Border death stirs debate
Article Launched:08/07/2007 06:11:18 PM PDT

"Embrace heaven for us Kuya Eric, our hero. Rest in peace."

- post on Web site freerepublic.com

THAT'S just one of dozens of posts pouring onto Web sites honoring America's border patrol agents, messages left in tribute to Eric Cabral, 31, who died while on duty over the weekend from heat-related causes.

Cabral, an Azusa Pacific University graduate, obtained his master of science degree in physical education in 2003 from the local Christian college. Not only did he study the human body, he put his education into practice - he was in superb physical shape. The Associated Press reported his physical stamina impressed his superiors at the Border Patrol Academy in New Mexico, where Cabral graduated in 2006.

The ironies don't stop there.

While we often hear of suspected illegal immigrants dying during a tortuous journey through the desert and mountains between Mexico and the U.S., Cabral is the first border patrol agent to die from extreme weather. The news reports don't say enough about Border Patrol agents who work in the same heat and humidity that can define the 1,952-mile border six months or more out of the year.

Some say the combination of 95-degree heat and high humidity conspired against Cabral while chasing suspected illegal immigrants near Jacumba, a small village 60 miles east of San Diego. When he didn't rendezvous with his partner, a search was launched. His body was found with a head gash, a canteen that still had water in it next to him.

Did he overextend himself? Was he overconfident? Or was there some undisclosed medical condition? We don't have the answers to these questions.

Then there's this post from an officer at the academy where he trained: "Let Eric's untimely death remind all USBP Agents of the dangers faced by the environmental conditions under which you work each day. Let all of us strive to ensure this type of event does not occur in the future."

We would second that. But we can't say with any kind of certainty that the Border Patrol did not prepare him to work in these potentially deadly conditions. One would suppose he knew of the dangers of extreme weather.

What we do know is that Cabral died protecting America's borders. Like the fallen officers at other law enforcement agencies, he died while performing hazardous duty many of us would never be able to do. We salute his bravery and his dedication, never quitting a pursuit that went on for seven hours. Never giving up.

Would a completed border fence have prevented Cabral's death? Would more officers on the border sharing his load? Would a comprehensive guest worker program lessen the flow of illegal immigrants?

There are no hard and fast answers. Cabral's death raises only more questions in an area of U.S. policy that remains broken.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/opinions/ci_6566042