Tancredo calls for removal of Laredo Border Patrol chief




Associated Press - August 24, 2007 8:34 PM ET

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, a strong critic of illegal immigration, says the director of the Border Patrol in Laredo, Texas, should be fired.

The Colorado Republican said Carlos X. Carillo's recent remarks in a town hall meeting "were diametrically opposed" to the Border Patrol's mission.

On August 15th, Carillo, speaking in Laredo, said the patrol's mission is not to stop illegal immigrants or criminals but to focus on terrorists and keep them from entering the country.

Three days later, in a letter to the editor, Carillo said he wanted "to fully explain" his comments. He said the agency's job historically had been to catch people or contraband coming into the country illegally.

Tancredo, who says he was contacted by concerned Border Patrol agents and others, said the explanation doesn't address concerns that Carrillo is minimizing the need to stop all illegal immigrants. Carrillo has headed the sector covering 171 river miles since October.

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