count is tossed

The seven and a half hour preliminary hearing in Bisbee fit the description many legal experts give for such a proceeding: a mini trial. The prosecution rolled out 10 witnesses and defense attorneys spent considerable time cross-examining each one, trying to show inconsistencies in their accounts.

Some of the most intense moments came when Sean Chapman, a Tucson attorney representing Corbett, questioned the two brothers, René DomÃ*nguez Rivera, 21, and Jorge DomÃ*nguez Rivera, 24; and sister-in-law, Sandra Vidal Guzmán, 20; of the victim, Francisco Javier DomÃ*nguez Rivera, 22, of Puebla, Mexico. All three were with him when the shooting occurred on Jan. 12.

To begin with, none of the three speak fluent English so a court interpreter had to translate all the questions and answers, which adds a degree of difficulty to any communication. That, coupled with the sensitive nature of the case, produced slow-moving cross examinations as René DomÃ*nguez Rivera, Jorge DomÃ*nguez Rivera and Vidal Guzmán carefully considered their answers to a flurry of questions about the details leading to the shooting from Chapman.

Chapman cued up audio recordings of their statements to authorities when their testimony Monday didn’t match with previous accounts.

In the end, all three stuck to their statements that Corbett shot Francisco Javier DomÃ*nguez Rivera from behind and that he had not tried to throw a rock at Corbett or make any threatening gestures.
Chapman asked each of them directly if they felt pressured by the Mexican government to testify against Corbett due to the fact that the Mexican Consulate is providing them with food, clothes and lodging, and arranging for visas for them to remain in the United States while the case runs it course.

Each said no. And, the Mexican Consulate has also denied those accusations.

But, it was part of an orchestrated day-long effort by Chapman and co-attorney Daniel Santander to drive home their assertion that the Mexican Government has interfered with the case and pressured the family members into testifying against Corbett.

In January, Mexican President Felipe Calderón condemned the shooting and demanded a full investigation. That, coupled with the assistance the consulate is providing to the trio, shows that Mexican government wants Corbett convicted, they argue.

It brings up an interesting question: What role should the Mexican Consulate play in a case like this? The local chapter of the union for Border Patrol agents — Local 2544, the Arizona Chapter of the National Border Patrol Council — has been adamant that the consulate has interfered and pressured not only the witnesses, but Cochise County officials.

But Jennifer Allen, director of the Border Action Network, a Tucson-based immigrant-rights organization, couldn’t disagree more:

“The implied accusation that they are doing this on the behest of the Consulate or the Mexican government is absurd,â€