TRAGEDY ON THE BORDER

http://www.newswithviews.com/Stoddard/david3.htm

By David J. Stoddard
January 31, 2007
NewsWithViews.com

On January 12 of this year, seven illegal aliens from Mexico entered the United States afoot East of Naco, Arizona. They were intercepted by a Border Patrol Agent responding from the Naco, Arizona Border Patrol Station.

While the agent was taking the aliens into custody, one of them threatened the Agent with a large rock. Refusing orders to drop the rock, the alien-Francisco Dominguez of Mexico- continued to threaten the Agent. Dominguez subsequently died on the scene with one gunshot to the chest.

The six alien witnesses were transported to the Naco Station for interrogation. Two of those witnesses are brothers of the deceased and a third is the wife of one of those brothers.

As per Border Patrol procedure, Border Patrol Supervisors were notified including the Patrol Agent in Charge of the Naco Station, (PAIC) Miss Darcy Olmos.

The United States and Mexico are signatories of a treaty which requires the appropriate Consul be notified in the event of the death or injury of one of its nationals. Furthermore, the treaty requires that the Consul be notified if one of its nationals requests to contact the Consul. There is no requirement that the Consul be allowed to interview its nationals before any investigation is complete or to participate in any investigation.

The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office was notified and a Sheriff’s Detective responded to the Naco Station as did the Border Patrol’s Critical Incident investigative team.

The witnesses were isolated and U.S. Investigators were in the process of interviewing them when three officials from the Douglas, Arizona Mexican Consul’s Office arrived at the Naco Border Patrol Station.

The Mexican Consul employees demanded to speak to the witnesses and Darcy Olmos obliged them by escorting them into the processing area where the witnesses were being interviewed. PAIC Darcy Olmos ordered that the Consular employees be given free access despite the objections of several subordinates in the room.

As a result, up to three witnesses were tainted by the Mexican Government BEFORE giving their statements to United States Officials.

The illegal aliens claim that the deceased was shot down for no justifiable reason.

Darcy Olmos has a long history of pandering to Mexico and Mexican aliens. She once referred to illegal Mexican aliens as “My people.” On another occasion, after local ranchers complained of vandalism by illegal aliens, Olmos stated that ancestors of the ranchers had stolen this land from “her people.”

Due to Olmos’ zeal to please the Mexican Government and apparent allegiance to the same, the freedom, future and career of a hard working loyal Border Patrol Agent is in jeopardy.

Olmos is in denial and cover-up mode. Despite witnesses to the contrary, Olmos assures her superiors and her subordinates that the witnesses were never spoken to by the Mexican Consul before they were interviewed by U.S. Officers.

It remains to be seen what the Chief Patrol Agent, Michael Nicely in Tucson will do about this. Rumor has it that he has moved to protect PAIC Darcy Olmos.

There should be an immediate independent investigation by the U.S. Justice Department into this matter. It is totally unacceptable to allow officials of a foreign government to interfere with U.S. law enforcement activities. It is totally unacceptable for a Patrol Agent in Charge to allow a foreign entity to insinuate itself into an ongoing investigation.

However, The Mexican Government has a long history of such interference. Particularly there is a long history of Mexican interference with U.S. Border enforcement.

There is a long history of the U.S. Border Patrol bowing to the wishes of the Mexican Government.

A couple of years ago there was a traffic accident involving a Mexican smuggler of illegal aliens in San Diego. The smuggler and the aliens were transported to a San Diego hospital. The Mexican Consul operating out of San Diego Sector of the Border Patrol;

(Yes. That is correct. The Mexican Consul has an office in the Border Patrol facility.)

Anyway, the Consul showed up at the hospital and impersonating Border Patrol Officers, checked the smuggler out of the hospital and ushered him back to Mexico. This incident was minimized and then covered up by the U.S. Border Patrol. There was never a U.S. Government protest to Mexico concerning Mexican Consular officials committing a felony on U.S. soil.

The Mexican Government has distributed “crossing manuals” to potential illegal aliens in Mexico telling them how to avoid apprehension and how to take advantage of U.S. benefits once they take up residence here.

The Mexican Government has orchestrated lawsuits against U.S. citizens who dare to interfere with illegal aliens crossing their land. The Roger Barnett case comes readily to mind.

The Border Patrol Union has taken affidavits from the Agent witnesses and has filed a grievance. Overall this has little consequence. But rank and file Border Patrol Agents have little recourse.

Meanwhile, Darcy Olmos’ superiors have yet to address this situation. I am skeptical. Border Patrol management officials are legacy INS/Border Patrol personnel. The old INS had a history of protecting incompetent managers. Often those managers were “promoted” to a higher position in spite of their ineptitude.

Will the new DHS CBP agency follow in the tradition of INS/Border Patrol and cover up for Darcy Olmos? Will the new DHS/CBP ask the U.S. State Department to protest the continuing breach of protocol on the part of the Mexican Government?

Will President Bush lodge a protest with Mexican President Felipe Calderon?

I doubt all of that. I am skeptical.

Those rank and file Border Patrol Agents who are risking their lives every day on the line deserve support and protection from the U.S. Government and from their supervisors. They are not getting it.

Border Patrol Agents are entitled to competent supervision which is loyal to them and to the United States. Are they getting what they are entitled to?

© 2007 David J. Stoddard - All Rights Reserved



Dave Stoddard has lived and worked on the border all his live. He has traveled in Mexico and has friends and family there. Dave lives near the Mexican Border in Cochise County, Arizona. He speaks, reads and writes Spanish fluently.

Mr. Stoddard spent 27 years in the Border Patrol and served in Calexico, California, Vermont, Yuma, Tucson Sector Headquarters and Naco, Arizona. He also worked in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and other locations.

Stoddard provided testimony about immigration reform to Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner's (R-WI) House Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims in 1999 and a Congressional subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources in 2002. He has also been a guest on multiple nationally broadcast Radio and television programs, including Bill O'Reilly's "The Factor."