Archive for category Security
Border Patrol Agent and Girlfriend Charged with Smuggling Guns
Posted by kristinjones28 in Security on April 18, 2012
03/18/2012- U.S. Border Patrol Agent Ricardo Montalvo, 28, and his girlfriend Carla Gonzales-Ortiz, 29, were indicted last week by a federal grand jury on conspiracy, firearms, and smuggling charges. The pair was arrested on April 9, 2012 following a yearlong investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) in El Paso. The 20 count indictment alleges the two were “straw purchasers” who posed as buyers, but who instead bought “weapons of choice,” which they knew were bound for drug cartels in Mexico.
This morning at a detention hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Mesa ruled Montalvo and Gonzales-Ortiz will both remain jailed without bond pending their trial date. Mesa determined the two were both flight risks after reviewing the possible maximum punishment of over 10 years in prison.
During this morning’s hearing, an internal affairs agent of Border Patrol testified that although investigators found indications that the guns Montalvo purchased were destined for drug cartel members in Mexico, he admitted he did not know if definite evidence to prove those allegations exists.
The City of Escondido in San Diego County Faces Accusations of Committing their DUI Checkpoint to Immigrant Capture, not Public Safety
Posted by kevinsantamaria in Immigration, Journalism, Politics, Security on March 26, 2012
03/20/12- The City of Escondido is one of the only cities in the U.S. where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) work out of the city’s police department. Their collaboration launched in May of 2010 under the name “Operation Joint Effort.” It said its plan is to arrest criminal illegal immigrants. San Diego Police Chief Jim Maher reports that this operation has lead to the arrest of 700 criminal illegal immigrants. This operation has led to the Escondido Police Department receiving the national “Partnership for Public Safety Award” at the international police chief’s convention in Chicago. However, there are several problems with this operation. First, the operation works to arrest all “criminal illegal” immigrants. This predisposes all undocumented immigrants who are who are stopped at DUI checkpoints because by default they are all criminals under the law. Secondly, the Escondido Police Department refuses to release information of the names and crimes of the supposed 700 deported individuals. The controversial relationship between Escondido police and ICE has recently come to face accusations now that the Escondido Police Department are using DUI checkpoints as immigrant checkpoints and profiting from impounding their cars.
Bill Flores, a retired Assistant San Diego County Sheriff, is leading the charge against the Escondido Police for using the DUI checkpoints as immigration checkpoints. The Escondido Police have given the excuse that they only deport “criminal” illegal immigrants and that under the state grant to conduct DUI checkpoints they are required to conduct a sobriety check and driver’s license check. The State of California’s Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), who hand out the grants to conduct DUI checkpoints, affirms though that there is no requirement to check for driver’s license, nor do they penalize a grantee for not checking a driver’s license. The chief of police has even admitted he uses DUI checkpoints to check for immigration status and it has been documented that ICE is often notified when an undocumented immigrants is found. With the cities high rates of undocumented individuals being caught at checkpoints, the benefits of towing has also sparked a new conversation.
John Carlos Frey, an investigative journalist, estimates that the city has pulled in millions of dollars from the DUI checkpoints. The city has raised the contract fee for tow companies from $25,000 in 2004 to $100,000 in 2011. Frey claims the city raised its stated cost for towing cars to justify the increase. Documents prove that the city increased the time officers had to spend towing a car from 30 minutes in 2007 to three hours in 2012. This allows the police department to take advantage of a loophole. They receive $350,000 in grants to conduct the DUI checkpoints from OTS, but under certain conditions, they may not generate profits from checkpoints except to recoup expenses. They have seemingly therefore raised their recoup expenses. The State of California has tried to reduce the impounding of cars, which mostly affects undocumented immigrants at a cost of $2,000 per car for holding the car for 30 days by recently passing the bill AB 353. This bill prohibits police from seizing a car solely because the driver is unlicensed. This solidifies that fact that for every one DUI there are ten people without documentation caught. Escondido seems to be ubiquitous with reorganizing its city policy to catch undocumented immigrants as its Hispanic population has recently reached 49%, while their first and only Hispanic city council member, Olga Diaz, came to office in 2008. She is up for re-election in 2012.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE TRANS-BORDER INSTITUTES PANEL DISUCSSION ON “STATE AND LOCAL IMMIGRATION POLICY” WITH MAYOR OF ESCONDIDO, SAM ABED AND RETIRED ASSISTANT SAN DIEGO COUNTY SHERIFF, BILL FLORES.
Frey, John Carlos. “Escondido Police Under Fire.” KPBS, March 14, 2012
Breier, Michelle. “Escondido Honored for ICE Partnership.” UT San Diego, February 9, 2012.
Evaluating State Level Public Policy in Mexico
(03/08/12) On March 8-9, 2012, the Trans-Border Institute participated in a forum on public policy at the state level in Mexico hosted by the United Nations Development Program and the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE) in Mexico City. The conference was organized by CIDE professor and former-TBI project coordinator Alejandra Rios Cázares as part of a longer-term project to provide objective information and analysis on “Mexico’s States” (Mexico Estatal). The conference coincided with the launch of a new report and a related database with over 1,300 variables related to state governance and accountability.
Campus of Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas
CIDE has been a leading center for the study of decentralization in Mexico, a topic of considerable discussion and debate in Mexico. Over the last thirty years, the Mexican federal government has gradually decentralized both fiscal and decision-making autonomy to state governments. Decentralization brings with it the advantages of greater flexibility and proximity of service to local constituencies, as well as the possibility of policy innovation and experimentation across different states. At the same time, in a country with enormous inequalities, as well as very varied governmental capacity, decentralization also runs the risk of leaving the weakest states to fall behind even as the most advanced prosper.
The “México Estatal” conference explored these issues on Thursday with panel discussions on a range of issues, including accountability, education, and public health challenges at the state level. The Friday panels will include a discussion of public security issues at the state level with TBI Director David Shirk, Mexico Evalua Director Edna Jaime, and international consultant Eduardo Guerrero, as well as a concluding panel on state-level efforts to promote economic development.
The Mexico Estatal project maintains a website (http://www.mexicoestatal.cide.edu), generates objective indicators and analysis, and hosts forums on public policy and accountability issues confronting Mexico in four key areas at the state-level (education, economic development, health and safety).
Sources:
“Presentan plataforma de información México Estatal,” El Informador, March 6, 2012.
“México Estatal,” Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, Accessed March 8, 2012.
“Participantes en el seminario ‘Las entidades federativas en prospectiva’,” NotiCIDE, March 7, 2012.
“Anonymous Mexico’s,” Operation’s in Taking on their Politicians and Cartel’s
Posted by kevinsantamaria in Culture, Drug Trafficking, Media, Politics, Security on February 10, 2012
A new global phenomenon is proliferating across the world, known as “Anonymous” or “Anon” for short. Anonymous is a group of anonymous individuals without a leader or any actual organizational structure who work to take down what they believe to be corrupt institutions by hacking into, defacing and protesting their targets means of communication. The media has labeled them, “hacktivist” (a portmanteau of hacker and activist). Their lack of structure, anonymity to the public and anonymity within the group itself and their ability to still coordinate their attacks make them difficult to combat.
They were originally derived from a group of young individual looking to play pranks with the ability to hide in the shadows of anonymity (to learn more about their history click here). After several public and online stunts though, it seems other began to look at anonymity not so much as a way of hiding but as forum to surpass censorship and expose corruption, while avoiding prosecution. With the radical idea of Anonymity as a tool for influence, they took to the Middle East during the Arab Spring to shut down several government websites in Tunisia and Egypt. They also claim responsibility for restoring the Internet back to the Egyptian people during their revolution.
Anonymous’ recent actions have been able to make national and less often, international headlines. Recently they have defaced the Prime Minister of Poland’s website page after signing onto the Anti-Counterfeit Trade Agreement (ACTA). They have threatened to release archives of stolen emails concerning a controversial U.S. raid in Iraq in response to a call they intercepted from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to take down Anonymous hackers. In Greece they have protested on the justice ministries website proclaiming to the Government, “You have joined the IMF against your people’s acquiescence, you have so introduced a new dictatorship upon your people’s shoulder’s and allowed the bankers and the monarchs of the EU to enslave them both economically and politically.” Less recently, they have even attacked Brazil’s largest bank sites to call attention to the countries corruption and inequality. Thus with everyone having the ability to be anonymous, speaking every language and knowing everyone, it seems only inevitable that they show up in Mexico.
Anonymous operations in Mexico have been aimed against the government and the cartels. Anonymous began operations in Mexico on the 15th of September, the independence day of Mexico. One of the biggest hits came to the website of the Defense Ministry. Their video message was clear, “We demonstrate to the government and drug trafficking groups that we will not allow more violence and insecurity and let them know Mexican Anonymous.” Their message drew a parallel calling it the independence of the Federal Government and not of the people because while officials are celebrating, they continue to drown out the voices of the people who continuously helplessly live enscribed in the terror of organized crime. The following awareness campaign for Mexico consisted of “paper storm,” an international campaign that encourages member to take to the streets of their cities with paper flyers. It was then found out that during a paper storm, one of the members of Anonymous was kidnapped by the Los Zetas cartel while posting flyer’s around Veracruz. In response Anonymous posted a video to Los Zetas, threatening to release the information of all the taxi driver’s, journalist, newspapers, and police officers who have and continue to collaborate with them. After several published concerns from Mexican and US intelligence officials that Anonymous’ act would not so much lead to the arrest of the collaborators as intended, but make them targets of the Los Zetas competing cartel’s. They soon decided to revoke their plan of action.
“Anonymous” refuses to lay dormant on all issues it sees threatening though. Their knew fight, which governments everywhere seem to be pursuing is establishing stricter intellectual property (IP) rights. IP rights seem to be making headline everywhere because whistleblower’s like Wikileaks and Anonymous (who often work in ‘sync) have brought it to the public’s attention. The common theme when establishing stricter rules of law on IP rights has been the amount of power if gives the authorities to censor, incriminate, and fine individuals. Recently Senator Frederico Doring proposed a law that could fine individuals over 100,000 dollars (one million pesos) for online copyright infringement. Anonymous responded by blocking access to the Mexican Senate and Interior Ministry websites. Critics say the proposed law is similar to a bill introduced in the United States known as SOPA that faced a mutiny of opposition after it was publicly advertised, eventually leading to its failure. Anonymous has not necessarily been able to create any direct action but they have been able to change the national conversation. Though their plan of action against Los Zetas cartel was abandoned, the cartel obviously found them a big enough threat to kidnap one of their members as a means of intimidation to Anonymous members. As for the government the only thing they can do is try to enforce stronger internet policies, but with the public opposition and whistleblower’s like Wikileaks and Anonymous looking to inform the public it seems unlikely, unless a law passes in the utmost secrecy. This too seems highly unlikely though as gettingt ride of hacktivism and anonymity are like trying to get ride of your shadow, for Anonymous always claims “We are anonymous, we are legion, we don’t forgive, we don’t forget, united as one, divided as zero, expect us.”
Imperial Beach sea wall renovation to be completed by March 2012
Posted by amycal0321 in Immigration, Infrastructure, Security on November 30, 2011
Photo Credit: Los Angeles Times.
The current fence is corroded from the salt water and has many holes. Netza Tapia, 40, and his family used to slip through the corroded section of the fence to continue their strolls on the Imperial Beach side of the beach. Jonathan Parra and his friends used to cross regularly to play soccer on Imperial Beach’s empty sand.
Border Patrol says that the extended sea wall will help defer people from trying to cross the border through treacherous waters. Many people do not realize how dangerous it is to try and cross around the sea fence because the fence itself is so unmennacing. By building a bigger fence Border Patrol is hoping to send a clear message about the dangers of trying to cross the border in this way.
“I personally wish there was no fence, because I believe we should be building bridges of communication and not fences of separation,” said Enrique Morones of Border Angels. “The Border Patrol is doing what they feel they have to do.”
The new fence will be made of steel to a height of 18 feet and a ¼ mile long. About 90m of fence will protrude into the water.
The fence is expected to be completed March of 2012 and have a life expectancy of 30 years.
“Patrulla fronteriza reemplaza muro en playa del sur de California.” 28 November 2011. La Voz de la Frontera.
“Extienden muro fronterizo en el agua.” 29 November 2011. Voz de America.
“Project To Extend Border Fence In IB To Begin.” 28 November 2011. 10News.com.
Marosia, Richard. “U.S. to extend border fence 300 feet into Pacific.” 25 November 2011. Los Angeles Times.
Gulf of Mexico oil leases on border could be stalled
Posted by emmardunn in Business, Economy, Environment, Security on September 21, 2011
The United States and Mexico enter their second round of negotiations this week in Mexico to establish safe drilling practices and standards for the oil reserves straddling the international border. The talks began in Washington during the last week of August in hopes of instituting a “trans-boundary energy agreement”, and both parties hope to finalize the agreements before the end of the year. The U.S. State Department attested that both countries are “committed to the safe, efficient, and equitable development of such reservoirs, in accordance with the highest degree of safety and environmental standards.” The agreement is expected to improve energy security in North America and overall safety in the Gulf.
Although both parties intend to come to an agreement before the end of the year, the negotiations are expected to stall leasing for 166 offshore drilling sites, or blocks. All 3,900 blocks for sale in the Gulf of Mexico will be open for bidding on December 14; however, the five percent of blocks that lie within three nautical miles of the border will be held until the negotiations are finalized. Once the agreement is reached, bidders on the blocks that will be affected by the new policies will be given 20 days to decide whether to rescind or maintain their bid. If the negotiations are not finalized by June 14, 2012, then the blocks in question may be released and open for exploration and development. Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement Michael Bromwich stated Tuesday at Platts Energy Podium in Washington, “We think it’s the fairest and most appropriate way to handle that small number of blocks.” Yet he said of the U.S.-Mexico treaty, “We’re still hopeful that we can reach an agreement by the end of this year.”
“U.S., Mexico seek deal on Gulf oil below maritime border”. The Wire. 2 September 2011.
“Gulf leases could hit snag in U.S.”. United Press International. 21 September 2011.
Sicilia’s Caravan for Peace returning to the capital despite threats
The Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity, headed by poet and activist Javier Sicilia, departed on September 9 from central Mexico for the south on its second tour. The movement is in response to the drug-related violence that has plagued Mexico since 2006 and the militaristic reactionary strategy of the government. It is comprised of 600 families of victims, activists, and journalists aboard 14 buses. Through this movement, Sicilia intends to gather testimonies of the endemic violence and spread a message of hope and peace to communities shattered by the brutality. The caravan is now returning to central Mexico and will eventually end in Mexico City. On Sunday the movement passed through Veracruz, where they received a warm welcome from the Archdiocese who stated, “the presence of the movement brings a message of peace and reconciliation” and it “renews the hope of the town”. On Monday the caravan arrived in the zócalo in Mexico City, and Sicilia is expected to meet with President Calderon in the capital on Wednesday.
Although the movement garnered widespread support in Mexico, Sicilia’s caravan experienced threats this weekend and has since called on officials to guarantee the safety of the activists. One of the priests in the convoy was detained and harassed in Tabasco on Saturday, and later that night the caravan was stopped to investigate the possible presence of armed men. The movement issued a statement on Sunday saying that the situation was worrying and asking for government assistance in providing security; however, they also stated that there will be no change in the itinerary for the caravan and they will continue in their cause.
Pastrana, Daniela. “Peace movement meets Zapatistas”. IPS News. 19 September 2011.
“Mexican peace caravan members request security”. MENAFN News. 18 September 2011.
“Saluda Iglesia Católica paso por Veracruz de Caravana por la Paz”. Milenio. 18 September 2011.
Pilot program using digital fingerprints to begin in El Paso in November
Posted by amycal0321 in Immigration, Security on September 19, 2011
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers are collecting digital fingerprints from pedestrians at the Paso del Norte Bridge for a biometrics system that is intended to help accelerate border crossings in the future. The Paso del Norte Bridge that crosses from El Paso, TX to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico was specifically selected for the pilot program because of the huge number of pedestrians that cross each day, averaging between 14 and 16 thousand. On holidays these figures rise as high as 25 or 30 thousand. The pilot project is set to begin in November.
Finger prints and photographs of frequent border crossers will be entered into a database and linked to an entry document. Pedestrian lane Nos. 11, 12 and 13 at the Paso del Norte Bridge will have a gated system in which someone’s Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-enabled document will be read and fingerprints scanned before they approach the inspection station. The results of the biometric verification and all required information will be reviewed by the U.S. officer working the primary inspection booth before the pedestrian arrives at the inspection station. Non-U.S. citizens who have older border crossing cards or legal permanent resident cards, will need to submit biometrics to take part in the pilot. Travelers already having biometrics on file will automatically be added to the database and will not need to resubmit digital fingerprints. “The turnout and cooperation from border crossers have been fantastic,” said Roger Maier, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “So far, we have enrolled 2,598 people for the pilot. Of those, 1,864 have border crossing cards and 734 are permanent legal residents who had the old cards. We’re averaging about 500 a day,” Maier reports. By eliminating manual data entry, the process of crossing the border will take less time. Likewise, pedestrian crossers who participate in the program will be permitted to skip ahead of non-participants in line as an inspection booth will be open exclusively for them.
“It is expected that this system will speed the entry process while also enhancing overall security,” reports Hector Mancha, port director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection in El Paso. “Enhanced biometrics will provide us with a higher confidence level in identifying the traveler,” Mancha assures. The program, called Pedestrian Reengineering Project, aims to accelerate the crosswalk, but also increase safety by identifying impostors of immigration documents. The problem of impostors, persons with a visa, passport, or other immigration document which is not theirs, remains constant throughout the border region, especially the section between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez. Tuesday alone there were 17 incidents of violations of immigration laws including cases of imposters. “With this system we will ensure that the document holder is the rightful owner of it.”
This pilot project is the first of its kind to be implemented in the United States. If the program is successful, it will likely be implemented across the country.
Pentagon extends funding for National Guard troops at border
Posted by emmardunn in Immigration, Security on September 8, 2011
The Pentagon decided today that the 1,200 National Guard troops will remain on the U.S.-Mexico border until December. The troops were initially deployed in the summer of 2010 as part of a $600 million dollar package that allowed the Homeland Security Department to hire an additional 1,000 Border Patrol agents and 500 agents in various offices. Funding for the troops was expected to run out by the end of September but, after months of struggling with the budget, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano claims they have “found the money”. The Department of Defense has agreed to fund the estimated $10 million a month to keep the troops on the border until the end of the year.
Although the National Guard troops are not authorized to make arrests, they are an active part of the department’s border strategy. The troops man observation posts, build fences, and monitor surveillance footage and are necessary to operations until the new agents are hired and trained. Since they were deployed, the troops have cost the Department of Defense close to $125 million on the southwestern border. Lt. Col. Robert Ditchey expressed hope that this extension will give the department time to create a more cost effective alternative to National Guard troops at the border.
Gun store challenging ATF rule
Posted by ernestorh in "Fast and Furious" Scandal, Security on August 10, 2011
An Albuquerque gun store has sued over a federal requirement that weapons dealers in four border states must report multiple sales of semi-automatic rifles. Ron Peterson Firearms was among more than 8,000 gun dealers in New Mexico, Texas, Arizona and California that were ordered last month to report multiple sales of such weapons to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Peterson filed a lawsuit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque, asking a judge to prevent the order from taking effect Aug. 14. It is the third such lawsuit filed this week, all contending that ATF lacks authority from Congress to require the reporting. The suits do not seek money, only a stop to enforcement of the new requirement.
The requirement follows a controversial 2009 law enforcement operation in Arizona known as “Fast and Furious” that resulted in more than 2,000 high-powered weapons making their way to Mexico as authorities went after people directing gun buys on behalf of cartels. The operation has been the subject of recent congressional hearings in which the ATF acknowledged making mistakes. Of the 2,000 guns that got into Mexico, only about one-fourth have been recovered, meaning the rest could still in the hands of drug smugglers. Two of the recovered guns were found at the scene where Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was shot to death in southern Arizona on Dec. 14, although it’s unclear whether the fatal bullet came from one of those weapons or another gun. ATF spokesman Drew Wade told The Associated Press on Friday that his agency will vigorously defend its authority to collect information from gun store owners.
An ATF letter dated July 17 said weapons dealers must report sales of two or more semi-automatic rifles to a single buyer within five business days. Weapons must be reported if they are larger than .22 caliber and if they can be fitted with detachable magazines. Tom Mangan, an ATF special agent in Phoenix, said high-powered rifles, AK-47- and M-16-type weapons are included. ”We’re seeing a greater use of that type of gun by the criminal element in Mexico,” Mangan said. The ATF plans to use the reported information to identify people who are filling a “shopping list” by purchasing weapons at several stores for shipment to Mexico. Peterson’s lawsuit claimed the rule would result in a “loss of business from both in-state and out-of-state potential purchasers” who will avoid buying rifles “because they wish to protect their privacy rights.” Mangan said the rule is simply an “administrative requirement” and doesn’t prevent individuals from buying any number of semi-automatic weapons.
Read more…
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/05/news/la-pn-fast-furious-20110805
http://articles.philly.com/2011-08-06/news/29859040_1_mexican-drug-cartels-gun-dealers-atf-plan
