Maybe they should have let it burn?

Mexico-U.S. brush fire sparks diplomatic protest
Wed Mar 7, 2007 1:51am ET16

By Noel Randewich

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico complained to the United States in a diplomatic note on Tuesday after learning that U.S. Border Patrol agents crossed into its territory a day earlier to extinguish a fast-spreading brush fire.

Reacting quickly after winds blew a grass fire into Mexico, U.S. Border Patrol agents followed the flames across the border with two water trucks, Mexico's foreign ministry said. The ministry cited a U.S. government report it received on Tuesday.

After extinguishing the fire just inside in the state of Sonora, the U.S. agents, normally responsible for nabbing illegal Mexican immigrants, returned to their side of the border with their equipment, according to the report.


"While the ministry recognizes the incursion may have been to attend to an emergency, according to the U.S. Embassy, it has been reiterated that even during emergencies it is necessary without exception to immediately notify Mexican authorities," the finance ministry said.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico could not be reached for comment about the border crossing by U.S. officials, which was the second such incident in recent weeks and comes days ahead of a visit to Mexico by President Bush.

In February, Mexico's Congress complained that U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and U.S. government workers building a controversial border fence stepped into Mexican territory.

Lawmakers said that while on a visit to Arizona, Chertoff and workers briefly crossed into Mexico without permission.

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Mexicans have become more sensitive about their 2,000-mile (3,200-km) border with the United States since the U.S. government decided build the barrier to reduce illegal crossings and moved soldiers to the region.

Mexico sees the barrier, being built along parts of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, as offensive and says it will be ineffective and cause more deaths by forcing illegal immigrants into harsh terrain.

Many Americans see illegal immigration as a threat to employment. Supporters of the fence say it is also needed to keep out drug smugglers and terrorists.

Bush is expected to discuss migration and drugs when he visits Mexican President Felipe Calderon next week in the state of Yucatan.

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At highway border crossings, U.S. citizens are normally able enter Mexico by showing official identification such as a drivers license or passport.

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