WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Mexican Gunmen Involved in Arizona Border Incident
Actually A Uniformed Mexican Force
by Heidi 8 January 2007
The incursion into U.S. territory last week by "Mexican gunmen"
was not a chance confrontation between the Arizona National Guard and
untrained illegal immigrants, but a deliberate "perimeter probe" by
an infantry-trained, uniformed Mexican force, officials say.
Euphoric Reality has learned in exclusive interviews with
high-ranking sources within both the Arizona National Guard and the
U.S. Border Patrol that the incident the mainstream media calls a
"standoff" was in reality a military-style operation, carried out
by a paramilitary unit of Mexican men dressed in uniforms, flak
jackets, and armed with AK-47s in an apparent operation to probe the
border defenses and test the limits of the National Guard troops. Using
easily recognizable infantry movement tactics (such as arm and hand
signals and flanking maneuvers), the Mexican unit deliberately moved in
a military formation across the border from Mexico, while under
surveillance by the National Guard and Border Patrol.
As the hostile force moved north over several hours, deeper into
Arizona, National Guardsmen wearing night vision goggles were able to
ascertain that the approaching gunmen were indeed uniformed (including
PAGST helmets) and heavily armed. When the Mexican unit came within
approximately 100 yards of the Entry Identification Team (EIT), the
Guardsmen repositioned themselves in order to maintain surveillance and
tactical advantage. They observed the Mexican unit sweep through the
EIT site, and then rapidly withdraw back into Mexico. No shots were
fired by either the Mexican gunmen or the Guardsmen. Border Patrol was
on the scene within minutes of the Mexican unit's withdrawal.
The Guardsmen, through an Arizona Border Patrol official, confirmed
that the incident appeared to be an intelligence-gathering exercise
designed to ascertain what the National Guard's response would be to
certain tactics. It is not an isolated incident, and many such probes
have been re****ted by the Guardsmen assigned to the area. Though no
shots were fired during this particular incident, shots have been fired
near and in the vicinity of the soldiers at the EIT site in other
situations, though not at the soldiers themselves. It is not clear from
the uniforms if the Mexican soldiers were official Mexican federales or
mercenaries hired by the drug cartels.
Since then, follow-on news re****ts have included statements from the
Border Patrol that no shots were fired. This was confirmed today by
Major Paul Aguirre, a Public Affairs Officer (PAO) for the Arizona
National Guard. Rumors have circulated that the Guardsmen were not
armed, and thus unable to defend themselves - and that is not the case.
Both Major Aguirre and Rob Daniels, a Public Information Officer (PIO)
for the Arizona Border Patrol, state that all Guardsmen assigned to
EITs are armed, specifically with M16s and sometimes a sidearm. As
well, there have been some contradictory news re****ts that stated the
gunmen came "within yards" of the Guardsmen, while other re****ts
state that the gunmen were approximately 100 yards away. Mr. Daniels
clarified that the gunmen came as close as 100 yards to the Guardsmen.
He also stated that the Guardsmen did not "retreat" but tactically
repositioned themselves to maintain surveillance of the group of armed
men while simultaneously radioing for Border Patrol agents. He asserted
that the Guardsmen had followed their protocols perfectly, and that
their services were invaluable to the Border Patrol agents.
The Myth of Troops Bringing Law Enforcement to the Border
National Guard soldiers on the border are volunteers deployed by the
federal government for Operation Jump Start. They are not mandated to
perform law enforcement activities and, in fact, are prohibited from
doing so under a misinterpretation of the Posse Comitatus Act while
federally deployed. They are assigned to the border mission for the
sole purpose of sup****ting the Border Patrol - mostly performing
administrative, engineering, and maintenance duties that free up Border
Patrol agents for border enforcement. They are not allowed to engage,
but only observe.
The ramifications of this incident hitting the public awareness are
significant. There are incidents on the record of specially-trained
military commandos attacking Border Patrol agents, of official Mexican
Army soldiers operating inside the American border, and videos of
uniformed Mexicans on American soil, confronting Arizona Minutemen
volunteers. Hundreds of armed incursions have been do***ented by the
Border Patrol. In one year, June 2005 until June 2006, over 250 armed
assaults have been re****ted by Border Patrol agents, and several agents
have been killed.
Michael Chertoff, head of Homeland Security, has gone on the record
to dismiss re****ts of armed incursions by a uniformed military force as
"navigational mistakes", claiming that the Mexican soldiers were
"lost." However, Chertoff offered no explanation as to why these
"lost troops" fired on American agents. The Mexican government
claims that uniformed military soldiers coming from Mexico are actually
American soldiers disguised as Mexican soldiers. Furthermore, when
confronted with the possibility that Mexican commandos called Los
Zetas, trained by U.S. Special Forces at Fort Bragg to sup****t the Drug
War, have defected from the military and now work as mercenaries for
the drug cartels, Mexican officials have worked very hard to debunk
such evidence. In an official re****t presented to the U.S. on behalf of
the Mexican Office of Inter-Intelligence Affairs, Mexico claimed that
"the Zeta army, or syndicate, is no more real than the [mystical]
crying lady of Puebla."
Yet, contrary to Mexican denials, Los Zetas do exist, and the U.S.
Border Patrol is very familiar with them. In a June 2006 investigative
news piece by News Channel 5 in Texas, Zetas discussed their training
and murderous missions. They also issued a warning:
"These two members of the Zeta army also have a warning for
American law enforcement: They are here, with cells operating in Roma,
Rio Grande City and Mission - and more are coming. 'It is not a
lie,' Zeta-2 said. 'They need to check good, because it is
true.'"
Los Zetas: Guns Gone Bad
During the 1990s, U.S. Army Special Forces trained a number of
Mexican federal agents and army units in special warfare tactics as
part of an effort to aid the struggling Mexican government in the Drug
War involving the violent drug cartels of northern Mexico. It's been
said that "the training was remedial in nature, and did not exceed
international peace time law of NATO forces training foreign combat
forces in tactical warfare." Lest we worry about the operational
proficiency of such mercenaries, Wikipedia has this un-attributed
entry:
"The training lasted a mere three months in the sweltering North
Carolina heat. In total, 300 Mexican agents and army officers
participated in the summer long exercise. Years later, unsealed
do***ents revealed that the training proved to be no more than an
extended boot camp. "It was more a media and propaganda effort then
it was for actual tactical training that could be used in combat,"
one of the US Special Forces Officers that participated in the effort
stated. "They brought them [sic] boys here, and most of them could
fire a gun already, so we just showed them a lot of video of Special
Forces training from the early 70's. We were not about to teach or
display tactics that make Special Forces what they are. That's why
when I read that these boys that are 'Zetas' were Special Forces
trained, I almost wet myself with laughter.'"
What the Zetas may lack in professional specialized training, they
make up for in ruthless and savage violence. Last year, Times Magazine
exposed much of the brutality in an article called Brutal New Drug
Gangs Are Terrorizing The U.S.-Mexico Border, and added further
information about the identity of Los Zetas.
"According to Mexican officials, Lazcano was a clean-cut Mexican
army recruit from the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz when he was picked a
decade ago to be part of the highly trained Airborne Special Forces
Group. The unit was sent to the eastern border to battle drug
trafficking. But in the late 1990s, Lazcano and more than 30 other
members of the special forces began working for drug lord Osiel
Cardenas, head of the Matamoros-based Gulf cartel, which at the time
controlled almost one-third of the Mexican drug trade."
Official Mexican propaganda notwithstanding, it can be safely
assumed that the Zetas are a paramilitary force that has made regular
incursions over our border in sometimes heavily-armed assaults. Whether
they are actual rogue Mexican federales or uniformed mercenaries in the
employ of the drug cartels remains to be seen. Perhaps a small clue to
the uniforms is found in last year's News Channel Five investigative
re****t:
"'The municipal police, the state police, the ministerial
police, the police of the state,' Zeta-1 said. 'The soldiers and
the federal preventive police. The military on the border. They are
bought by the Zetas.' The Zeta's tools even include uniforms given
by the police themselves."
Regardless of who the uniformed soldiers are, or who commands them,
what is paramount is that our southern border security is breached by
foreign troops on an increasingly aggressive basis. While our National
Guard troops are effectively hamstrung by political restrictions,
foreign military soldiers press the advantage. Border Patrol agents
have already given their lives in a heroic effort to guard our border,
and it is only a matter of time before we lose American soldiers. Is
that what it will take for our government to finally take the matter of
border security seriously? This is no longer a matter of local civilian
law enforcement; it is a matter of national security. For politicians,
no matter their affiliation, to play partisan games with our national
safety and security, is a betrayal of their constituents' trust, and
the constitutional duties of their office.
See Heidi's previous article about Mexican Army invasions.
Kit Jarrell also contributed to this re****t.
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