Thread: Juárez police to assist in border areas

Juárez police to assist in border areas

By Daniel Borunda \ El Paso Times
Posted: 06/15/2010 12:00:00 AM MDT

EL PASO -- U.S. Border Patrol agents will not work alone in trouble spots which also will be watched closer by Mexican police to prevent more violence after last week's fatal shooting of a Juárez teenager, authorities said Monday.

The mayors of El Paso and Juárez and law enforcement officials met Monday morning to discuss ways to stem problems on the international boundary between the cities.

The meeting at El Paso City Hall took place a week after the death of Sergio Adrián Hernández Güereca, who was shot by a Border Patrol agent allegedly being attacked with rocks while trying to make an arrest on the Rio Grande in Downtown El Paso.

"That rock throwing incident was not what we were focusing on. It was how we keep something like that from happening again," El Paso Mayor John Cook said. "We are trying to be proactive."

The meeting included leaders of the Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Juárez and Chihuahua state police.

The 15-year-old boy's death on the Mexico side of the mostly-dry river near the Paso del Norte Bridge sparked protests, vigils and investigations by the FBI and Mexico's attorney general's office.

Hernández's family wants the Border Patrol agent tried in Mexico for homicide. The agent's supporters say he was defending himself. The FBI also opened a civil rights inquiry into the shooting.

On Saturday, a demonstration turned violent when Juárez protesters crossed the Rio Grande, threw rocks at the U.S. side and ripped a chain link fence. The Border Patrol, including agents in riot gear, waited nearby but did not confront the protesters. There were no reported injuries.

In a statement, El Paso Sector Border Patrol Chief Agent Randy Hill said he has "instructed his agents to exercise appropriate restraint without compromising personal safety or national security to avoid another incident."

Cook said he was told Border Patrol agents will work in groups at spots known for rock attacks, including Downtown, near the old Asarco plant and Anapra-Sunland Park.

Border Patrol officials said there have been uncorroborated threats of retaliation against agents.

Juárez Mayor José Reyes Ferriz said his police will work with the U.S. to add patrols to conflict spots on the border. Reyes said Mexican authorities also will reach out to young people warning them to stay away from the borderline and to not become involved in smuggling or immigrant trafficking.

U.S. federal law enforcement officials said Hernández was on a list of juveniles who helped sneak immigrants across the border.

Cook said he was told by federal officials there are about 15 other juveniles in the same category as Hernández. "They have been apprehended a repeat number of times and typically the ones that were involved with human smuggling," he said.

"One of the important things that came out of the meeting was the recognition by Juárez that they have to offer other things to young people to involve people who hang around the bridges," Cook said.

The shooting, captured on cell phone video, gained international attention. There has been heated debate whether the agent was justified in shooting the teenager.

"I think everyone at the table (during the meeting Monday) wants to see cooler heads prevail and give the FBI the opportunity to do their investigation," Cook said.

Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com;546-6102.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_15298266

Leaders from El Paso, Juarez meet over shooting

06/15/2010

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN / Associated Press

Local leaders from El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, called for residents on both sides of the Rio Grande to allow the FBI to finish its investigation into last week's shooting of a 15-year-old Mexican by a Border Patrol agent.

El Paso Mayor John Cook said Tuesday that his meeting with Juarez Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz a day earlier was aimed at finding ways to prevent another serious incident.

"We specifically avoided talking about the particular issue that started all of this," Cook said.

On June 7, a Border Patrol agent was trying to arrest illegal immigrants who had crossed into the U.S. when he came under attack from rock throwers in Mexico. The agent fired his weapon into Mexico killing Sergio Adrian Hernandez Huereka, who died in Mexican territory. It remains unclear whether Hernandez was throwing rocks.

The agent, who has not been identified, was placed on administrative leave.

On Saturday, a demonstration in Juarez spilled across the border as several youths taunted Border Patrol by crossing the riverbed and throwing rocks.

Monday's meeting, which included representatives from law enforcement in both countries, was meant to avoid similar provocations and diffuse tensions, Cook said.

The Border Patrol highlighted three segments of the border in El Paso where rocks are thrown at agents on a weekly basis. And local law enforcement in El Paso identified 15 young men, who like Hernandez, have been previously arrested for smuggling illegal immigrants as minors.

Reyes agreed to have Juarez police begin patrolling those trouble spots identified by Border Patrol with the hope that Mexican authorities can head off any potential confrontations, Cook said. Reyes also agreed to reach out to the 15 young men identified as immigrant smugglers with counseling and other means to get them to leave the business.

Cook said he's very good friends with his Juarez counterpart.

Randy Hill, chief of the Border Patrol in the El Paso sector, "instructed his agents to exercise appropriate restraint without compromising personal safety or national security to avoid another incident," according to a statement released by Cook's office.

The FBI is leading the investigation because a federal officer is involved. Late last week, the FBI opened a civil rights probe as part of its broader investigation into the assault on the Border Patrol agent.

A civil rights probe, which is not unusual in cases involving Border Patrol dealings with foreign nationals, investigates allegations of abuse by any U.S. law enforcement officer. If investigators determine the Border Patrol agent shot Hernandez without justification, he could be found to have violated Hernandez's civil rights, which is a crime. The fate of the agent could range from being cleared of all wrongdoing to a charge of homicide.

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