AZMEX ACTIVITY 21-6-13

AZMEX ACTIVITY 21 JUN 2013

Attachments (2) perhaps.  (ongoing computer & email problems)

Note:  If they make it through, an attachment of a couple sample pictures of drug runners at end of email.

Take note of time of day and temps.  Broad daylight, no problem.  

About 10 miles north of border in Tucson sector.

06/19/13 - 0000~2400hrs - 14 Groups, 66 Bodies 

5 minutes of condensed audio  (click on link below)  Note change to MP3 audio format 

http://www.secureborderintel.org/BorderBlotter/BorderAudio061913.mp3

Groups of:  5,15,2,5,8,8,1,8,3,1,2LV,1,2,5

(P= "46" Drug Packers, A= Armed individuals, U= UltraLight Sighting, LV= Load Vehicle, B=Bailout. UDA= Illegal Alien)

Significant Events in Audio:

-- There were MANY groups being worked during this 24 hour period where the size of the group could not be determined.

-- Note: excessive temperatures in the desert continue to result in multiple 911 distress calls from Illegal aliens 

             suffering from dehydration. The Border Patrol stated priority mission in the summer time is Search & Rescue, with 

             enforcement taking a secondary role. 

     

END

06/20/13 - 0000~2400hrs - 19 Groups, 79 Bodies - IAs using "Rescue Beacon", "Samaritans" detected on smuggling trail

9 minutes of condensed audio  (click on link below)  Note change to MP3 audio format 

http://www.secureborderintel.org/BorderBlotter/BorderAudio062013.mp3

Groups of:  6,6,7,5,5,2,"Rescue Beacon x4",6,8,6,1,1,1,2,2,"Samaritans",2,1,8

(P= "46" Drug Packers, A= Armed individuals, U= UltraLight Sighting, LV= Load Vehicle, B=Bailout. UDA= Illegal Alien)

Significant Events in Audio:

-- There were MANY groups being worked during this 24 hour period where the size of the group could not be determined.

-- Note: excessive temperatures in the desert continue to result in multiple 911 distress calls from Illegal aliens 

             suffering from dehydration. The Border Patrol stated priority mission in the summer time is Search & Rescue,          

with enforcement taking a secondary role.

-- 1000 -  4IAs activate "Rescue Beacon" on Brown Bear Canyon Road, east of SR 86.

-- 1700 -  Group of 6 IAs & "Samaritan" volunteers detected on the same trail by Border Patrol agents. 

            Note: This area is an active smuggling corridor in which the "Samaritans" and other "humanitarian" groups are                

aiding and abetting  the cartels in a criminal enterprise by re-supplying these 

                    criminals on their trek north under the guises of  being "humanitarians".

                     While the Border Patrol states they do not "stake out" these water drops and rescue beacons,                 

"Border" Bandits" do frequently stake out these known "waypoints" for easy prey.

END

06/2/13 - 0000~2400hrs - 10 Groups, 46 Bodies - "911" call - 3 IAs in Distress - Kings Anvil Ranch

9 minutes of condensed audio  (click on link below)  Note change to MP3 audio format 

http://www.secureborderintel.org/BorderBlotter/BorderAudio062113.mp3

Groups of:  66+,5P,6,11,6,"911"x3,,2,2,4

(P= "46" Drug Packers, A= Armed individuals, U= UltraLight Sighting, LV= Load Vehicle, B=Bailout. UDA= Illegal Alien)

Significant Events in Audio:

-- There were MANY groups being worked during this 24 hour period where the size of the group could not be determined.

-- Note: excessive temperatures in the desert continue to result in multiple 911 distress calls from Illegal aliens 

             suffering from dehydration. The Border Patrol stated priority mission in the summer time is Search & Rescue, with enforcement taking a secondary role.

-- "911"  Call -  3 IAs in distress being treated for dehydration - Kings Anvil Ranch  south of Three Points, AZ

end

06/22/13 - 0000~2400hrs -  21 Groups, 76 Bodies - SUPERMOON  NIGHT!

9 minutes of condensed audio  (click on link below)  Note change to MP3 audio format 

http://www.secureborderintel.org/BorderBlotter/BorderAudio062213.mp3

Groups of:  2,5P,1,12,1,1,6,6,6,1,10,2,2,1,7,3,1,10P,1-LV

(P= "46" Drug Packers, A= Armed individuals, U= UltraLight Sighting, LV= Load Vehicle, B=Bailout. UDA= Illegal Alien)

Significant Events in Audio:

-- There were MANY groups being worked during this 24 hour period where the size of the group could not be determined.

-- Note: excessive temperatures in the desert continue to result in multiple 911 distress calls from Illegal aliens 

             suffering from dehydration. The Border Patrol stated priority mission in the summer time is Search & Rescue, with enforcement taking a secondary role.

END

END

AZMEX UPDATE 26-6-13

AZMEX UPDATE 26 JUN 2013 

Note:  Busy summer days on the AZMEX border:


Note:  Usually the USA a sanctuary for Mex. criminals on the run.  "Encounter"?

Mexican national wanted for murder found in US, turned over to federales

Updated: Jun 26, 2013 9:12 AM
By FOX 10 News - Staff Report

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/22693178/2013/06/26/man-wanted-in-mexico-for-murder-found-in-us-turned-over-to-federales

NOGALES, Ariz. -

A Mexican national wanted in Mexico for murder and torture charges was turned over to authorities at the Dennis DeConcini port of entry in Nogales Friday.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement turned over 38-year-old Jesus Ortiz-Tun to the Mexican federal police.

According to ICE, Phoenix police had an encounter with Ortiz-Tun on May 22 and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers subsequently took him into custody.

During immigration screening, ERO says they discovered Ortiz-Tun had an outstanding Mexican arrest warrant for charges of torture, barbarous act and injury causing death, manslaughter and murder.

Ortiz-Tun allegedly entered the U.S. illegally in 2010.

Mexican authorities were alerted that he was in U.S. custody and on June 17, an immigration judge granted Ortiz-Tun voluntary departure under safeguards.

Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 566 foreign fugitives from the United States who were wanted in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder.

END  




Man arrested trying to smuggle funds out of U.S.

Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, June 26, 2013 10:59 AM MDT

Douglas Dispatch 
http://www.douglasdispatch.com/articles/2013/06/26/news/doc51cb19f19c18b866614353.txt  


A Mexican national was arrested Wednesday, June 19 for attempting to smuggle nearly $236,000 in unreported U.S. currency into Mexico through the Douglas Port of Entry.

Customs and Border Protection officers conducting outbound inspections referred Abelardo Acosta-Bustamante, 44, of neighboring Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico, for further inspection of his Toyota truck.

During the search, officers found unreported currency inside a spare tire. The vehicle and cash were processed for seizure. Acosta was referred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.



Note:  the stuff just keeps coming.

San Luis CBP intercepts $1.85 million of meth, cocaine
June 24, 2013 10:30 PM
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BY JAMES GILBERT @YSJamesGilbert

Three Mexican nationals and a Somerton, Ariz. man are in custody in connection with separate failed attempts to smuggle $1.85 million in methamphetamine and cocaine into the United States through the Port of San Luis this weekend.

Just after midnight Sunday, Jose Andres Godinez, 20, of Somerton, Ariz., was arrested after a CBP canine alerted to the fuel tank of his Honda sedan, where officers located and removed nearly 22 pounds of methamphetamine valued at nearly $336,000.

On Saturday morning, officers referred Jose Venegas-Alatorre, 28, of San Luis, Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico, for inspection of his Honda sedan when he attempted to cross the U.S. border. Officers removed nearly 21 pounds of methamphetamine valued at more than $322,000 after a narcotics detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs inside the rear seats.

A short time later, Ivan de Jesus Ortiz-Rivas, 30, of San Luis, Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico, and was referred for inspection of his Chevrolet SUV, at which time officers removed more than 68 pounds of methamphetamine valued at more than $1.06 million from the fuel tank, also following a canine alert.

Then on Friday, Customs and Border Protection officers referred Gila Del Carmen Garcia-Figueroa, 38, of San Luis, Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico, for inspection of her Ford SUV when she attempted to enter the country.

After a CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs inside the vehicle's spare tire, officers removed nearly 15 pounds of cocaine valued at more than $133,000.

"Hard narcotics such as these are a constant threat to our communities," said San Luis Port Director William K. Brooks. "These seizures are a testament of our officers unwavering determination of protecting our country."

The drugs and vehicles were seized. The four subjects were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.

On Saturday, CBP officers removed more than 68 pounds of methamphetamine valued at more than $1.06 million from the fuel tank of a Chevrolet SUV after a narcotics detection canine alerted to the presence of drugs as the driver attempted to enter the country through the San Luis Port of Entry.

Read more: http://www.yumasun.com/articles/officers-88331-san-luis.html#ixzz2XM8QiDqw




Officers seize 31 pounds of pot (cocaine)
June 25, 2013 10:28 PM

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Customs and Border Protection officers working at the San Luis Port of Entry arrested a suspected drug smuggler and seized almost 31 pounds of cocaine Monday afternoon. The cocaine was estimated to be worth about $278,000.

According to CBP, the arrest was made after 29-year-old Roberto Villareal-Suarez, a U.S. citizen, attempted to drive a Jeep SUV across the international border.

Villareal-Suarez was referred to a secondary inspection for further scrutiny by a working dog, which indicated the possible presence of contraband within the vehicle.

CBP officers then reportedly found 12 packages of cocaine beneath the cowl of the vehicle's windshield.

The cocaine and the vehicle were seized. Villareal-Suarez was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.

Read more: http://www.yumasun.com/articles/cocaine-88334-suarez-officers.html#ixzz2XM8vRLEF




Nearly 2,200 pounds of pot seized at Ariz. border

By Ina Ronquillo

CREATED 11:22 AM


TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Federal authorities have seized more than $1 million worth of marijuana from a tractor-trailer in southern Arizona.
  
Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents stopped the big rig Monday that was headed north beyond the Interstate 19 checkpoint.
  
A canine team working at the checkpoint south of Amado alerted agents to suspected narcotics in the tractor-trailer, prompting a secondary inspection.
  
Agents used detection technology to discover 88 bundles of marijuana concealed in a false wall inside the big rig.
  
They say more than 2,100 pounds of marijuana was seized and turned over to federal drug enforcement officials.
  
The unidentified driver of the big rig was arrested.

end





Note:  Another shootout in Caborca


Miércoles 26 de Junio de 2013
Editorial
Edición Impresa

Local
Publicado junio 26, 2013, 1:50 AM
LOS VIOLENTOS HECHOS SUCEDIERON EN CABORCA
Enfrentamiento: 2 heridos; uno grave

http://www.nuevodia.com.mx/local/enfrentamiento-2-heridos-uno-grave/

   

AZMEX SPECIAL 25-6-13

AZMEX SPECIAL 25 JUN 2013  

Note:  Keep in mind that these groups, it is illegal immigration that they are supporting.  While also facilitating drug and human trafficking.

 Have yet to find a legal immigrant who entered via the desert.  

Local activists gather to oppose 'border surge'

AMENDMENT TO MEASURE THAT RAMPS UP SECURITY CALLED 'DEVASTATING BLOW'

9 hours ago  •  Perla Trevizo Arizona Daily Star

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/local-activists-gather-to-oppose-border-surge/article_61b162e2-9a81-57e5-84b9-ee63624f6ef1.html  

Arizona Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake might have won some additional support from fellow Republicans for the immigration reform bill, but in the process they lost immigrant-advocate groups that say they can't stand behind the "border surge" amendment approved Monday.

A coalition of local organizations gathered at El Tiradito shrine in downtown Tucson to oppose the Corker-Hoeven amendment to the Senate immigration bill that would double the number of Border Patrol agents, add fencing along the border and deploy surveillance technology before allowing people to adjust to permanent legal status.

About two dozen members of local immigrant-advocate organizations stood by the shrine with signs that read, "No to CIR (comprehensive immigration reform) because it means more deaths," and "Border communities are not for sale."

Sarah Launius, with No More Deaths, called the amendment a "devastating blow."

They argue the border enforcement surge will harm the environment, increase the number of border-crosser deaths and hinder the civil liberties of border residents.

"This type of closed-door negotiations is a disrespectful move to all people who live within the borderlands," she said. "We are here today to ask all of those involved to not forget border communities."

The amendment was introduced last week by Republican Sens. Bob Corker of Tennessee and John Hoeven of North Dakota.

"Is it more than I would have recommended? Honestly, yes," McCain, told Fox News on Friday. "But we've got to give people confidence."

McCain and Flake are among the bipartisan group of eight senators that helped craft the bill.

This "surge" in border security won't come without significant costs, McCain said last week, "but those costs will not be borne by taxpayers, but instead by the fees and fines that immigrants and visa applicants pay under the modernized legal-immigration system this legislation creates."

The amendment appropriates $46.3 billion for expenses related to the security of the southern border and initial administrative costs, according to the Congressional Budget Office - out of which $30 billion is to be used to hire at least 19,200 more Border Patrol agents.

The amendment will help ease Arizona's disproportionate burden of the federal government's failure to secure the southern border, Flake said in a news release.

Maryada Vallet, also with the No More Deaths, said the group, understands negotiation and compromise are difficult but necessary for any legislation, "but this compromise has gone too far. This bill is not genuine comprehensive immigration reform; it's a homeland security bill."

The measures included in the amendment will affect generations to come, said Juanita Molina with the Border Action Network. "It's a grotesque display of institutions pursuing funds; the border wall hasn't been proven effective in keeping anyone out."

Dan Millis of the Sierra Club Borderlands said it will continue to fight for a path to citizenship for the 11 million "living in the shadows."

On StarNet: Find extensive coverage of immigration issues at azstarnet.com/border

WHAT THE BILL SAYS

People living in the country without status cannot apply to become permanent residents until at least 10 years have passed and the following have been implemented:

• The completion of at least 700 miles of secure pedestrian fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.

• The number of Border Patrol agents is doubled.

• E-Verify must be completely implemented and mandatory for all U.S. businesses.

• An entry-exit system at all international air- and seaports must be completely implemented.

• All nine sectors of the Southwest border are provided with state-of-the-art technology and resources.

Source: Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR ARIZONA

For the Tucson and Yuma Border Patrol sectors:

• 50 integrated fixed towers.

• 73 fixed camera systems, which include Remote Video Surveillance Systems.

• 28 mobile surveillance systems, which include mobile video-surveillance systems, agent-portable surveillance systems, and mobile surveillance capability systems.

• 685 unattended ground sensors, including seismic, imaging and infrared.

• 22 hand-held equipment devices, including hand-held thermal-imaging systems and night-vision goggles.

Many of the required air assets will be deployed nationwide outside the Tucson Sector, including:

• 4 unmanned-aircraft systems.

• 17 UH-1N helicopters.

• 8 C-206H aircraft upgrades.

• 8 AS-350 light enforcement helicopters.

• 15 Black Hawk helicopters; 5 new and 10 upgraded.

• 30 marine vessels.

• 160 unmanned-aircraft-systems, crew, marine agent, and other personnel.

• 6 VADER systems.

END

AZMEX SPECIAL 24-6-13

AZMEX SPECIAL 24 JUN 2013 

Note:  not just TX. 


Some cartel bosses are born in the U.S., but work in Mexico
Posted: Sunday, June 23, 2013 2:00 am
Ildefonso Ortiz | The Monitor
Posted on June 23, 2013

http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/article_2a12f9a2-db9e-11e2-a160-0019bb30f31a.html

 
McALLEN  — The ongoing debate regarding immigration reform has once again brought the topic of border security to the    .

In South Texas, the area that has seen a sharp increase in drug trafficking runs from treacherous waters of the Rio Grande to the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoints in Falfurrias and Sarita, the last law enforcement waypoint along the roads leading from the Texas-Mexico border to inland metropolitan areas.

In those areas, drug smugglers tied to Mexican drug cartels work ingenious ways of moving their drugs to their destinations without detection by law enforcement.

That activity has drawn the attention of the Texas Department of Public Safety, which has classified gangs working with Mexican drug cartels as the greatest threat to Texas.

Talks of violent executions and large-scale firefights in Mexico between cartel gunmen are some of the talking points brought up during those discussions. But what rarely gets brought up is the fact that various members of Mexican drug cartels are not Mexican but in fact are U.S.-born Texans.

Mexican drug cartels have been active in the U.S. for decades. As such, they have developed deep roots with many members being second or third generation smugglers, said Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño.

"They have been here for a long time but they try to keep a low profile; what has brought them to the forefront is what's going on in Mexico," Treviño said referring to the crackdown on cartels by former presidents Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderon.

Keeping a low profile or trying to minimize their role is what some of the drug cartel members who have been caught on U.S soil have done.

When police officers and deputy U.S. Marshals caught Benicio "Comandante Veneno" Lopez this month, he claimed that he didn't have a leadership figure in the Gulf Cartel, saying he was a mid- or low-level smuggler, said San Juan Police Chief Juan Gonzalez.

"No low-key cartel guy has bodyguards, has four or five stash houses, carries bulk cash and knows about ton quantities of narcotics," Gonzalez said. "He was trying to downplay his role to try to keep a low profile."

DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES

The activities of cartel members in the U.S are very different than those in Mexico, however the public and the media quickly associate the word "cartel" with the way they operate in Mexico, Treviño said.

"When people hear the word "cartel" they think of convoys of gunmen, brutal firefights and crude executions," Treviño said.  "That happens in Mexico, not here. If they were to try that here they would be wiped out. The American people would not stand for that. Every law enforcement agency and resource would be used to literally wipe them out."

Because cartel members seek to keep a low profile and are not tied to many of the crimes in the community, keeping track of them is a job best left for federal agencies, which have the best resources to attack transnational criminals, while the brunt of the Sheriff's Office's resources go toward local crime, the sheriff said.

Still, in a border county, cross-border organized crime intersects with local law enforcement.

"Robberies, theft, carjacking, assault and other crimes — that is not something that these individuals are interested in but it affects our communities, "Trevino said. "On the other hand, street gangs are behind the majority of those crimes. They are the ones holding up convenience stores, carrying out drive by shootings, carjackings and the brunt of our violent crime. They are our most significant threat in this county."

Gonzalez, for his part, paints a different picture from the sheriff. He said cartel members are coming out of the shadows and becoming more active locally.

"I honestly think we can dismantle the Gulf Cartel," Gonzalez said. "It's important to accept the fact that they operate here. This drug cartel operates with a lot of money. These guys have 20 to 30 vehicles assigned to operatives. That concerns because they used to hide but now they are brazen and putting are putting stash houses all over the place.  It's important we address them and try to dismantle them."

U.S.-BORN MEXICAN CARTEL BOSSES

Several key members of the Gulf Cartel and other Mexican drug syndicates have ties to the Rio Grande Valley.

>> Lopez, known as "Comandante Veneno," is a Houston native who grew up in Roma and also climbed to a leadership role in the Gulf Cartel. Lopez was a close confidant of Samuel "Metro 3" Flores Borrego, whose death led to a split within the cartel. After Flores Borrego's death, Lopez worked with other commanders to avenge the death of his friend and became the leader of a cartel cell that also worked in the Ribereña area. Lopez had been wanted by San Juan Police in connection with a 2010 failed cartel kidnapping that resulted in the death of Roberto Hinojosa, who tried to fight off the kidnappers as his wife and young son were in the room. Authorities arrested Lopez and his spouse along with two bodyguards on June 13. In addition to the murder charges, the group is also facing state drug charges and could face federal conspiracy charges, officials have said.

>> Juan Garcia Abrego, the legendary leader of a Matamoros based smuggling organization which eventually became known as the Gulf Cartel led his organization with an iron fist from the 1970's — when he inherited it from his uncle Juan N. Guerra — until his arrest in 1996 and later extradition to the U.S., where he was convicted of numerous drug trafficking counts and is now serving several life sentences. While Garcia Abrego was a kingpin based in Matamoros, he was actually born in La Paloma, a small community just south of San Benito.

>> Edgar "La Barbie" Valdez Villarreal, a Laredo-born drug trafficker who became a leading figure of the Beltran Leyva Cartel and spearheaded control of a splinter faction when an internal struggle for control broke out within the group. Mexican authorities arrested him in 2010 and he continues to fight various drug charges, as well as U.S attempts at extradition. He earned his nickname from boyish face, thus being compared to a Ken or Barbie doll.

>> Mario "Comandante Popo" Peña, a Roma native who grew up to control a Gulf Cartel cell in the Ribereña area, which is across the Rio Grande from Starr County. Peña began his career in local street gangs in Roma and built his way up to the rank of commander within the Gulf Cartel, where he became a folk hero in Miguel Alemán. Peña, whose body was covered in tattoos, was killed in March. His family told The Monitor that Peña died "with honor." Following his death, his body was brought from Mexico to Roma and buried during a private service.

>> Rosalio "Bart" Reta and Gabriel Cardona, two Laredo teenagers who are serving 70- and 80-year prison sentences for a series of ordered hits for the Zetas. At age 13, the pair began taking on murder-for-hire jobs when Zeta gunmen trained them as hit men. Cardona was arrested in 2006, while Reta turned himself in at around the same time after the Zetas tried to kill him for attempting to carry out unsanctioned hits in Mexico.

iortiz@themonitor.com

end

AZMEX I3 24-6-13

AZMEX I3 24 JUN 2013   

From time to time my office distributes press releases and written statements on state and national issues, debate in the Senate, and legislation that I am working on. For your convenience, I post these documents on my site for your review.

Sessions Issues Statement On Tonight's Procedural Vote To Advance 1,200-Page Substitute Immigration Bill

Monday, June 24, 2013

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement after tonight's vote:

 

"The sponsors of the Corker-Hoeven substitute fell short of the votes they expected tonight to advance what they had erroneously billed to other Senators as a strong border security amendment. Failure to capture the votes they anticipated for this motion demonstrates the building unease this 1,200-page legislative monstrosity has created. I expect that unease will increase as Senators learn more about what's really inside this proposal.

 

The Gang of Eight and their allies revealed their true tactics tonight. They shut down debate and blocked amendments to a 1,200-page immigration bill that no one has read. It was anything but the open and fair process that they had promised.

 

What we know for absolute certain is that this bill guarantees three things: instantaneous amnesty, permanent lawlessness, and a massive expansion in legal immigration that will reduce wages for working Americans. This legislation is a crushing blow to the working people of this country, a surrender to illegality, and a capitulation to special interests over the interests of the citizens we pledged to represent."

 

 

BACKGROUND ON CORKER-HOEVEN SUBSTITUTE AMNESTY-FIRST IMMIGRATION BILL:

·        Immediate amnesty before enforcement

·        Guts legal requirement for biometric exit-entry system

·        Millions of green cards (permanent residency) before enforcement—debunking another false claim from sponsors

·        No border surge. Agents aren't required until 2021. It will never happen

·        No fence requirement. DHS retains discretion in the bill that preempts the call for a fence in ten years. Litigation also provides an escape hatch to never build the fence. The fence won't happen

·        Legalization for gang members and convicted criminals

·        Amnesty for future visa overstays (in other words, a prospective amnesty for future illegal immigrants)

·        Guaranteed welfare access for illegal immigrants

·        Undermines interior enforcement, prompting ICE officers to warn: "There is no doubt that, if passed, public safety will be endangered and massive amounts of future illegal immigration—especially visa overstays—is ensured."

·        Expands non-merit chain migration—less than 10 percent of future flow is merit-based

·        Doubles the number of guest workers and triples the number of immigrants granted lawful permanent residency—reducing wages for U.S. workers and driving up unemployment

2. USCIS not keeping track of immigration fraud, OIG says By Zach Rausnitz Comment | Forward | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn The fraud detection unit at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services did not record nearly half of its findings of immigration fraud in a law enforcement database, the Homeland Security Department office of inspector general says. The OIG looked at findings of fraud in I-130 and 1-485 forms, which allow spouses and immediate relatives of immigrants to apply for residency, from 2008 to 2011. USCIS only recorded about 48 percent of its 1,144 findings of fraud associated with those forms into the TECS database, says the report (.pdf), dated June 12. Fraud detection personnel are required under USCIS procedures to record cases of immigration fraud into the TECS database. Failure to follow USCIS procedures for recording instances of fraud in the database "may have increased the risk that aliens committing fraud were granted immigration benefits or given additional opportunities to apply for benefits," the report says. TECS (which no longer stands for anything but used to be the Treasury Enforcement Communications System) is linked to other Homeland Security Department law enforcement facilities, and many agencies at all levels of government can access its data. USCIS concurred with the OIG's recommendation that it should enforce its database procedure. To bring attention to the procedure, the agency told auditors that it would remove TECS guidance from its fraud detection standard operating procedure and instead issue the guidance separately. The agency plans to issue guidance in that format within 30 days, the report says. For more: - download the report, OIG-13-97 (.pdf) Related Articles: Immigration reform could overwhelm the agencies that have to implement it GAO criticizes ICE for lax enforcement of compliance with student visa laws Read more about: TECS, USCIS

AZMEX SPECIAL 21-6-13

AZMEX SPECIAL 21 JUN 2013 


Border Patrol exercise shows perils of crossing
June 20, 2013 11:08 PM
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BY CHRIS McDANIEL - @YS_CMCDANIEL

For drug smugglers and illegal immigrants traversing the wilderness around Yuma during the summer months, "the desert is a dangerous place," said Tyler Emblem, Senior Patrol Agent with the Yuma Sector Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue (BORSTAR) team.

"The trouble begins when people cross the border here. There are a lot of things that can go wrong."

The first issue for illegal border crossers is getting enough water to drink to stave off dehydration, which can be deadly in the scorching heat, especially since there are no natural sources of water readily available in the desert.

"You can run out of water, and the water you do have when you cross soon becomes as hot as the air around you – in excess of 100 degrees."

Most illegal border crossers cannot physically carry the water they need to survive over the course of the several days it takes to reach their northerly destinations. Some illegal immigrants have even been known to become desperate enough to drink their own urine before being rescued – if they are rescued in time.

Another problem is losing their way in the vast wide open desert, or being left behind by the coyotes guiding the way.

"You can get blisters," Emblem said. "When you get blisters you don't want to walk and can be left behind. The guides leave them for fear of being caught. They get stranded. They get lost. It is unlikely that someone is going to carry their loved one or their buddy out of the desert when they become incapacitated."

At this point, the stranded persons know their only chance of survival is to be rescued. But communications may not be at hand.

"If you have a cell phone and call for help, you have to have a signal," Emblem noted. "You have to hope your battery doesn't go dead. Some people attempt to make signal fires, but it is hard to start fires in the desert because there is not a lot of brush out there to begin with."

Any one of these issues "can lead to disaster for anyone attempting to cross the border here," Emblem continued. "Although the Border Patrol does have well trained people to carry out rescue missions and render aid to those in distress – it is a very, very big desert. Prevention is without a doubt the best medicine."

To help persuade illegal border crossers not to attempt the treacherous journey in the first place, the Border Patrol is publicizing their Border Safety Initiative, a binational effort with Mexico to reduce border deaths and injuries along the international border.

As part of the initiative, Yuma Sector agents are focused on raising awareness among migrants about the realities they may face including harsh environmental conditions, deadly temperatures, abuse by smugglers and the potential penalties of being apprehended by the Border Patrol.

Part of the responsibility of Border Patrol agents "is to bring the problem to the people who may be contemplating crossing the border illegally," explained Mario Villarreal, Yuma Sector Division Chief for Operations.

"Certainly this time of the year it is absolutely not the time to try to cross into the United States. The temperatures are extreme. It is extremely dangerous, and it is not worth your life to try and cross illegally into the United States. Individuals who cross cannot carry enough water to walk five days."

While prevention is the key, there will still be drug smugglers and illegal immigrants brazen enough to attempt the arduous journey – some of whom will face life threatening situations.

As of May 31, 2013, there have been 12 people rescued from the desert by Yuma Sector agents. Six others were not located and died in the wilderness. There were also 3,380 illegal border-crossers detained.

Those numbers have fallen drastically since the peak year of 2005 when there were 486 people rescued, 53 deaths, and 140,525 detained.

Yuma Sector agents "have done a great job in restoring this piece of the country to an area that is one of the securest in the nation," Villarreal said.

"As a result, the people that are crossing illegally into the area, the number has reduced – thus the reduction in rescues and migrant deaths. They go hand-in-hand."

But BORSTAR is ready for those who still come and find themselves stranded.

There are several ways the team becomes aware of those in the desert who need help. The first is through a series of 24 Rescue Beacons strewn throughout the sector. Each beacon continuously flashes lights and has a large push button and sensor activation which connects via radio to Border Patrol dispatch. An agent is then sent to the activated beacon within an hour.

Other ways of finding those in distress is through emergency 911 calls, or by tracking footprints. Some agents are able to determine if a person is injured just by examining the tracks they leave behind.

Regardless of how they become aware of an individual or group in distress, once BORSTAR learns of a potentially life threatening situation, they immediately respond if available.

On Thursday morning, BORSTAR agents invited Yuma-area media outlets and dignitaries to a special rescue exercise. It began with a long drive several miles southeast onto the Barry M. Goldwater Bombing Range, a popular corridor for illegal immigrants and drug smugglers.

After the city of Yuma had almost vanished over the horizon, two agents received a simulated report of a person in distress who had called 911, and searched the area. They found a disturbance next to a dirt road indicating someone had passed through the area, and called in a BORSTAR K9 unit because they would not be able to easily follow the tracks in the rocky terrain of the Gila Mountains.

Once on scene, the working dog picked up the scent of the person who had passed by, and directed the handler and the two agents through the open desert, across a wash and up the side of a mountain to a man portraying a stranded illegal immigrant.

Once the discovery was made, a BORSTAR medical unit was dispatched to render emergency services to the man.

Upon arrival, the BORSTAR paramedics immediately began attempts to cool the man's core temperature and to rehydrate him with an intravenous drip. He was then loaded into a litter basket and carried to a waiting Hummer to be transported to an area off the bombing range to be picked up by a medical helicopter. Non-military aircraft are generally not allowed in military airspace if training is being conducted, as it was Wednesday.

Once in an area just northeast of the bombing range, a Tri-State helicopter landed and whisked the man away to safety.

This was all just another day at the office for the agents, even though they had spent hours outside traversing treacherous terrain in triple-digit temperatures.

The exercise "shows what Border Patrol agents deal with daily, and certainly what we deal with more often than not," Emblem said.

"The Yuma desert is pretty wide open and pretty desolate and without a doubt is remote. It takes hours to even just get to the area where we are going to affect our rescue. It adds up. The more time you spend in the heat, the more of a toll it is going to take on you. A lot of body functions rely on proper hydration, and when you are battling that every minute you are outside, it is certainly taxing. It doesn't let up."

Despite the constant battle with the environment, the BORSTAR team and the other agents in the Yuma Sector have the training, commitment and expertise to succeed where others would fail, especially when lives are on the line, Emblem concluded.


Read more: http://www.yumasun.com/articles/border-88253-agents-desert.html#ixzz2WunwXWHG

END

AZMEX EXTRA 21-6-13

AZMEX EXTRA 21 JUN 2013

Note:  Victim disarmament programs accelerate under the PRI govt.   

Expect to see the usual collection of junkers.  Don't expect to see the cartel types lining up to turn in their weapons.  

Remember also that penalties for illegal possession of firearms is very harsh, unless one an associate of organized crime.  

Better security for local criminals.  Both govt. and NGC ( non govt. criminals )  

Gun buyback program under way in Nogales, Sonora

Courtesy of Nogales, Sonora Mayor's Office

Officials destroy a firearm during an event Tuesday in Nogales, Sonora to kick off a gun buyback program.

 

Posted: Friday, June 21, 2013 8:42 am

Nogales International | 0 comments  

http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/gun-buyback-program-under-way-in-nogales-sonora/article_2d8da80e-da89-11e2-880a-0019bb2963f4.html

Police in Nogales, Sonora are buying back and destroying firearms in eight of the city's most crime-plagued neighborhoods.

Political leaders and public safety officials gathered in the Fraccionamiento San Miguel on Tuesday to formally kick off the buyback program, which is scheduled to run through Aug. 10. 

During that time, police will station a mobile buyback station for a week at a time in each of the eight neighborhoods, which include the sprawling Colonia Buenos Aires that borders the east side of Nogales, Ariz.

Abel Bernal Reyes, the Sonora state public security liaison, said the program will pay up to 2,500 pesos ($195) per gun. 

The weapons will then be destroyed and the materials reused as part of an art project by a to-be-determined Sonoran artist, the mayor's office said in a news release.

"All this will be reflected in better security for the city of Nogales," Mayor Ramon Guzman said.

Mexico has much stricter gun laws than the United States – permits must be granted by the Mexican Army and there is only one authorized gun store in the country, and it's run by the military. 

Still, gun violence is rampant, and many weapons are smuggled over the border from the United States.

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, 54.9 percent of the homicides committed in Mexico in 2010 involved a firearm. 

The country's firearm homicide rate per 100,000 people was 9.97, more than three times higher than in the United States.

Gun buybacks have been held in cities around Mexico in recent years, and the newspaper Nuevo Dia reported that the Sonoran cities of Hermosillo, Agua Prieta and Cajeme are conducting programs concurrent with the one in Nogales, Sonora. Another 28 municipalities in the state held gun buybacks last November, the paper reported.

In Arizona, where guns are so revered that in 2011 lawmakers declared the Colt Single Action Army Revolver the official state firearm, 

a gun buyback program like the one in Nogales, Sonora that destroys collected weapons would be illegal.

In April, Gov. Jan Brewer signed into a law a measure that requires police to resell weapons collected during buybacks.

The law's supporters said local governments were missing out on a chance to earn revenue from collected guns. 

But opponents said it undercuts the central purpose of gun buybacks: reducing the number of firearms on the streets.  

END

http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/gun-buyback-program-under-way-in-nogales-sonora/article_2d8da80e-da89-11e2-880a-0019bb2963f4.html

AZMEX ACTIVITY2 19-6-13 + I3 notes

AZMEX ACTIVITY 2  19 JUN 2013

06/15/13 - 0000~2400hrs - 28 Groups,  109 Bodies - "911" call, Agent questions Libyan passport, IAs in trunk of vehicle  

5 minutes of condensed audio  (click on link below)  Note change to MP3 audio format 

http://www.secureborderintel.org/BorderBlotter/BorderAudio061513.mp3

Groups of:  2,1,4,2,2P,24,4,3,13,"911"x1,1,1,2,15,3,9,4,1,"Libyan Passport",2,2,1,4,3,4,3,1

(P= "46" Drug Packers, A= Armed individuals, U= UltraLight Sighting, LV= Load Vehicle, B=Bailout. UDA= Illegal Alien)

Significant Events in audio:

-- There were MANY groups being worked during this 24 hour period where the size of the group could not be determined.

-- Note: excessive temperatures in the desert continue to result in multiple 911 distress calls from Illegal aliens 

             suffering from dehydration. The Border Patrol stated priority mission in the summer time is Search & Rescue, with 

             enforcement taking a secondary role. 

     

-- 0800 - "911" call - 2 IAs in distress on the ground - location & disposition unknown

-- 1200 -  BP agent questions traveler with Libyan passport

-- 2200 -  BP traffic/checkpoint stop discovers IAs in the trunk of a vehicle - location unknown

-- 2200 -  4 juvenile IAs transported to Southwest Key (Unaccompanied Minor Shelter for Immigrants- Phoenix, Arizona), 

END

06/16/13 - 0000~2400hrs - 22 Groups, 71 Bodies - "46" Drug Load Bailout - SR 186 south of Interstate 10/Wilcox, AZ 

7 minutes of condensed audio  (click on link below)  Note change to MP3 audio format 

http://www.secureborderintel.org/BorderBlotter/BorderAudio061613.mp3

Groups of:  4B,4,10,2,1,2,2,2,5,4,1LV,3,2LV,5,7,1,7,1,4,1,2,1

(P= "46" Drug Packers, A= Armed individuals, U= UltraLight Sighting, LV= Load Vehicle, B=Bailout. UDA= Illegal Alien)

Significant Events in Audio:

-- There were MANY groups being worked during this 24 hour period where the size of the group could not be determined.

-- Note: excessive temperatures in the desert continue to result in multiple 911 distress calls from Illegal aliens 

             suffering from dehydration. The Border Patrol stated priority mission in the summer time is Search & Rescue, with 

             enforcement taking a secondary role. 

     

-- 0000 - "Bailout" - "46" drug load vehicle on SR 186 south of I-10/Wilcox, AZ.  1 USC driver in custody - 3 "gotaways" 

END

06/1713 - 0000~2400hrs - 21 Groups, 72 Bodies -  Tracking "Ultralight" smuggling aircraft, IAs in distress on Arivaca Road

4 minutes of condensed audio  (click on link below)  Note change to MP3 audio format 

http://www.secureborderintel.org/BorderBlotter/BorderAudio061713.mp3

Groups of:  1U,1,2,4,3,1,10,8,2,13,2,1,2,2,2,7,1,2,1,2,3,1 

(P= "46" Drug Packers, A= Armed individuals, U= UltraLight Sighting, LV= Load Vehicle, B=Bailout. UDA= Illegal Alien)

Significant Events in Audio:

-- There were MANY groups being worked during this 24 hour period where the size of the group could not be determined.

-- Note: excessive temperatures in the desert continue to result in multiple 911 distress calls from Illegal aliens 

             suffering from dehydration. The Border Patrol stated priority mission in the summer time is Search & Rescue, with 

             enforcement taking a secondary role. 

     

-- 0001 - Omaha air aircraft/radar tracking possible "ultralight" smuggling aircraft - location & disposition unknown

-- 1000 - Wackenhunt transport operator reports 2 IAs in distress asking for water -  Arivaca Road

FYI :   BORDER PATROL "10-CODES"  (link) 

         

         BORDER VIDEOS & STATISTICS (link)  

NEW!  WEAPONS INVOLVED INCIDENTS (link)

END

06/18/13 - 0000~2400hrs - 16 Groups, 64 Bodies -  IA "rescue" fire- possible prosecution, IA "Dreamer" status thwarts LE 

9 minutes of condensed audio  (click on link below)  Note change to MP3 audio format 

http://www.secureborderintel.org/BorderBlotter/BorderAudio061813.mp3 

Groups of:  8,1,8,1LV,8,2,1,3,5,1,12,"911"x2-fire,2,7,2,"Dreamers"x3

(P= "46" Drug Packers, A= Armed individuals, U= UltraLight Sighting, LV= Load Vehicle, B=Bailout. UDA= Illegal Alien)

Significant Events in Audio:

-- There were MANY groups being worked during this 24 hour period where the size of the group could not be determined.

-- Note: excessive temperatures in the desert continue to result in multiple 911 distress calls from Illegal aliens 

             suffering from dehydration. The Border Patrol stated priority mission in the summer time is Search & Rescue, with 

             enforcement taking a secondary role. 

     

-- 0500 -  BP agents reports finding numerous small "communicators" (probably inexpensive FRS/GRMS "peanut" walkie-talkies}

              in the desert, used by smugglers/IAs to communicate with scouts and/or load vehicle drivers.

-- 1500 -  IA "Signal fire"  turned "wildfire"  spotted by BP Helicopter. N31 45.976, W111 35.376 (see map below)

             ~ IAs in distress being treated for dehydration by Borstar EMT agents and taken to nearby Baboquivari Ranch

             ~ "LifeNet" helicopter & multiple ground ambulances dispatched to ranch location ($$$$$)

             ~ BLM & Fire crews & helicopter dispatched to this remote location to fight the wildfire ($$$$)

             ~ Discussion over the radio as to "jurisdiction" over the IAs - presumably for setting the fire.  PCSO takes jurisdiction. 

             ~ IAs  recover enough so that ambulances & LifeNet helicopter are not needed ($$$$) and

                 are transported directly to BP Headquarters (TCC) in Tucson, AZ.

             ~ Pima County Sheriff's Office (PCSO)  detectives along with Tuscon Fire Dept investigators to interview IAs at

                Tucson BP  Headquarters for possible prosecution.

NOTE:  Illegal Aliens don't start wildfires..... just ask the DHS, the US. Forest Service, BLM and the residents of Sierra Vista, AZ.

            Two possible reasons why the subject of prosecution is being brought up in the  case:

           (1)  The fire occurred on private property (Baboquivari Ranch) and the owners are pressing charges. (most likely)

           (2)  This area is designated as "wilderness" by BLM who is getting tired of giving IAs a pass for this kind destruction

                 where a US Citizen would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. (less likely)

 

-- 2200 - Three suspected IAs in a vehicle questioned during a traffic stop or BP checkpoint - unknown location.

           -  Further records checks reveal the following:

           ~  Driver (a minor) has an ID card only - no driver' license and no social security card.

           ~  Driver had a B1/B2 visitor's visa which expired in 2011

           ~ Driver was deemed "inadmissable" per section 212  for Illegal Entrants and Immigration Violators

           ~ "10-52" (Criminal History) check on driver finds 2004 ICE notation for "assault & juvenile delinquency"

           ~ Further notation indicates that driver "has been working with a lawyer" - "possibly" eligible for 

                  "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals".... ie... Obama's "Dreamers"

           ~ Dispatcher notes that passengers are the driver's parents and that all three are "possibly" eligible for "Dreamer Status"

           ~ No further conversation regarding this incident was discerned ... nobody taken into custody, no vehicle seized.

           NOTE:  This is the chilling effect of "Deferred Action" ..."in action"... dissuading BP & ICE agents from enforcing Federal  Immigration Law.  Read article below...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Deferred action keeps ICE agents from enforcing immigration laws

http://www.voxxi.com/judge-lawsuit-deferred-action-program/

".....As of March 14, the federal government had received more than 454,000 deferred action applications from Dreamers, like Zamora, who saw how the program could open doors to new opportunities."

"...But now, ten U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are challenging the federal program in court. They filed a lawsuit in August against Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and other immigration officials shortly after the federal government began accepting applications for the program.

U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Dallas heard arguments Monday in the lawsuit, titled Crane v. Napolitano.

The lawsuit seeks to block a directive, issued June 15 by Napolitano, that instructs ICE agents to refrain from detaining or deporting undocumented youth who may qualify for deferred action. The ICE agents suing argue the directive keeps them from enforcing federal immigration laws that require them to initiate removal proceedings against all immigrants who entered the country illegally. They also say they risk losing their jobs if they don't follow the directive."

END   

END