Judicial Watch Obtains Videotape of Border Patrol Sector Chief Decrying Illegal Immigration Enforcement

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(Washington, DC) -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it recently uncovered through the Freedom of Information Act a videotape (and transcript) of an August 15, 2007 town hall meeting on illegal immigration held in Laredo, Texas. During the meeting, held at Texas A&M International University’s campus, US Border Patrol (USBP) Laredo Sector Chief Carlos X. Carrillo disclaimed the illegal immigration and narcotics enforcement missions of the USBP.

"The Border Patrol’s job is not to stop illegal immigrants . . . The Border Patrol’s job is not to stop narcotics . . . or contraband or narcotics . . . the Border Patrol’s mission is not to do any of those things . . . The Border Patrol’s job is not to stop criminals . . . The Border Patrol’s job is to stop terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering this country," Mr. Carrillo stated.

Mr. Carrillo’s interpretation of the mission of the U.S. Border Patrol is inconsistent with the official policy of Customs and Border Protection. In an agency brochure, entitled, "CPB: Securing America’s Borders," W. Ralph Basham, Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) writes, "Denying entry to someone with terrorist ties, thwarting aggressive drug smugglers, establishing container security protocols around the world, using high-tech equipment to scan incoming vehicles, and inspecting incoming plants for dangerous pests are all part of the job…U.S. Customs and Border Protection secures America’s borders 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. We never rest. We control access to the United States, keeping out the dangerous and illegal while welcoming legitimate visitors and commerce."

"What part of ‘Customs and Border Protection’ does Mr. Carrillo not understand?" asked Judicial Watch Director of Investigations and Research Chris Farrell, who has traveled extensively on the border and monitored U.S. Border Patrol operations first-hand. "Certainly no one would dispute the importance of stopping terrorists from crossing the border, but Border Patrol agents must not allow illegal aliens and drug smugglers to cross the border unimpeded. One has to wonder if Mr. Carrillo inadvertently exposed the true attitude of other top officials at Border Patrol."

Later in Chief Patrol Agent Carrillo’s speech he conceded that in the past 10 months (until August 2007) Laredo Sector agents had apprehended 51,000 illegal aliens (almost 10,000 of whom were criminal aliens) and seized over 62 tons of narcotics.