AZMEX UPDATE 28-2-2020

AZMEX UPDATE 28 FEB 2020


Court docs: Drug trafficker found with lethal drugs worth thousands hidden in tires
• Zulekha Pitts
• Posted 16 hrs ago

https://www.azfamily.com/news/court-docs-drug-trafficker-found-with-lethal-drugs-worth-thousands/article_05f409b2-59e1-11ea-b663-57575d54a221.html

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- Leon Luna, a 23-year-old man from Mexico living in Phoenix,
was arrested on Monday in connection to trafficking lethal drugs worth thousands
by hiding them inside tire and wheel assemblies, court documents say.

On Feb. 23 and Feb. 24, investigators did a stakeout at a residence
in the area of 53rd Avenue and Coronado Road, near Papago Freeway.

According to court documents, the investigators saw multiple men,
including Leon Luna, coming and going from the home during various hours of the day and night
taking what appeared to be heavy bags and packages.
They were reportedly also seen carrying wheels and tires in and out of the home.
Investigators concluded that this kind of activity was drug-trafficking related.

A little after 1 p.m. on Feb. 24, investigators saw another man, identified in court paperwork as Juan Alfonso Torres Rodrigues,
leaving the same residence to allegedly meet with his drug customer, Rigoberto Feria Cruz.
After investigators saw Rodrigues give Cruz a pound of meth, he was arrested, court paperwork said.

As detectives prepared to issue a warrant at the residence centered around this investigation,
they saw Luna driving a Jeep into the garage of that home. That's when they witnessed Luna and another man,
identified as Miguel Angel Flores Carlos, putting two tire and wheel assemblies into a vehicle before driving off in it.

A traffic stop was made on Luna, who was the driver, and Flores.
Investigators issued a search warrant on the vehicle and found 17 pounds of meth worth $25,000
hidden in parts of the tire and wheel assemblies inside the vehicle.

When detectives went back to the residence where Luna and Rodrigues live,
they reportedly discovered 61 pounds of meth worth $90,000 and 10,000 tablets believed to be fentanyl worth $50,000.

After getting arrested, during an interview,
Luna allegedly admitted that Torres and he were drug traffickers working for separate clients in Mexico.
Court documents say Luna is a Mexican citizen living in the U.S. illegally.

Due to the serious nature of his crimes, investigators wish that Luna have a cash-only bond of $50,000.
He faces felony charges, including the selling of dangerous drug possession, conspiracy and money laundering.

The consequences of the other men involved in this drug-trafficking operation are unknown at this time.
The investigation is ongoing.

END

AZMEX UPDATE 27-2-2020

AZMEX UPDATE 27 FEB 2020

By Sumiko Keil
today at 11:22 am
Published
February 27, 2020
9:46 am

https://kyma.com/news/top-stories/2020/02/27/agents-seized-440k-worth-of-drugs-at-the-i-8-immigration-checkpoint/

Agents seized $440K worth of drugs at the I-8 Immigration Checkpoint

CBP
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - An Avondale man is arrested after agents found over $440,000 worth of methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin at the Interstate 8 Immigration Checkpoint, according to Border Patrol.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says the driver of a Chevrolet Cruz was sent to secondary inspection after a canine alerted them to his vehicle last Friday.

While agents searched the vehicle, it led to the discovery of a false compartment in the floorboard containing numerous packages.

CBP says over 100 packages of meth, cocaine, and heroin were found.
The total weight of meth was 103 pounds, cocaine weighed more than 10 pounds and nearly four pounds of heroin.

The 24-year-old driver, a United States citizen, was in possession of a SENTRI card,
which provides expedited processing at the border for pre-approved travelers who are considered low risk.

END


ALSO:

126th cross-border tunnel discovered in Nogales
• Staff Reports
https://www.pinalcentral.com/arizona_news/th-cross-border-tunnel-discovered-in-nogales/article_1ee01b2f-d49a-545b-a214-7a4a10005258.html

• Feb 27, 2020 Updated 1 hr ago

Border Patrol agents and Mexican law enforcement worked to identify a cross-border tunnel in Nogales Tuesday.
CBP

NOGALES – U.S. Border Patrol agents, working with Mexican law enforcement, discovered yet another cross-border tunnel Tuesday, that runs beneath the streets of Nogales.

Tucson Sector agents and Mexico's Guardia Nacional located the tunnel's entrance in the floor of the existing Grand Avenue drainage system in Mexico. The rudimentary tunnel, located approximately 580 yards west of the Dennis DeConcin Crossing at the Nogales Port of Entry, is hand-dug with no shoring, ventilation or lighting, authorities said.

The tunnel runs approximately 15-20 feet underground at its deepest point and extends approximately 30 feet from beginning to end, where the cartel left it incomplete.

U.S. authorities will continuously monitor the area until they remediate the tunnel. This is the 126th tunnel discovered in the Tucson Sector since 1990 and the second discovered mid-completion this fiscal year.

U.S. Border Patrol regularly works with the Government of Mexico, and binational cooperation with Mexican law enforcement plays a vital role in border security. Efforts such as tunnel sweeps aim to disrupt smuggling organizations and prevent the smuggling of narcotics and humans across the border.

END


AND:

• BORDER & IMMIGRATION
Charge against border activist Scott Warren dropped
Was due to be sentenced for misdemeanor conviction

Arizona border activist Scott Warren. (Source: Source; KOLD News 13)

By KOLD News 13 Staff | February 27, 2020 at 1:09 PM MST - Updated February 27 at 4:18 PM

https://www.kold.com/2020/02/27/charge-against-border-activist-scott-warren-dropped/

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) -
A Federal Court judge in Tucson dropped charges against a local humanitarian volunteer who was arrested while trying to help migrants in the desert.
The decision came on Thursday, Feb. 27 —
the day Scott Warren was supposed to be sentenced for a misdemeanor conviction of driving in a wilderness area
while working with No More Deaths/No Mas Muertes.

Federal prosecutors requested the dismissal in a last-minute filing, which was granted by Senior District Judge Raner Collins.
In a statement released from the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney Michael Bailey
said humanitarian groups like No More Deaths need to follow the law.
Warren was acquitted of felony charges for giving aid to migrants near the U.S.-Mexico border in November 2019.
Defense attorneys for Warren cited religious freedom exception from the charges.
Greg Kuykendall, Warren's defense attorney, affirmed his argument that humanitarian aid "is not a crime"
following Thursday's dropped charges, according to a statement from No More Deaths.

END

AZMEX UPDATE 24 -2-2020

AZMEX UPDATE 24 FEB 2020


Disarm 160 police officers in San Juan de los Lagos for possible links to organized crime

This measure originated after an investigation by federal authorities.
By EFE
February 24th

https://www.elimparcial.com/mexico/Desarman-a-160-policias-de-San-Juan-de-los-Lagos-por-posibles-vinculos-con-crimen-organizado-20200224-0086.html

The municipality will be supervised indefinitely by at least 500 state police officers, the National Guard and the Mexican Army. | Pixabay

Guadalajara.- About 160 police officers from the municipality of San Juan de los Lagos, Jalisco, were disarmed and relieved of their positions on suspicion of links with organized crime groups, the State Security Council of the Government of this state reported Monday.

This measure originated after an investigation by federal authorities indicating that "a possible infiltration" of the police corporation by organized crime.

"The decision was made to intervene today at the municipal police station of San Juan de los Lagos because, because of intelligence information both federal and state and observations of those who form the security table, there are well-founded suspicions of inappropriate links," he announced at a conference press Jalisco security coordinator Macedonio Tamez.

He added that in addition to taking control of security, the State Security Secretariat assumed control of the facilities, communication and computer equipment, files and all assets of the corporation.

The municipality will be supervised indefinitely by at least 500 state police officers, the National Guard and the Mexican Army.

"This is intended to restore peace and tranquility not only to the municipality but to the entire region as well as to show the citizens of this Government that it is not going to be tolerated that any municipal authority dissociates itself from its duty to protect and serve the people ", he pointed.

The 160 agents that make up the San Juan de los Lagos Police will be transferred to the facilities of the Academy of the Ministry of Security, where they will remain quartered as long as the corresponding assessments are made and whether or not they collaborate with organized crime.

This Sunday the attack on a bar and a wine and liquor store in San Juan de los Lagos was recorded by a group of armed men that resulted in four people killed and two seriously injured.

End

AZMEX UPDATE 22-2-2020

AZMEX UPDATE 22 FEB 2020

Comment: And of course the commie run, America Hating ACLU.
Time for the DOJ to issue permanent warrants?
Thx


Greyhound to stop allowing immigration checks on buses
Published 6 hours ago
Updated 2 hours ago
News
Associated Press

https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/greyhound-to-stop-allowing-immigration-checks-on-buses

A file image dated Sept. 11, 2018 shows a Greyhound bus in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

SEATTLE - Greyhound, the nation's largest bus company, said Friday it will stop allowing Border Patrol agents
without a warrant to board its buses to conduct routine immigration checks.

The company's announcement came one week after The Associated Press reported on a leaked Border Patrol memo confirming that agents can't board private buses without the consent of the bus company. Greyhound had previously insisted that even though it didn't like the immigration checks, it had no choice under federal law but to allow them.


In an emailed statement, the company said it would notify the Department of Homeland Security that it does not consent to unwarranted searches on its buses or in areas of terminals that are not open to the public — such as company offices or any areas a person needs a ticket to access.

Greyhound said it would provide its drivers and bus station employees updated training regarding the new policy, and that it would place stickers on all its buses clearly stating that it does not consent to the searches.

"Our primary concern is the safety of our customers and team members, and we are confident these changes will lead to an improved experience for all parties involved," the statement said. ( total BS )

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which includes the Border Patrol, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Greyhound has faced pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union, immigrant rights activists and Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson (C?) to stop allowing sweeps on buses within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of an international border or coastline. In many cases, the buses being checked were not crossing or even approaching an international boundary.

Critics say the practice is intimidating and discriminatory and has become more common under President Donald Trump. Border Patrol arrests videotaped by other passengers have sparked criticism, and Greyhound faces a lawsuit in California alleging that it violated consumer protection laws by facilitating raids.

"We are pleased to see Greyhound clearly communicate that it does not consent to racial profiling and harassment on its buses," Andrea Flores, deputy director of policy for the ACLU's Equality Division, said in an email. "By protecting its customers and employees, Greyhound is sending a message that it prioritizes the communities it serves."

Ferguson said in an email his office will follow up with Greyhound to ensure compliance.
"Today's announcement from Greyhound confirms what should have been obvious to the company since I contacted them a year ago – it has both the power and the responsibility to stand up for its customers, who suffered for far too long from Greyhound's indifference to CBP's suspicionless bus raids and harassment," he said.

The Border Patrol has insisted that it does not profile passengers based on their appearance, but instead asks all passengers whether they are citizens or in the country legally. The agency says the bus checks are an important way to ferret out human trafficking, narcotics and illegal immigration.

Some other bus companies, including Jefferson Lines, which operates in 14 states, and MTRWestern, which operates in the Pacific Northwest, have already taken similar steps to those announced by Greyhound. Flores said the ACLU would continue to push others to follow suit.

The memo obtained by the AP was dated Jan. 28, addressed to all chief patrol agents and signed by then-Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost just before she retired. It confirms the legal position that Greyhound's critics have taken: that the Constitution's Fourth Amendment prevents agents from boarding buses and questioning passengers without a warrant or the consent of the company.

"When transportation checks occur on a bus at non-checkpoint locations, the agent must demonstrate that he or she gained access to the bus with the consent of the company's owner or one of the company's employees," the memo states. An agent's actions while on the bus "would not cause a reasonable person to believe that he or she is unable to terminate the encounter with the agent."

Greyhound previously argued that case law, including a 1973 Supreme Court ruling, did not extend the Fourth Amendment's protections to commercial carriers.

End

AZMEX POLICY-2 19-2-2020

AZMEX POLICY-2 19 FEB 2020

Comment: yet another corrupt federal judge ?
Maybe the "migrants" should stay home
instead of forcing their way into our country
Thx



US judge sides with migrants in case against Border Patrol

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS
FEBRUARY 19, 2020 AT 5:00 PM

https://ktar.com/story/2986830/us-judge-sides-with-migrants-in-case-against-border-patrol/

FILE - This September, 2015, file image made from U.S. Border Patrol surveillance video shows a child crawling on the concrete floor near the bathroom area of a holding cell, and a woman and children wrapped in Mylar sheets at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection station in Douglas, Ariz. A U.S. judge in Arizona has issued a permanent order requiring the Border Patrol to provide clean mats and thin blankets to migrants within 12 hours of arriving at a facility. The order issued on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020, applies to eight Border Patrol stations in Arizona following a lawsuit that claims the agency holds migrants in overcrowded, unsafe and inhumane conditions. (U.S. Border Patrol via AP, File)


PHOENIX (AP) — Conditions at most Border Patrol facilities in Arizona are punitive and unconstitutional, a U.S. judge in Arizona said Wednesday while ruling in favor of migrants who have long-complained about inhumane and unsanitary conditions in holding cells.
The ruling came weeks after the conclusion of a seven-day trial in which attorneys for migrants who sued in2015 argued that the agency holds immigrants in extremely cold, overcrowded, unsanitary and inhumane cells.

The order makes permanent a preliminary injunction that U.S. District Court Judge David C. Bury issued in 2016 requiring the Tucson Sector to provide clean mats and thin blankets to migrants held for longer than 12 hours and to allow them to clean themselves.

It also bars the agency from holding migrants more than 48 hours if they've been fully processed, which is common when other agencies involved in taking the migrants, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, don't have the capacity to pick them up in a reasonable amount of time.

Bury is also banning the use of bathrooms for sleeping, which came to light during the trial this year, when video was shown of a man trying to reach a bathroom but failing to because migrants were sleeping in them.

"Today's decision is a tremendous victory for communities everywhere fighting courageously to uphold human dignity and the rights enshrined in our Constitution," Alvaro M. Huerta, staff attorney at the National Immigration Law Center, said in a statement.

The center was one of the advocacy groups that brought the case forward. It was argued in court by attorneys for the law firm Morrison & Foerster.

"We are enthused that our justice system has intervened in a meaningful way to institute much needed change and hold CBP accountable," Huerta said.

Customs and Border Protection didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
In his order, Bury said there's no evidence CBP intends to create punitive conditions, but that the agency has stretched resources to "provide the best conditions of confinement available under the circumstances."

Although the lawsuit predates last year's surge in immigrant arrivals, it illustrates some of the challenges posed when migrants are detained, especially if they are children. Reports of hellish conditions circulated in many parts of the Texas border last year, where thousands of immigrants — largely families — crossed over from Mexico. In El Paso, an inspection by the government's internal watchdog found there were 900 people crammed into a 125-person facility at one point in May.

In his order Wednesday, Bury wrote that the Border Patrol and its parent agencies, or the defendants in the case, "administer a detention system that deprives detainees, who are held in CBP stations, Tucson Sector, longer than 48 hours, of conditions of confinement that meet basic human needs."

Conditions that migrants — who are considered civil detainees, not criminal — are subjected to after 12 hours are "presumptivelypunitive and violate the Constitution," and are even worse than a criminal jail or prison, the judge wrote.

Bury has been critical of the agency, saying it has done little to remedy issues, especially around overcrowding and migrants' inability to sleep.

"Nobody has done anything. Is that why a court has to jump in?" Bury asked during the last day of trial on Jan. 22. "It just seems like the lack of a response to these numbers just calls for a court order."

Government attorneys said in their closing arguments last month that plaintiffs didn't prove the agency violated any constitutional rights. It says many things are out of the agency's control, such as whether other agencies involved in taking migrants have capacity.
Its facilities were built of short-term stays, for adults. Holding cells are in odd shapes, reducing the number of sleeping mats that can comfortably fit on the ground. On nights when agents arrest large groups of people, or when other agencies involved in immigration don't have the capacity to pick them up, cells become extremely overcrowded.

A video displayed on the opening day of the trial showed a man walking over body after body as he tried to make his way to the bathroom. Once there, he realized all stalls had people sleeping in them.

Migrants have long decried conditions in Border Patrol facilities, now infamously known as hieleras, or iceboxes. And although the Tucson Sector hasn't experienced the massive number of immigrants that other parts of the Southwest border has, the number of hours that migrants spend in custody there has continued to grow.

About 12,000 people were in custody for more than 72 hours in the Tucson Sector last year, or about 20%. The average time in custody was nearly 54 hours.

On Friday, another federal judge ruled in favor of immigrant s and against the government. The judge found the U.S. government in contempt after authorities deported five young immigrants who were seeking to remain in the country under a program for abused and neglected immigrant children.

End

AZMEX POLICY 19-2-2020

AZMEX POLICY 19 FEB 2020

Comment: now we know who not to do business with:

https://directory.localfirstaz.com

https://www.localfirstaz.com/members

https://directory.localfirstaz.com/listing/business-services

End



Proposal to ban sanctuary cities sees opposition from Arizona businesses

BY KTAR.COM
FEBRUARY 18, 2020 AT 4:45 PM

https://ktar.com/story/2984382/proposal-to-ban-sanctuary-cities-sees-opposition-from-arizona-businesses/

(AP Photo)

PHOENIX — When it comes to controversial sanctuary city policies, a coalition of Arizona small businesses is taking a stand.
"Local First Arizona," a group of roughly 3,000 local businesses, have voiced their opposition to SCR 1007 and HCR 2036 in a press release.

The controversial proposals are currently undergoing fierce debate in Arizona's state legislature,
and would prohibit localities and cities from self-designating themselves as "sanctuaries" for those who enter the country illegally.

Local First Arizona regards the measures as "unnecessary" since such action is
"already prohibited under existing state legilsation," according to the release.

Among Local First Arizona's allies in this fight is Democratic Party presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren,
who took to Twitter to oppose the GOP-backed proposal:
This dangerous bill would separate families, scapegoat immigrant communities,
and pit Arizonans against each other.
I stand with the activists and organizations fighting to stop SCR1007.

https://
twitter.com/JayesGreenJ/st
atus/1228364898138091520
…
Jonathan Jayes-Green
@JayesGreenJ

AZ GOP is trying to move the state back to some of the darkest years in the state's history by pushing for SCR1007.

I am deeply grateful to @Gomez_Alex07, @LUCHA_AZ all of the freedom fighters
in AZ putting their bodies on the line and calling this out.
https://www.
nytimes.com/aponline/2020/
02/13/us/ap-us-sanctuary-policy-ban-1st-ld-writethru.html?fbclid=IwAR16ChGgIwDcWWHRa9iEUvVUZ2d4Um7VJ2LZBzXM9OA_ml9mdoAqvvthDZI
…

Concerned that these measures will mirror the negative effects of Arizona's controversial
2010 SB 1070 legislation, the coalition insists: "These bills are bad for business.

Related Links
Elizabeth Warren slams 'dangerous' Arizona move to ban sanctuary cities
Officials see need to boost Arizona border security despite fall in activity

"They will broadcast a negative image of Arizona that will inflict significant damage
to our state's fiscal opportunities and will haunt our tourism industry for decades to come."
Local First Arizona was founded in 2003, and has since been advocating
"for a strong and inclusive Arizona economy," as stated in the release.

End

AZMEX SPECIAL 18-2-2020

AZMEX SPECIAL 18 FEB 2020



Mexican cartels seize the avocado market
Posted: 9:20 AM, Feb 18, 2020 Updated: 9:25 AM, Feb 18, 2020
By: KGTV Staff

https://
www.abc15.com/news/national/mexican-cartels-seize-the-avocado-market

The avocado boom in Mexico has pulled parts of the country out of poverty in just 10 years,
but the prosperity there turns deadly as money-hungry cartels take hold of the market.

VALLEY CENTER, Calif. – The avocado boom in Mexico has pulled parts of the country out of poverty in just 10 years,
but the prosperity there turns deadly as money-hungry cartels take hold of the market.

While there's brutality below the border, there's a history in the homegrown in San Diego.
"San Diego is the biggest producer of avocados in the state of California," said farmer Noel Stehly.

KGTV took a trip to Stehly Farms in North County where you'll find more than 250 acres of the flourishing fruit.
The land has been in Stehly's farm for decades.

"Those that buy California, great, but if you want it in November, you want a Haas avocado,
it's not going to come from California," said Stehly.

That's where Mexico comes in, filling in the gaps with avocados that can be grown year-round.
They're competing with American growers in production and now threatening their workers.

"I have a lot of my employees that work here right now in Michoacan," said Stehly.
"They're home for the holiday, they'll come back over the next couple of weeks
and my last words to them are, 'Just be careful. Just really be careful.'"

Michocan is the heart of the violence, where gangs robbed USDA food inspectors at gunpoint in August.
"You hear the stories of what goes on down there," said Stehly.
"They live in these pueblos that are in the growing regions that are dangerous.
They're absolutely dangerous."

The cartels are at war with themselves while threatening growers
and police departments with kidnapping, extortion and murder.

"I just worry about them they're part of my family." said Stehly.
"Most of them were at my wedding and have been here long enough to know every one of my kids.
I know every one of their kids; they're part of the family."

But the cartels aren't the only problem. Stehly said the water that feeds his farm is not what it used to be.
The water now comes from the Colorado River instead of Northern California.

"I don't have enough well water to irrigate everything on my farm," said Stehly.
"The price of water has gone up exponentially.
Our water system in the state of California is broken and nobody's gonna fix it."
The composition of the water has also changed with high levels of salt killing off his crop.
The water issue is causing production on the farm to go down.

"I do sell a lot less, I grow a lot less," said Stehly.
"It's sad. It's sad to have drying trees on your property."
For this second-generation farmer, it's personal.
"This property is special. It's a labor of love now. It paid a lot of bills," said Stehly.
"It's an important part of us. It would be hard to see it go."

Farmers are battling a water crisis in San Diego while violence rages to the south.

"It's gonna be tough to be a farmer anywhere in California," said Stehly.
"Whether its avocados, lettuce, alfalfa."
He said the best thing you can do is keep your support in San Diego.
"I don't care if it's a local craft beer or a farmer," said Stehly. "Support local."

This story was originally published by Jennifer Delacruz at KGTV.

END

AZMEX I3 16-2-2020

AZMEX I3 16 FEB 2020

BORDER & IMMIGRATION
Border Patrol arrests six in alleged human smuggling attempt

Border Patrol agents found four Guatemalans and a Mexican national, all in the country illegally, hiding in a Nissan Altima. (Source: U.S. Border Patrol)

By KOLD News 13 Staff | February 14, 2020 at 4:41 PM MST - Updated February 14 at 4:41 PM

https://www.kold.com/2020/02/14/border-patrol-arrests-six-alleged-human-smuggling-attempt/

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - Border Patrol said it arrested six people in an allegedly human smuggling attempt near Tucson early Thursday, Feb. 13.

Tucson Sector agents made an immigration stop on the west side of the Tucson city limits around 8 a.m.
Agents said they found four Guatemalans and a Mexican national, all in the country illegally, hiding in a Nissan Altima.
The five were arrested along with the driver of the vehicle, an American.
The driver is being held on human smuggling charges while the five passengers will be processed for immigration violations.

END


ALSO:


Kirkpatrick decries 'stonewalling' from feds as border wall construction continues
By Shar Porier shar.porier@myheraldreview.com Feb 13, 2020 Updated Feb 13, 2020

https://www.myheraldreview.com/news/cochise_county/kirkpatrick-decries-stonewalling-from-feds-as-border-wall-construction-continues/article_f2afcfc6-4e87-11ea-99a4-5b641380da30.html 

On Wednesday, clearing trees along the San Pedro River had filled a large roll off contractor's container full of limbs and trunks of cottonwoods of varying ages.
Drone photo provided by Glenn Spencer

BISBEE — The letter from the Cochise County Board of Supervisors supporting U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick's (D) efforts to obtain the plans for the border barrier along the San Pedro River has led the congresswoman to once again knock on doors at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Supervisors Tom Borer, Ann English and Peggy Judd approved the letter in the Feb. 12 meeting and heard from a number of dismayed constituents who asked them to seek a public meeting to discuss the plans for the border wall across the San Pedro River.

On Jan. 26, Hands Across the River, a peaceful assembly organized to show community support for continued respect and regard for the river's importance to the unique ecosystem it supports, brought several hundred people from across the county and beyond down to the river in Hereford.

Their displeasure with Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which is in charge of the construction, was made clear when the following day, with no set plans and no public input, the bulldozing of land and cutting of cottonwood trees continued as an overwhelming cry went out to local and federal electeds.

In Cochise County, areas of concern include the San Pedro River and the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge (SBNWR), both of which are being impacted by the construction, not just through the clearing of land, but also tapping into the limited water supplies of aquifers and springs.

Kirkpatrick already sent two letters, one in November and one in January, to Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf in regard to the river crossing as well as the barrier across the SBWR and has received no replies from his office.

In a Feb. 12 press release, she accused the DHS of "stonewalling Congressional inquiries" and criticized the "lack of responsiveness."

Further, she wrote, "The San Pedro River is a precious treasure and we must do everything possible to protect it. Building a border wall without hearing from the people who know the river is not a good policy and it is not how the government is supposed to work. If our government agencies want to be credible, they must be accountable and transparent with the community. DHS needs to remember that it is a government entity — paid to serve the people with taxpayer funds — and it should be forthcoming about a project of this magnitude."

As for the SBNWR, Kirkpatrick noted, "The ecosystem is extremely fragile, and steps must be taken to mitigate the environmental damage that will inevitably come from a construction project like this. We have serious concerns about this project and we deserve some answers."

While she stated she and her constituents understand the DHS authority to waive environmental laws to expedite the construction, they "also believe the DHS has the authority to engage state and local agencies and the public" in its plans for needed boots on the ground input. Once federal, state and local agencies see the details, minus any classified electronic monitoring information, she asks for the plans to be shared with citizens for their review and comment.

Kirkpatrick stated, "I, like my constituents, appreciate the need for border security and want to have a constructive dialogue with you and staff in the Tucson sector about the barrier."
( Comment: You betcha ! )

Additionally, Kirkpatrick wrote, the DHS should "establish ongoing monitoring of environmental conditions resulting from the border barrier on the San Pedro River, including wildlife behavior and movement, to identify needed corrections."

As of Feb. 10, Joe Curren, CBP spokesperson, said the plans for the pedestrian barrier across the San Pedro River in the SPRNCA had not been finalized. When the plans are finalized, the public will be informed, though he did not have any details about what information will be offered.
With no public input, the 30-foot tall bollard wall has been installed across parts of Texas, New Mexico, California and Arizona despite concerns raised by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Injunctions have been filed to stop construction on behalf of these lands and the wildlife which call them home to no avail since President Trump has allowed the DHS Secretary to waive all environmental and cultural laws, which has been supported by the courts so far.

The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), Animal Legal Defense Fund, Defenders of the Wildlife and Southwest Environmental Center made a final effort to halt construction through a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari recently.
It asked the U.S. Supreme Court Justices to determine if President Trump and the DHS overstepped their executive powers in the waivers of the National Environmental Protection Act and other regulatory protections of cultural and archeological heritage.

The justices will decide to hear the case, or not, sometime this year

END

AZMEX POLICY 13 -2-2020

AZMEX POLICY 13 FEB 2020


Republicans introduce bill to pull funds from states that give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants
By Adam Shaw | Fox News

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-bill-drivers-licenses-illegal-immigrants

ICE issues list of 'fugitive' illegal immigrants freed by NYC's sanctuary policies
ICE is putting pressure on New York City by sharing a list of illegal immigrants who have been released despite deportation requests.

Republicans in the House and the Senate are introducing legislation that would block federal funds from states
that allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses -- the latest move in an escalating fight over "sanctuary" laws.

The Stop Greenlighting Driver Licenses for Illegal Immigrants Act would block funds to sanctuary states —
which limit local cooperation with federal immigration authorities -- and those that give licenses to illegal immigrants.
Specifically, it would halt Justice Department (DOJ) grants, in particular those awarded under
the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant,
which is a top source of federal criminal justice funding for states.

NEW YORK SHERIFFS CALL OUT 'UNWISE' GREEN LIGHT LAW AS CUOMO MEETS TRUMP

The legislation is being introduced in the Senate by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.
It is being co-sponsored by Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.; Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.;
Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga.; Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Mike Rounds, R-S.D.

Meanwhile, in the House, Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., is introducing companion legislation.
That bill is co-sponsored by 21 other members.

"Tennesseans know all too well what can happen when illegal immigrants are granted driver licenses," Blackburn said in a statement.
"While Tennessee and many other states prohibit driver licenses for illegal aliens,
a growing number of states are moving in the opposite direction and unleashing dangerous open borders policies.
Immigrants must follow the proper federal process and obtain citizenship or lawful status before obtaining a state driver license."

"In America, no one is above the law," she added.

ICE SUBPOENAS NY FOR INFO ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED OF MURDER, AS SANCTUARY CITY FIGHT ESCALATES

Her office estimates that states that issued licenses to illegal immigrants received nearly $53 million from the program in fiscal year 2019.

Video

The bicameral legislation comes amid a growing fight over sanctuary legislation.
The Trump administration has been attempting to highlight attention to the dangers of the policy
and has been shining light on cases whereby illegal immigrants have killed Americans.

"The United States of America should be a sanctuary for law-abiding Americans, not criminal aliens,"
Trump said at his State of the Union address last week.

The administration has also been caught up in a fight with New York over its "Green Light Law" that both gives driver's licenses to illegal immigrants
and bans state Department of Motor Vehicles agencies from sharing information with federal immigration authorities.

The latter move led the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last week to announce that it is suspending Global Entry
and other Trusted Traveler Programs for New York residents,
saying that the law makes DHS agencies unable to run the necessary security checks and risk assessments.

Adam Shaw is a reporter covering U.S. and European politics for Fox News..
He can be reached here.

END

AZMEX POLICY 10-2-2020

AZMEX POLICY 10 FEB 2020


Arizona legislator sets sights on sanctuary cities with billA

BY KTAR.COM | FEBRUARY 10, 2020 AT 10:00 AM
UPDATED: FEBRUARY 10, 2020 AT 10:25 AM

https://ktar.com/story/2972068/arizona-legislator-sets-sights-on-sanctuary-cities-with-bill/

PHOENIX – An Arizona lawmaker said legislation he recently introduced to crack down on sanctuary cities
in the state was focused on citizens' safety.

Republican Rep. Bret Roberts said HB 2598 was designed to hold any sanctuary city, town or county accountable for damages
against victims of crimes committed by anyone who is in living in the country illegally.

"The bill is about public safety," the city of Maricopa legislator told KTAR News 92.3 FM's Arizona's Morning News on Monday.

"It protects our citizens."
Voters in Tucson turned down a ballot proposition last November that would have made it the state's first sanctuary city.

Related Links
Tucson voters overwhelmingly say no to sanctuary city proposition
Bill seeks to amend Arizona Constitution with sanctuary city ban

But Proposition 205 inspired Roberts and other legislators to shore up Arizona law
that allows the state to cut off funding to cities that pass laws conflicting with state.
"It would give our citizens the opportunity, if they were to become a victim of someone that,
that municipality did not cooperate with on an ICE detainer, then (the victim) could go back and sue that municipality.
It creates a civil liability issue."

By law, sanctuary cities can be penalized anywhere between $1,000 and $5,000 each day the violation lasts.
The stipulation passed in 2016.

Another bill introduced last week would amend the state Constitution to ban sanctuary cities via voters.

Roberts' bill "says to (sanctuary cities), if you're going to do this, then you need to be …
ready to take care of the financial responsibility that comes along with those policies," he said.
Sponsoring the bill has come with some blowback.
"I tend to take it personally when they're throwing those narratives out there because
if you're saying the bill is racist, then you're trying to say I'm racist.
"And I'm tired of that narrative."

END

AZMEX CORRUPTION SPECIAL 7-2-2020

AZMEX CORRUPTION SPECIAL 7 FEB 2020

Comment: yet another corrupt federal judge.


L.A. Judge Bans ICE Detainers

posted by City News Service - Just Now

https://kfiam640.iheart.com/content/2020-02-07-la-judge-bans-ice-detainers/

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A Los Angeles federal judge has formalized an earlier ruling putting a stop
to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's practice of issuing arrest requests
based solely on error-ridden electronic databases, court papers obtained today show.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Andre Birotte Jr. deals with the legality of ICE's signature deportation program, Secure Communities,
which is said to be responsible for 70% of all ICE arrests.

The judge's ruling, issued Wednesday, enjoins ICE from issuing these arrest requests, known as detainers,
from its Pacific Enforcement Response Center to states that have not expressly authorized
their local law enforcement agencies to make arrests for deportation purposes.

``This victory strikes at the core of the S-COMM (Secure Communities) program and supports jurisdictions
from New York to Seattle to L.A.
seeking to kick ICE completely out of our criminal justice system,'' said Pablo Alvarado,
co-executive director of the Los Angeles-based National Day Laborer Organizing Network.

``ICE, not immigrants, is a threat to public safety,'' he said.
``Immigrants should not be subject to double suspicion and double punishment. Period.
It is ICE that must be scrutinized and exposed for what it is.''
The class-action case, Gonzalez v. ICE, has been making its way through the courts since 2013.
Immigration activists have long held that a significant portion of ICE arrests
stem from detainers issued solely on the basis of unreliable electronic databases.

In a ruling last September, Birotte wrote that ``many U.S. citizens become exposed to possible false arrest
when ICE relies solely on deficient databases.''

In a statement released after the latest ruling, the White House press secretary said
``a single, unelected, district judge in the Central District of California
issued a legally groundless and sweeping injunction that -- if not immediately lifted —
will guarantee the release of innumerable criminal illegal aliens into our communities putting citizens at dire risk.''

The statement said Birotte's ruling ``undermines the pillars of immigration enforcement and blocks traditional
and vital law enforcement cooperation that has occurred for decades.
This injunction puts the health and lives of innocent Americans in direct jeopardy.
Our neighborhoods are less safe today as a result of this dangerous district court ruling.''

A March 6 status conference is scheduled in Birotte's courtroom.

END

AZMEX POLICY 6-2-2020

AZMEX POLICY 6 FEB 2020


COMMENT: From the party of the criminal and parasite.
Thx


OPINIONPublished 1 hour ago
Tucker Carlson: Criminals would be protected from deportation under bill AOC and other House Democrats back

By Tucker Carlson | Fox News

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-criminals-would-be-protected-from-deportation-under-bill-aoc-and-other-house-democrats-backmocrats-back

Tucker: Left downplaying MS-13 threat, making America less safe

Immigrants who commit serious crimes allowed to stay in the U.S.


At this moment there is a bill pending in Congress called the New Way Forward Act. It's received almost no publicity, which is unfortunate as well as revealing.
The legislation is sponsored by 44 House Democrats, including Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
At roughly 4,400 words, it's almost exactly as long as the U.S. Constitution.

Like the Constitution, this legislation is designed to create a whole new country.
The bill would entirely remake our immigration system, with the explicit purpose of ensuring that criminals are able to move here, and settle here permanently, with impunity.

You may think we're exaggerating for effect. We're not – not even a little.
The New Way Forward act is the most radical single piece of legislation we've seen proposed in this country.
It makes the Green New Deal look like the status quo.

A document produced by Democrats to promote the bill says: "Convictions … should not lead to deportation."

Keep in mind, we're not talking about convictions for double parking.
The bill targets felony convictions – serious crimes that send you to prison for years.
A press release from Rep., Jesus Garcia, D-Ill., is explicit about this.
Garcia brags that the bill will break the "prison to deportation pipeline."
How does the bill do that? Under current U.S. law, legal U.S. immigrants can be deported if they commit an "aggravated felony"
or a "crime of moral turpitude" – that is, a vile, depraved act, like molesting a child.
Under the New Way Forward Act, "crimes of moral turpitude" are eliminated entirely as a justification for deportation.
And the category of "aggravated felony" gets circumscribed too.

What does that mean?

Consider this: Under current law, immigrants who commit serious crimes – such as robbery, fraud, or child sexual abuse – must be deported,
regardless of the sentence they receive. Other crimes – less severe ones like racketeering – require deportation
as long as the perpetrator receives at least a one-year sentence.

But if this bill passes the House and Senate and is signed into law by the president,
there will no longer be any crimes that automatically require deportation.
None.

And one crime – falsifying a passport – will be made immune from deportation, no matter what.
Because apparently 9/11 never happened, and we no longer care about fake government documents.

If you just renewed your driver's license to comply with the Real ID Act, you must feel like an idiot.
Under the proposed legislation, the minimum prison sentence for crimes that still require deportation would rise from one year to five.

We checked the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
According to federal data, crimes like car theft, fraud, and weapons offenses all carry average prison sentences of fewer than five years.
And that's just looking at averages. There are people who commit rape, child abuse and even manslaughter
and receive sentences of fewer than five years. Lots of them.

If the New Way Forward Act becomes law, immigrants who commit those crimes and receive those sentences would remain in the country.
They'll all be eligible for citizenship one day, too.

But even that is understating the law's effect. Even a five-year prison sentence won't necessarily be enough to secure deportation.
The bill would grant sweeping new powers to immigration judges, allowing them to nullify a deportation order.
The only requirement is that "the immigration judge finds such an exercise of discretion appropriate in pursuit of humanitarian purposes,
to assure family unity, or when it is otherwise in the public interest." In other words, anti-American immigration judges
– and many of them are exactly that – would have a blank check to open the borders.
No vote required.
Sound shocking to you? We're just getting started. Current U.S. law makes drug addiction grounds for deportation,
because why wouldn't it? This bill would eliminate that statute.

Current law also states that those who have committed drug crimes abroad, or any "crimes involving moral turpitude," are ineligible to immigrate here.
The New Way Forward Act abolishes that statute.

A Mexican drug cartel leader could be released from prison, then freely come to America immediately. A
nd if he wants, he could come here illegally, and it wouldn't be a crime – because, and you were waiting for this,
the bill also decriminalizes illegal entry into America, even by those previously deported.

According to a document promoting the bill, criminalizing illegal entry into America is "white supremacist."

By this point, you're beginning to wonder if we're making this up. We're not. In fact, we're barely halfway through the bill.

The legislation doesn't just make it harder to deport legal immigrants who commit crimes. It doesn't just make it easier for criminals to legally move here.
The bill would also effectively abolish all existing enforcement against illegal immigration.
To detain illegal immigrants, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would have to prove in court that the illegal immigrants are dangerous or a flight risk.
But of course, ICE wouldn't be allowed to use a detainee's prior criminal behavior as proof he or she is dangerous. That's banned.

ICE would have to overcome even more hurdles if the detainee claims to be gay or transgender, under 21, or can't speak English and an interpreter isn't immediately available.

In other words, it would be much harder to arrest an illegal alien than it is to arrest you. They're the protected class here. You're just some loser who's paying for it all.
But believe it or not, we saved the nuttiest part for last. What could be more destructive than changing U.S. law,
specifically to allow rapists, child molesters, and drug dealers to stay in America? How about this:
Using taxpayer money to bring deported criminals back into America.

That's right. This bill would not only abolish your right to control who lives in your own country, but it invents a new right in return: the "right to come home."
The bill orders the government to create a "pathway for those previously deported to apply to return to their homes and families in the United States,"
as long as they would have been eligible to stay under the new law.

The Department of Homeland Security must spend taxpayer dollars transporting convicted criminal illegal aliens into the United States.
Who will be eligible for these free flights? Tens of thousands of people kicked out of this country for all kinds of crimes.
Sexual abuse. Robbery. Assault. Drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, human trafficking.

From 2002 to 2018, 480,000 people were deported for illegal entry or reentry into America.
And under this bill, you'd have to buy them all a plane ticket to come back. The tickets alone would cost about a billion dollars,
and that's before Democrats make you start paying for these criminals' free health care, too.
Which they plan to.

The New Way Forward Act fundamentally inverts every assumption you have about America. Under this legislation, the criminals are the victims.
Law enforcement is illegitimate. It's racist, just like the country you live in, and the only solution is to get rid of both.
America would be better off as a borderless rest area for the world's worst predators and parasites.

This is a big deal. It's hard to believe any American would put these ideas on paper, much less pass them into law.
Yet, remarkably, the press has ignored it.
Scores of Democrats have backed it, but the bill hasn't been mentioned in The New York Times, or on CNN,
or even in self-described conservative outlets like National Review.

If a lone Republican state legislator from Minot, N.D., had proposed a bill this extreme,
that would remake America this completely, the president himself would be expected to answer for it.

CNN would demand the president "disavow," even if he knew nothing about it.
But when one-fifth of the Democratic caucus backs a bill demanding that you pay to import illegal alien felons, it's a non-event in American media.
They don't think you should know about it. That's dangerous.

Whether the press cares or not, these are the stakes of the 2020 election. A growing wing of the Democratic Party views America as essentially illegitimate –
a rogue state, in which everything must be destroyed and remade: our laws, our institutions, our freedoms, our history and our values.
That's the point of all this, of course. An entirely new country, in which resistance is crushed, and they're in charge forever.

Adapted from Tucker Carlson's monologue on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" on Feb. 6, 2020.

End

AZMEX SPECIAL-2 6-2-2020

AZMEX SPECIAL-2 6 FEB 2020


Hundreds of illegal aliens re-arrested after California jail failed to notify ICE of their release
By Sam Dorman | Fox News

https://www.foxnews.com/us/inmates-rearrested-rape-california-jail-ice

ICE cracks down on NYC's sanctuary city policies
Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich reports.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported on Wednesday that hundreds of Orange County Jail inmates
on whom the agency had active detainers were re-arrested over the past two years on charges including rape, assault with a deadly weapon and child sex offenses
-- after local authorities released them without notifying ICE.

According to county data, officials at the Southern California jail didn't notify ICE when it released 2,121 inmates with detainers on them over 2018 and 2019.
Over that same period, another 1,315 were released "to ICE upon completion of their local sentences in accordance with"
California's sanctuary regulations laid out in Senate Bill 54, an ICE press release said.


According to ICE, 411 of the released inmates have been rearrested and booked into the Orange County Jail on additional charges,
which also include domestic violence, identity theft, and driving under the influence.

The agency's statement noted that number does "not account for individuals who may have been released and committed crimes in other jurisdictions."


ICE CALLS OUT ILLINOIS COUNTY FOR RELEASING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WITH CRIMINAL RECORDS


Senate Bill [SB] 54, which became law in 2017, prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies from detaining illegal immigrants
for violating immigration laws except in cases where they have been convicted of serious or violent felonies.

Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Don Barnes has called the policy a "social science experiment" undertaken by lawmakers in Sacramento.

Video

"SB 54 has made our community less safe," he said in a statement.
"The law has resulted in new crimes because my deputies were unable to communicate with their federal partners
about individuals who committed serious offenses and present a threat to our community if released.

"The two-year social science experiment with sanctuary laws must end. Rather than protect our immigrant community, the law has enabled offenders to be released,
often times [sic] back into the immigrant communities they prey upon, and create new victims."

Democratic politicians have argued that sanctuary laws help deter crime by building trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities.
But according to Acting ICE Director Matthew Albence, those policies "do nothing but ensure that criminals are released back into the community,
where many re-offend, instead of being turned over to ICE."

"These are preventable crimes, and more importantly, preventable victims.
As the data released by Sheriff Barnes clearly demonstrates, all communities are safer when local law enforcement works with ICE," he added.

Last month, ICE similarly called out Cook County, Ill., accusing local authorities of denying more than 1,000 detainer requests.
Those cases included the release of a South African national who was accused of indecent exposure
and a Nicaraguan national who was arrested on charges of domestic violence.

Sanctuary policies have long been controversial but the issue resurfaced in January
when 21-year-old Guyanan Reeaz Khan allegedly raped and killed 92-year-old Maria Fuertes after his release from a New York jail.
ICE claims it issued a detainer request for Khan after authorities arrested him for assaulting his own father.
According to the New York Daily News, the NYPD denied receiving a detainer after that first assault.

END

AZMEX SPECIAL 6 FEB 2020

Arizona state lawmakers revive private border wall bill
By Associated Press
Published 1 hour agoU.S. Border Wall
Associated Press

https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-state-lawmakers-revive-private-border-wall-bill


New border wall system being built, shown in drone video captured by Customs and Border Protection ( Courtesy: CBP )

PHOENIX - A week after it fell one vote short of passage, Republicans state lawmakers on Thursday revived a measure
that would make it easier for property owners on the U.S.-Mexico border to build a wall.

The measure, sponsored by Republican Rep. Warren Petersen, would allow people to sidestep permitting requirements to build a border wall.
It passed in a 31-29 party-line vote and goes next to the Senate.

GOP lawmakers say it would prevent political interference from local officials philosophically opposed to a border wall.

"If we're going to be a humane society we do not want to encourage people, especially young children,
to come across the border and risk life and limb," said Republican Rep. Bob Thorpe.

Republican Rep. Kelly Townsend said the measure would ensure that local officials who approve building permits
wouldn't be bribed or threatened by drug cartels.

Democrats said a border wall promotes a message of exclusion.
They also point to potential safety and environmental hazards that permitting requirements are meant to prevent.

"I'm against this bill because I think its branding Arizona in the wrong light," Democratic Rep. Robert Meza said.

Last week, Republican Rep. Tony Rivero joined all 29 Democrats in opposition, leaving the bill one vote short of passing.
He joined his fellow Republicans in the re-vote on Thursday. He did not explain his change of heart.

END

AZMEX SPECIAL 5-2-20

AZMEX SPECIAL 5 FEB 2020


Agent with local ties named chief of the Border Patrol
Nogales International Jan 24, 2020 Updated Jan 31, 2020

https://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/agent-with-local-ties-named-chief-of-the-border-patrol/article_ce6b93f8-3f18-11ea-ba11-1bb3df752e79.html


Rodney S. Scott, a 27-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol with ties to the local area, has been selected as the agency's new chief.
Scott's selection was announced on Friday by Mark A. Morgan, acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
who said in a news release that Scott "brings an exceptional depth and breadth of experience and knowledge about the border security mission
and a commitment to service to the nation and the Border Patrol workforce."
Scott, who had most recently served as chief of the Border Patrol's San Diego Sector, replaces retiring Chief Carla Provost.


A CBP news release announcing Scott's appointment to lead the San Diego Sector in 2017 said that he was born in Indiana and raised in Nogales.
KQED, an NPR-member radio station in California, reported in 2018 that Scott moved to Nogales when he was 16.

According to The Associated Press, Scott said his father commuted to work at a factory in Nogales, Sonora.

Scott joined the Border Patrol in 1992 and his first assignment was at the Imperial Beach Station in San Diego.
He later served as chief patrol agent of the El Centro Sector, in a number of leadership positions in the San Diego Sector,
as assistant chief at CBP's Office of Anti-Terrorism in Washington, D.C.,
and as director/division chief for the Incident Management and Operations Coordination Division at CBP Headquarters.

Friday's announcement did not mention any assignments in Arizona, though in a declaration given in a federal court in California in 2018,
Scott said he was promoted in 2012 to field operations supervisor at the Nogales Station,
"where I became involved in national level policy development, specifically for traffic checkpoint operations."

Scott appeared in two Nogales International articles published in late 2002 and early 2003
in which he was cited as the Border Patrol's community relations/public information officer.

"Chief Scott is the absolute embodiment of the U.S. Border Patrol's motto, 'Honor First,'
and I am confident that under his leadership, the men and women of the Border Patrol will be well served,
the laws of this nation will be enforced, and our borders will be secured," Morgan said.

END

AZMEX UPDATE 5-2-20

AZMEX UPDATE 5 FEB 2020


Former mayoral candidate and newspaper publisher pleads guilty to Drug-smuggling
Nogales International Jan 30, 2020 Updated Jan 30, 2020 

https://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/former-mayoral-candidate-and-newspaper-publisher-pleads-guilty-to-drug/article_b68a738e-43b5-11ea-8575-3bbf20ca96e7.html

Then-mayoral candidate Ramon Alberto Fuentes is interviewed by the Nogales International in this photo from July 2014.
File photo

A former Nogales mayoral candidate and businessman agreed this week to plead guilty to federal drug-smuggling charges.

Ramon Alberto "Beto" Fuentes, 52, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2014 and published the now-defunct Spanish-language newspaper El Heraldo,
signed a deal with prosecutors on Wednesday in which he agreed to plea guilty to illegally importing cocaine and heroin from Mexico in 2017.

According to a copy of the plea agreement filed at U.S. District Court in Tucson, each offense is punishable by a minimum prison sentence of 10 years,
though language in the deal suggests the possibility of a downward adjustment.

According to the factual basis included in Fuentes' plea agreement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry
seized 10 packages of cocaine weighing a total of 25 pounds from a 1999 Chevy Silverado driven by one of Fuentes' associates on Jan. 30, 2017.

Investigators searched the suspect's phone and found a recently missed call from Fuentes.
They also found that the suspect had sent a photo to Fuentes via WhatsApp on Jan. 18
showing a white truck with money in its tailgate that another alleged co-conspirator had been busted with on Jan.13.

CBP reported at the time that its officers at the Mariposa Port of Entry found almost $211,000 in unreported U.S. currency
in a Chevy truck during an outbound inspection on Jan. 13, 2017.
A photo released by the agency a few days after the bust showed a white truck with cash laid out on its tailgate.


This photo of a cash bust at a local port of entry on Jan. 13, 2017
matches the description of a case that Ramon Alberto Fuentes was reportedly connected to.
CBP photo

As for the driver of the Silverado who was caught with the cocaine load two weeks later, applications for search warrants
filed by federal investigators in the case identified him as Efrain Corrales Perez, who had been one of Fuentes' biggest financial contributors
when he ran for mayor, donating $2,500 to the campaign.

Corrales was listed on Fuentes' campaign finance documents as a Nogales resident and commercial director of OOMAPAS,
the water authority for the municipal government of Nogales, Sonora.
Fuentes' plea deal states that he now admits that from January to October 2017,
he conspired with others to smuggle cocaine into the United States from Mexico.

The search warrant applications show that on Feb. 17, 2017, Fuentes and a relative of Corrales were reportedly stopped by a CBP officer at the Mariposa port
when they tried to drive into Mexico. Fuentes was allegedly found with $6,722 in U.S. currency in his pockets and his passenger had another $5,000.

It didn't appear that the two were charged in connection with the cash, which fell below the threshold for a required declaration.
Still, according to the warrant applications,
authorities confiscated a phone from Fuentes at the time that contained "illicit communications" that allegedly further tied him to drug-smuggling activity.

Then on Sept. 14, 2017, Fuentes was sent for a secondary inspection at the Mariposa port as he tried to enter the United States
in a Chevy Malibu registered in his name in Arizona.
According to his plea agreement, officers opened the car's trunk and found three boxes of cement compound,
each of which turned out to contain one package of heroin.
The total weight of the drugs was more than seven pounds.

Fuentes was indicted by a grand jury on Aug. 1, 2018 at U.S. District Court in Tucson on four criminal counts
related to his drug-smuggling activities.
In exchange for his guilty pleas on two of the counts, federal prosecutors agreed to drop the others.

His sentencing hearing is set for April 13.

END

AZMEX UPDATE 4-2-20

AZMEX UPDATE 4 FEB 2020


Federal judge reverses convictions of 4 Arizona border activists
Published 1 hour ago
Immigration
Associated Press


https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/federal-judge-reverses-convictions-of-4-arizona-border-activists


TUCSON, Ariz. - A federal judge in Tucson has reversed the misdemeanor convictions of four activists,
saying members of the humanitarian group No More Deaths were led by "sincere religious beliefs" when placing water and food for migrants
in Arizona's protected Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge near the U.S.-Mexico border.

Judge Rosemary Marquez wrote in the opinion filed Monday that Natalie Hoffman, Oona Holcomb, Madeline Huse, and Zaachila Orozco-McCormick
met the guidelines for establishing they acted on their beliefs.

The four had appealed another judge's ruling a year ago finding them guilty of federal misdemeanors.
They were cited by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services officers in 2017 after driving a truck into the wilderness area and left bottles of water
and other supplies for migrants who cross the region.
( "migrants" means illegals )

Four other volunteers with the group were tried a month later in a separate, similar case, but prose
cutors dropped the charges and issued civil infractions.

Another No More Deaths volunteer, Scott Warren, was acquitted in November on felony charges of illegally harboring two migrants in southern Arizona.
Warren, 37, said neutrality guides his work and denied ever helping migrants hide or avoid authorities.

Thousands of immigrants have died crossing the border since the mid-1990s when increased enforcement pushed many to Arizona's scorching desert.

END

AZMEX UPDATE-2 1-2-2020

AZMEX UPDATE-2 2 FEB 2020

Tucson man sentenced to 17 years for human smuggling, shooting at Border Patrol agents
January 31, 2020
10:42 pm

https://kvoa.com/news/2020/01/31/tucson-man-sentenced-to-17-years-for-human-smuggling-shooting-at-border-patrol-agents/

Carla Litto

TUCSON - A 23-year-old Tucson man was sentenced by the U.S. District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps to 204 months in prison on Friday.

Roberto Ramirez, the defendant, previously pleaded guilty back in August
to one count of Transportation of Illegal Aliens for Profit Placing in Jeopardy of Life,
three separate counts of Assault on a Federal Officer with a Deadly Weapon,
and one count of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person.


On Christmas Eve 2017, Ramirez transported two undocumented immigrants for profit
and fled from the Border Patrol checkpoint on I-19 at speeds close to 100 mph,
according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona.

As three Border Patrol agents were in pursuit, Ramirez tried to ram their patrol vehicles with his own.

When Border Patrol agents did not back down from their pursuit,
Ramirez then proceeded to fire shots at the agents with a revolver.

The firearm eventually lost ammunition and when this happened,
Ramirez lost control of his vehicle which then rolled multiple times.

One of the two undocumented individuals was not properly secured in the car and was ejected from the Ramirez's vehicle.

That individual suffered head trauma which caused him to be in a coma, and sustained a broken shoulder and collarbone
resulting in the permanent disfigurement of one of his shoulders, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona.
The other individual suffered a permanent injury to one of his eyes that will affect his vision for the rest of his life.

The following is statement from Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge, Scott Brown:

"This case highlights the dangers involved with illegal alien smuggling. Recklessly, the driver caused bodily harm to two other people
during the rollover, as he callously attempted to flee law enforcement officers while shooting at them.
HSI continues to aggressively target and dismantle transnational criminal organizations that profit from the suffering of individuals."

Scott Brown, Homeland Security Investigations
The investigation in this case was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations.

United States Attorney Michael Bailey said that smugglers like Ramirez present a danger to everyone
and that law enforcement officials will partner to "aggressively prosecute these cases."

END

AZMEX UPDATE 1-2-2020

AZMEX UPDATE 1 FEB 2020



FBI investigates border wall gun battle that left two wounded in California

A border barrier separates the United States and Mexico in the San Diego area.
CAROLYN VAN HOUTEN/THE WASHINGTON POST

https://www.stripes.com/news/us/fbi-investigates-border-wall-gun-battle-that-left-two-wounded-in-california-1.617232#gallery


By NICK MIROFF AND JOSH DAWSEY
| The Washington Post |
Published: February 1, 2020

A shootout at a border wall construction site near San Diego that wounded two Mexican security guards last summer is now under FBI investigation,
according to private contractors and government documents obtained by The Washington Post.

The incident, which has not been publicly disclosed, occurred on the night of July 1 east of the San Ysidro border crossing,
when Mexican security guards came under fire while protecting materials and equipment for Texas-based Ultimate Concrete,
according to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report.

One of the guards was shot in the lower right buttock, and another suffered a light shoulder wound.
The assailants were not identified, but security camera footage of the incident showed that a group of six or seven gunmen approached a job site
where U.S. contractors had been installing steel barriers during the day.

"Three men in the vicinity of the border wall immediately opened fire" on the two security contractors, according to the Army Corps account.
"Both men took immediate cover and began returning fire," repelling the assailants.

For U.S. authorities, the episode raised questions about use-of-force rules for the Mexican companies hired to protect southern access to worksites
where U.S. crews are building Trump's wall.
The report also describes concerns raised by U.S. Border Patrol agents who encountered Mexican security guards
crossing back and forth across the international boundary without authorization.

SLS, the primary contractor that hired Ultimate Concrete, revised its security protocols after the incident
to make sure its security personnel on both sides of the border have met U.S. screening standards, the report stated.

FBI agents made an unannounced visit to the San Diego area offices of SLS on Jan. 22, and executives from the company
immediately sent a letter to the Army Corps expressing shock and concern that federal investigators had arrived to ask questions about the shooting.
SLS has been awarded contracts worth more than $1.5 billion for barrier construction at multiple locations, government records show.

Liz Rogers, a spokeswoman for SLS, said the company is cooperating with investigators. She declined to provide details because the investigation is ongoing.

"SLS fully complied with the FBI's requests and voluntarily answered all questions," said Rogers, who is the marketing director for the firm, which is based in Galveston, Texas.
"The agents were very professional and the entirety of their visit was less than one hour."

The FBI also issued a subpoena to Jesse Guzman, who owns Ultimate Concrete, documents show.
Reached by telephone, Guzman referred questions to the FBI.

Officials with the Army Corps referred questions to the FBI. The FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection
did not respond to requests for comment on the incident or the investigation.

According to the Army Corps report, dated July 29, Ultimate Concrete hired the Pinkerton agency to provide security at the job site,
but the two men injured in the shooting were working for another Mexico-based firm, NSSP.
The shooting victims received medical treatment and had "returned to full duty," the report states.

NSSP had not been vetted by the Army Corps or U.S. Customs and Border Protection to work at the job site,
according to the report, a step considered unnecessary because the firm was hired to work on the south side of the border.

"When NSSP personnel were interviewed, they stated they were all prior Mexican National Army
and had been trained on when to use deadly force," the report states.

The Mexican security guards would take snapshots of the worksite every evening when they came on duty to guard equipment and materials overnight,
largely to show supervisors the following morning that nothing had been missing.

NSSP personnel communicated with a security manager for Ultimate Concrete via the WhatsApp messaging app
but sometimes strayed north across the border onto the job site, according to the report.

U.S. border agents saw the Mexican security agents crossing into and out of the United States, making what appeared to be unauthorized entries into U.S. territory.
At a job site that essentially straddled an open border, the crisscrossing Mexican security guards drew the attention of U.S. agents.

"The concern was that there were two Mexican nationals 'either posing as or working for Pinkerton on the north side of the border wall,'
and that both the Ultimate Concrete and Pinkerton contractors on site denied any knowledge of additional security being hired," according to the report
. "When confronted, the Mexican national security personnel again reiterated they were Pinkerton employees."

The report found that the Mexican security guards did not violate rules of engagement during the shootout,
having come under attack from assailants before returning fire.

Construction progress on Trump's new "border wall system" is more advanced in the San Diego area than nearly anywhere else
the government has added new fencing, resulting in the biggest and most elaborate barrier system along the entire 2,000-mile boundary with Mexico.

Across most of the San Diego border area, a "primary" steel bollard fence is backed by a "secondary" 30-foot barrier,
with a road running between them that allows U.S. agents to corral smugglers and migrants in a dedicated "enforcement zone."

The Tijuana-San Diego area is the busiest and most lucrative drug trafficking corridor on the border, according to U.S. officials,
and mafia violence on the Mexican side has surged in recent years. Border Patrol agents and other CBP personnel working
in the area did not make changes to their security posture after the shooting incident, according to the report.

END