AZMEX UPDATE 3 MAY 2017
CBP makes another large fentanyl bust in Nogales
Nogales International May 2, 2017 Updated May 2, 2017
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/cbp-makes-another-large-fentanyl-bust-in-nogales/article_79b2874c-2eca-11e7-a7e1-9f36a2d3af27.html
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a 28-year-old Mexican man last week for attempting to smuggle 23 pounds of a powerful synthetic opioid into the United States through Nogales.
CBP said its officers at the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry referred the man for a secondary inspection of his Chevy SUV as he attempted to enter the country on Wednesday, April 26 through the SENTRI lane for trusted travelers.
A drug-sniffing dog alerted to the vehicle's dashboard area, and when officers searched behind the radio, they found a stash of fentanyl, a rapid-onset pain medication that is similar to morphine but 50 to 100 times more potent, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The drugs were estimated to be worth approximately $378,000.
Officers seized the fentanyl and turned the subject over to federal investigators.
It was the second significant fentanyl bust in Nogales of the month.
On April 3, a 24-year-old Mexican woman was arrested after CBP officers at the Morley pedestrian border-crossing discovered that the stroller she was pushing her infant daughter in had been packed with five pounds of fentanyl.
END
Note: Federal & Santa Cruz county courts
Checkpoint proves to be Rio Rican's nemesis
Nogales International May 2, 2017
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/checkpoint-proves-to-be-rio-rican-s-nemesis/article_bcb2205c-2eca-11e7-8a3a-8b0f78f62540.html
For the second time, Aidan Nikolai Bracamonte of Rio Rico was convicted and sentenced for a crime uncovered at the Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 19.
Bracamonte, 23, was sentenced April 24 by Judge Thomas Fink of Santa Cruz County Superior Court
to three years of probation for a Class 5 felony conviction
of attempted unlawful possession of marijuana for sale.
The judge also required that he complete 100 hours of community service.
Court records show that at around 11 p.m. on Aug. 13, 2016, a drug-sniffing dog at the checkpoint alerted agents to the car Bracamonte was driving. He was sent to the secondary inspection area, where agents found a glass jar containing marijuana among his belongings.
They also found 150 plastic bags and two scales, as well as marijuana hidden in the gas cap and a wallet "filled with money." He also had cash in one of his pockets.
During a pre-sentence interview, Bracamonte told a probation officer that he was on his way to a party in Tucson when he was busted at the checkpoint. He said he planned on smoking the marijuana with his friends. The money, he said, was savings that he planned to use to buy a new wardrobe while in Tucson.
Bracamonte was on federal probation at the time of his arrest in connection with another crime uncovered at the checkpoint.
According to U.S. District Court records, Bracamonte was caught at the facility on Feb. 14, 2014 with two undocumented immigrants in the trunk of his car. At first he claimed that he had seen the two men walking near his home and they had asked him for a ride to Tucson. He said he planned on getting them past the checkpoint, then letting them out to continue walking, and he did not expect any payment for the service.
However, in a subsequent plea agreement, he admitted that he knew the men were undocumented and he expected to be paid $500 to transport them to Phoenix.
Bracamonte was convicted of one count of transporting illegal aliens for profit and sentenced by U.S. Judge James A. Soto in July 2014 to three years of probation.
In March 2017, Soto modified the conditions of probation to require Bracamonte to participate in a home confinement program for 180 days. As part of the program, he must be electronically monitored and abide by a curfew.
end
Original story: http://www.excelsior.com.mx/nacional/2017/05/03/1161232
US has not found 'one dollar' of drug lord El Chapo's assets, Mexican AG says
Published May 03, 2017 Reuters
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/05/03/us-has-not-found-one-dollar-drug-lord-el-chapos-assets-mexican-ag-says.html
MEXICO CITY – U.S. authorities have not been able to find any trace of ill-gotten assets belonging to jailed drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Mexico's attorney general said on Wednesday.
Before he was captured last year and extradited to the United States in January to stand trial, Guzman was one of the world's most wanted drug traffickers and believed to have accumulated a fortune from reigning over his Sinaloa Cartel over many years.
"As of today, U.S. authorities have not found not even one dollar of El Chapo's assets," Mexican Attorney General Raul Cervantes said in an interview with top local broadcaster Televisa.
Mexico has only found minor assets belonging to Guzman, Cervantes said.
"His money hasn't been found because he didn't use the financial system," he added.
A federal indictment in the United States seeks the forfeiture of more than $14 billion of drug proceeds and illicit profits allegedly derived from the Sinaloa Cartel's activities.
Guzman, who broke out twice from prison in Mexico, was recaptured for the last time in January 2016. He was extradited to the United States to face charges there on Jan. 19, the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration as U.S. president.
In the same interview, Cervantes said that the relative upstart Jalisco New Generation Cartel is now Mexico's largest criminal organization, eclipsing the country's more familiar criminal syndicates like Sinaloa or the Zetas.
On Tuesday, Mexican security forces arrested Damaso Lopez, who the United States once described as Guzman's "right hand man" but had been locked in a bloody struggle for control of the Sinaloa Cartel against the sons of El Chapo.
end
Note: Need a job? Just remember it's AP writing this.
At country fest and rodeo, border agency seeks more agents
ASSOCIATED PRESS | May 3, 2017 @ 1:18 am
http://ktar.com/story/1556489/border-patrol-brings-stepped-up-recruiting-to-fairs-rodeos/
FLORENCE, Ariz. (AP) — The beer was flowing and music was blaring in the middle of the Arizona desert when Ric Kindle approached a group of Border Patrol agents and customs officers out to recruit new hires.
This was no average job fair. This was Country Thunder, one of the nation's largest country music festivals, where U.S. Customs and Border Protection set up a booth in front of a pop-up casino and near the merchandise tent as part of an effort to recruit thousands of new agents and officers.
Customs and Border Protection, the parent agency of the Border Patrol and the office that oversees customs officers, has been hiring for several years and now may need to fill an additional 5,000 positions within the Border Patrol that President Donald Trump ordered under his plan to bolster border security. Both the Border Patrol and customs officers were at the festival.
Kindle, 24, said he'd be applying to the Border Patrol as soon as he got home at the end of the four-day festival. He said he's wanted to get into law enforcement ever since a local police officer took him on a ride-along when he was a teenager who skipped school and lacked motivation.
"I don't care what form of force it is, I just kind of want to make a difference," said Kindle, a Phoenix-area resident who works as a fast-food cook. He was volunteering for a nonprofit that raises money for families of first responders who are hurt or killed on the job.
The presence of border agents and customs officers at the country festival is part of an aggressive recruitment effort to seek out prospective employees. Customs and Border Protection has been showing up at bull-riding competitions, Big 10 and Big 12 sports tournaments, job fairs and country music fests like the one last month in Florence, southeast of Phoenix.
"We do recruiting at pretty much anywhere we have an opportunity to show up. It could be something as small as a community event at a local park," said Border Patrol spokesman Vicente Paco, who handed out brochures to festivalgoers.
The recruiting comes as the agency is having a difficult time finding enough agents.
Prospective hires need to relocate to remote locations like the small town of Ajo, near the U.S.-Mexico border, and the southern Texas city of Harlingen. They also must get through a comprehensive vetting process that involves passing a lie-detector test in which applicants are asked about things like drug use and past criminal activity.
Customs and Border Protection also has had a hard time filling positions within its Office of Field Operations, which manages ports of entries and international arrivals at airports.
The Associated Press reported in January that about two-thirds of Customs and Border Protection applicants fail the required polygraph exam, more than double the average rate of applicants at eight law enforcement agencies that provided data to the AP. Customs and Border Protection officials have since pegged the failure rate at about 75 percent.
The agency has struggled to find enough customs officers since announcing an expansion effort in 2014. It said it was allocating 170 new jobs in Arizona, most of which would be assigned in Nogales, the state's busiest area for border crossings. As of April 1, the agency has filled 72 percent of those positions in the state.
The Border Patrol, meanwhile, has slightly fewer than 20,000 agents nationwide, a vastly larger number than it had in the 1990s but still smaller than a couple of years ago. The agency has lost agents to attrition and has a hiring rate of less than 1 percent.
Trump's plan calls for bringing on 5,000 new Border Patrol positions. Congress still hasn't finalized funding for next year, and it's unclear whether the agency will get more money for hiring. Agent salaries start at about $40,000 annually.
In April, then-Border Patrol Chief Ron Vitiello told The Associated Press the agency is working to improve the hiring process. It needs congressional approval to waive the polygraph in some instances.
The agency also will face competition from within the Homeland Security Department as Immigration and Customs Enforcement looks to hire about 10,000 agents. ICE says it's not undertaking any large-scale recruitment efforts at the moment.
"We just have to be a little bit faster than them," said Vitiello, who was promoted to a new job in the agency.
Not everyone agrees that the agency should expand and do so rapidly.
The nonpartisan American Immigration Council released a report in April questioning the expansion and noting that problems abounded when the Border Patrol grew from a little over 4,000 agents in 1994 to nearly 20,000 in 2016.
"The last time the Border Patrol received a large infusion of money to hire thousands of new agents, cases of corruption and misconduct spiked in the agency. New hires were not sufficiently vetted, novice agents were not adequately supervised, and agents who abused their authority acted with impunity," report author Josiah Heyman wrote.
To attract new agents, Border Patrol recruiters fan out to places like the annual Country Thunder event, which draws 30,000 people a day.
Agents and officers touted the perks of joining as concertgoers in boots and cowboy hats stopped by. Most of the people who spoke with the agents were middle-aged and thanked them for the work they do, shaking their hands and some asking to take a photo with them.
Others inquired about the job.
Colten Demers, 22, said he's wanted to get into law enforcement for as long as he can remember. The son of a former police officer, Demers works two jobs as a security officer in Scottsdale, although he's applied to work at several police forces.
Demers would rather work in the city but said he wouldn't rule out joining the Border Patrol and that he likely will apply. "We do need guys on the border," he said.
end
Thursday, May 4, 2017
AZMEX POLL 4-5-17
AZMEX POLL 4 MAY 2017
Note: Another fake poll? Also remembering a lot of people north of the border are involved in drug & human trafficking.
Difficult to see how a secure border or the "wall" would harm legitimate commerce.
thx
Poll: Nearly two-thirds of Arizona voters do not want US-Mexico border wall
BY KTAR.COM | May 4, 2017 @ 6:15 am
BY KTAR.COM | May 4, 2017 @ 6:15 am
https://ktar.com/story/1556466/poll-nearly-two-thirds-of-arizona-voters-do-not-want-us-mexico-border-wall/
PHOENIX — Nearly two-thirds of Arizona voters do not want a border wall constructed on the United States-Mexico border, a KTAR News/OH Predictive Insights poll released Wednesday said.
Sixty-two percent of respondents to the poll indicated they do not want the wall. Thirty-seven percent said they supported the wall, while 1 percent either did not know or refused to answer.
"The opposition to the wall, I think, comes from a variety of sectors, especially economic reasons," U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said when asked about the poll results. Grijalva's district includes the Arizona-Mexico border.
(KTAR News Photo)
The border wall enjoyed more support among respondents who were 45 or older and lived in either Maricopa County or rural Arizona.
Only 28 percent of Pima County voters said they support the wall.
"People closer to the borderlands have more opposition to it given that they've seen the effects of what's there already along the southern border," Grijalva said.
A different poll, conducted in January, showed more than half of Arizona did not want to see the wall built.
The poll from Data Orbital said 54 percent of Arizona voters are against the border wall, while 39 percent said they are in favor of it — a larger split than seen in an October pollabout the same topic.
However, should construction of the wall go forward, Arizona voters were more divided on where the estimated $21.6 billion to build it should come from.
The KTAR News/OHPI poll showed just 17 percent of respondents favor Mexico footing the bill, as was the campaign promise of President Donald Trump. Mexican officials have said their nation would not pay for the wall.
Nineteen percent said the bill should be sent to the American federal government.
The largest group — 33 percent — said they would like to see the funding come from elsewhere. The poll did not ask for specifics.
The KTAR News/OHPI poll was conducted on May 1 by OH Predictive Insights — an Arizona-based polling company — in partnership with KTAR News 92.3 FM.
Survey Methodology
This live and automated caller survey was conducted on May 1 from an active Arizona registered voter sample. The sample size was 401 completed surveys, with a MoE of +/-4.89%. Of the surveys, 35% were conducted on cell phones and 65% via land lines. The party affiliation, geographic, gender and age demographics accurately reflect active registered voters in Arizona in this sample.
PHOENIX — Nearly two-thirds of Arizona voters do not want a border wall constructed on the United States-Mexico border, a KTAR News/OH Predictive Insights poll released Wednesday said.
Sixty-two percent of respondents to the poll indicated they do not want the wall. Thirty-seven percent said they supported the wall, while 1 percent either did not know or refused to answer.
"The opposition to the wall, I think, comes from a variety of sectors, especially economic reasons," U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said when asked about the poll results. Grijalva's district includes the Arizona-Mexico border.
(KTAR News Photo)
The border wall enjoyed more support among respondents who were 45 or older and lived in either Maricopa County or rural Arizona.
Only 28 percent of Pima County voters said they support the wall.
"People closer to the borderlands have more opposition to it given that they've seen the effects of what's there already along the southern border," Grijalva said.
A different poll, conducted in January, showed more than half of Arizona did not want to see the wall built.
The poll from Data Orbital said 54 percent of Arizona voters are against the border wall, while 39 percent said they are in favor of it — a larger split than seen in an October pollabout the same topic.
However, should construction of the wall go forward, Arizona voters were more divided on where the estimated $21.6 billion to build it should come from.
The KTAR News/OHPI poll showed just 17 percent of respondents favor Mexico footing the bill, as was the campaign promise of President Donald Trump. Mexican officials have said their nation would not pay for the wall.
Nineteen percent said the bill should be sent to the American federal government.
The largest group — 33 percent — said they would like to see the funding come from elsewhere. The poll did not ask for specifics.
The KTAR News/OHPI poll was conducted on May 1 by OH Predictive Insights — an Arizona-based polling company — in partnership with KTAR News 92.3 FM.
Survey Methodology
This live and automated caller survey was conducted on May 1 from an active Arizona registered voter sample. The sample size was 401 completed surveys, with a MoE of +/-4.89%. Of the surveys, 35% were conducted on cell phones and 65% via land lines. The party affiliation, geographic, gender and age demographics accurately reflect active registered voters in Arizona in this sample.
END
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
AZMEX POLICY 4-5-17
AZMEX POLICY 4 MAY 2017
Note: May be of particular interest to our friends in NM.
Should US give to Mexico more than 8 thousand 935 hectares ( 22,078 acres )
Details Posted on Wednesday May 03, 2017,
Written by Special
Http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=89173
CD. de MEXICO
They are based on the boundaries with that both nations fixed the border, through the treaties of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, and the one of the Mesilla. (Gadsden)
The United States owes Mexico about 8,935 hectares of territory, stolen by mistakes of distribution in the lands of the border that they share, according to the expert report by Portillo and Young, S.C., a firm of consulting engineers.
The study, carried out using GPS technology and contracted by Senator Patricio Martínez, is based on the boundaries that both nations used to set the border, through the treaties of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, and that of the Mesilla.
"On the border of Mexico with the United States, in the Juárez-El Paso area, in the state of Chihuahua and where there is a difference of 1,500 meters by 50 kilometers, which shows a difference of 8 thousand hectares, which was subtracted from the national territory, which are now in the state of New Mexico and should be in the state of Chihuahua, "said the senator,
Patricio Martinez explained that the difference in territory has already been claimed by Mexico since the time of President Porfirio Díaz, but the Foreign Ministry (SRE) did not follow up diplomatic notes sent to the US.
"What can follow is that there is a judicial issue, and it would not be the first time that Mexico presented a case of this nature before the international courts. It already did, a very sound case, the case of the Chamizal, where the Rio Bravo diverted 240 hectares of Mexico and left them on the side of the United States.
The results of the expert report have already been submitted to the Senate Board. The PRI legislator said that this chamber, nor any instance of the Mexican state or society, can not be ignored in the loss of 436 kilometers on the Mexican border.
More:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadsden_Purchase
https://www.britannica.com/event/Gadsden-Purchase
end
Note: May be of particular interest to our friends in NM.
Should US give to Mexico more than 8 thousand 935 hectares ( 22,078 acres )
Details Posted on Wednesday May 03, 2017,
Written by Special
Http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=89173
CD. de MEXICO
They are based on the boundaries with that both nations fixed the border, through the treaties of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, and the one of the Mesilla. (Gadsden)
The United States owes Mexico about 8,935 hectares of territory, stolen by mistakes of distribution in the lands of the border that they share, according to the expert report by Portillo and Young, S.C., a firm of consulting engineers.
The study, carried out using GPS technology and contracted by Senator Patricio Martínez, is based on the boundaries that both nations used to set the border, through the treaties of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, and that of the Mesilla.
"On the border of Mexico with the United States, in the Juárez-El Paso area, in the state of Chihuahua and where there is a difference of 1,500 meters by 50 kilometers, which shows a difference of 8 thousand hectares, which was subtracted from the national territory, which are now in the state of New Mexico and should be in the state of Chihuahua, "said the senator,
Patricio Martinez explained that the difference in territory has already been claimed by Mexico since the time of President Porfirio Díaz, but the Foreign Ministry (SRE) did not follow up diplomatic notes sent to the US.
"What can follow is that there is a judicial issue, and it would not be the first time that Mexico presented a case of this nature before the international courts. It already did, a very sound case, the case of the Chamizal, where the Rio Bravo diverted 240 hectares of Mexico and left them on the side of the United States.
The results of the expert report have already been submitted to the Senate Board. The PRI legislator said that this chamber, nor any instance of the Mexican state or society, can not be ignored in the loss of 436 kilometers on the Mexican border.
More:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadsden_Purchase
https://www.britannica.com/event/Gadsden-Purchase
end
AZMEX SPECIAL 3-5-17
AZMEX SPECIAL 3 MAY 2017
DHS Awards Funding to sUAS Firms for Border Security
Friday, April 28, 2017
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) awarded funding to two Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) firms.
http://www.rrmediagroup.com/News/NewsDetails/newsID/15462
RELATED STORIES
DHS Awards $9.7M to 12 Businesses for Emerging Technologies
DHS S&T awarded Asymmetric Technologies $199,814.31 to enhance U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) sUAS security.
CBP's use of sUAS enhances mission capabilities and supports U.S. border patrol agents' activities, including greater overall situational awareness and detection, tracking, apprehension and search-and-rescue operations.
Asymmetric Technologies proposed developing a platform-agnostic secure UAS flight controller (SUFC) and improving the cybersecurity of CBP-deployed commercial systems. The effort aims to reduce the risk of cyberattacks on the department's sUAS platforms by ensuring secure communications and control mechanisms with operators, using secure surveillance telemetry streams and leveraging onboard hardware security to prevent unauthorized access of data.
DHS also awarded $152,512 to Planck Aerosystems to enhance CBP's sUAS. The Planck Aerosystems project aims to build a fully autonomous, truck-based, search, surveillance and data delivery platform for DHS applications. The system will be operated from a dash-mounted user interface and deliver real-time video and object detection to drivers and passengers without the need for a dedicated pilot or extensive operator training.
"Mobility in this space is essential," said CBP Acting Commissioner Kevin McAleenan. "This effort will enable integration of sUAS capability into Border Patrol's operations in a variety of missions."
The projects were awarded under the Silicon Valley Innovation Program's (SVIP) Other Transaction Solicitation (OTS), aimed at nontraditional performers to offer solutions to threats facing DHS and the homeland security mission.
"Through the Silicon Valley Innovation Program, CBP has the opportunity to address our emerging technology needs, one of which is protecting our sUAS systems against a cyber-attack," said McAleenan. "Developing technologies and capabilities to secure our hardware and software platforms is critical for deploying sUAS technology."
Companies participating in the SVIP program are eligible for up to $800,000 in nondilutive funding to adapt commercial technologies for homeland security use cases. This is the fifth award under the "Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) Capabilities Solicitation – HSHQDC-16-R-00114," one of five active calls under the SVIP.
END
DHS Awards Funding to sUAS Firms for Border Security
Friday, April 28, 2017
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) awarded funding to two Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) firms.
http://www.rrmediagroup.com/News/NewsDetails/newsID/15462
RELATED STORIES
DHS Awards $9.7M to 12 Businesses for Emerging Technologies
DHS S&T awarded Asymmetric Technologies $199,814.31 to enhance U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) sUAS security.
CBP's use of sUAS enhances mission capabilities and supports U.S. border patrol agents' activities, including greater overall situational awareness and detection, tracking, apprehension and search-and-rescue operations.
Asymmetric Technologies proposed developing a platform-agnostic secure UAS flight controller (SUFC) and improving the cybersecurity of CBP-deployed commercial systems. The effort aims to reduce the risk of cyberattacks on the department's sUAS platforms by ensuring secure communications and control mechanisms with operators, using secure surveillance telemetry streams and leveraging onboard hardware security to prevent unauthorized access of data.
DHS also awarded $152,512 to Planck Aerosystems to enhance CBP's sUAS. The Planck Aerosystems project aims to build a fully autonomous, truck-based, search, surveillance and data delivery platform for DHS applications. The system will be operated from a dash-mounted user interface and deliver real-time video and object detection to drivers and passengers without the need for a dedicated pilot or extensive operator training.
"Mobility in this space is essential," said CBP Acting Commissioner Kevin McAleenan. "This effort will enable integration of sUAS capability into Border Patrol's operations in a variety of missions."
The projects were awarded under the Silicon Valley Innovation Program's (SVIP) Other Transaction Solicitation (OTS), aimed at nontraditional performers to offer solutions to threats facing DHS and the homeland security mission.
"Through the Silicon Valley Innovation Program, CBP has the opportunity to address our emerging technology needs, one of which is protecting our sUAS systems against a cyber-attack," said McAleenan. "Developing technologies and capabilities to secure our hardware and software platforms is critical for deploying sUAS technology."
Companies participating in the SVIP program are eligible for up to $800,000 in nondilutive funding to adapt commercial technologies for homeland security use cases. This is the fifth award under the "Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) Capabilities Solicitation – HSHQDC-16-R-00114," one of five active calls under the SVIP.
END
AZMEX I3 29-4-17
AZMEX I3 29 APR 2017
Note: Update
Gaxiola sentenced
Monique Brand Ainslee S. Wittig Sierra Vista Herald and Arizona Range News
Apr 26, 2017 Updated Apr 26, 2017
http://www.willcoxrangenews.com/news/article_efe57bc8-29f6-11e7-82f6-b73c70ef65e1.html
BISBEE — Mexican native Gil Gaxiola was sentenced to 76 years in Cochise County Superior Court on Monday, April 17.
Gaxiola, now 36, was found guilty by jury on March 16, for severely beating a National Parks Service employee at the Chiricahua National Monument, along with seven other counts of crimes committed in 2013.
Convictions include first-degree attempted murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, theft and kidnapping. One charge of second-degree attempted murder was dismissed by the court, as it is a lesser charge and both cannot be used at for the same crime.
On the evening of Aug. 28, 2013, the victim was found unconscious in a restroom near the Faraway Ranch Trailhead, suffering from head trauma.
According to reports, in the aftermath of the attack, the victim's work vehicle was stolen from the area.
The day after attack, Gaxiola was apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Douglas, three blocks from where the vehicle was found. He was not charged with the assault at Chiricahua National Monument until January of 2014, after DNA evidence from a McDonald's meal found in the stolen vehicle linked him to the crime.
A plea deal — which would have him sentenced to 28 years in prison — had been on the table as early as August 2014. After the Aug. 19, 2016 hearing, Gaxiola was given 30 days to accept the deal. It was rejected.
Gaxiola also completed a restoration to competency program after receiving conflicting diagnoses from both the state and defense's independent psychological evaluations.
During the three-week trial, numerous witnesses took the stand including members of the Cochise County Sheriff's Office.
The victim, Karen Gonzales, of Willcox, was in attendance for most of the trial alongside family members.
During Monday's sentencing hearing, Gonzales turned to Gaxiola and said she had forgiven him, but "how you deal with that with God is up to you."
"If you would've asked for the keys to the car, I would've just given them to you," she said.
Reports of Gaxiola's previous felony convictions out of Idaho — in Cassia and Minidoka counties — along with felony convictions with the U.S. District Court and Maricopa County, were placed into evidence as "aggravating factors" to be considered into his sentence.
With that, Gaxiola was classified as a category 3 offender; those convicted of a felony with two or more prior felonies in their criminal history.
Each count varied in different sentences from 28 to 12 years, to be served consecutively with credit of 1,145 days he has served — except on one count relating to the theft of the National Parks Service vehicle.
His sentence began on Monday after the sentencing.
According to Judge Wallace Hoggatt, he will be housed at the Cochise County Jail until the matter of restitution is solved.
When asked to speak, Gaxiola said he's glad the victim has forgiven him.
"I thank the court for giving me the opportunity to tell my story," he said. "That day was the worst day of my life. I wish I should've done something to make this turn out a different way."
Gaxiola has 20 days to appeal.
Gonzales told the Range News Tuesday, "I am so glad it is over and I can move on. I wanted to tell him (Gaxiola) that I was old enough to be his mom. But I did tell him that he is a dangerous man. If he left me for dead, did he leave anyone else for dead? I told him that I don't hate him. I don't even know him. And then I told him, 'Vaya con Dios' (Go with God). I know he will understand that."
The National Park Service responded to the sentencing Tuesday, April 18, as well.
"The National Park Service extends sincere thanks to all who worked tirelessly to ensure justice for the victim and her family.Special agentsof the NPS Investigative Services Branchcollaborated with detectives of the Cochise County Sheriff's Office on the case, which was prosecuted by the Cochise County Attorney's Office. Other agencies that significantly contributed to the detection, apprehension, and successful prosecution of Gaxiola include the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Arizona Department of Public Safety Laboratory," said a press release by NPS Investigative Services Branch.
"We are hopeful that the conclusion of this trial helps Karen Gonzales and her family find some closure with this tragic incident," Superintendent Allen Etheridge of Chiricahua National Monument said, "and we remain supportive of Karen as she continues to recover from her injuries."
Gonzales thanked all those who helped her through this process, especially, Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels and Sgt. Tal Parker, FBI Victim Specialist Colleen Hansen, Attorney Doyle Johnstun and everyone at the National Park Service.
end
Note: Update
Gaxiola sentenced
Monique Brand Ainslee S. Wittig Sierra Vista Herald and Arizona Range News
Apr 26, 2017 Updated Apr 26, 2017
http://www.willcoxrangenews.com/news/article_efe57bc8-29f6-11e7-82f6-b73c70ef65e1.html
BISBEE — Mexican native Gil Gaxiola was sentenced to 76 years in Cochise County Superior Court on Monday, April 17.
Gaxiola, now 36, was found guilty by jury on March 16, for severely beating a National Parks Service employee at the Chiricahua National Monument, along with seven other counts of crimes committed in 2013.
Convictions include first-degree attempted murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, theft and kidnapping. One charge of second-degree attempted murder was dismissed by the court, as it is a lesser charge and both cannot be used at for the same crime.
On the evening of Aug. 28, 2013, the victim was found unconscious in a restroom near the Faraway Ranch Trailhead, suffering from head trauma.
According to reports, in the aftermath of the attack, the victim's work vehicle was stolen from the area.
The day after attack, Gaxiola was apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Douglas, three blocks from where the vehicle was found. He was not charged with the assault at Chiricahua National Monument until January of 2014, after DNA evidence from a McDonald's meal found in the stolen vehicle linked him to the crime.
A plea deal — which would have him sentenced to 28 years in prison — had been on the table as early as August 2014. After the Aug. 19, 2016 hearing, Gaxiola was given 30 days to accept the deal. It was rejected.
Gaxiola also completed a restoration to competency program after receiving conflicting diagnoses from both the state and defense's independent psychological evaluations.
During the three-week trial, numerous witnesses took the stand including members of the Cochise County Sheriff's Office.
The victim, Karen Gonzales, of Willcox, was in attendance for most of the trial alongside family members.
During Monday's sentencing hearing, Gonzales turned to Gaxiola and said she had forgiven him, but "how you deal with that with God is up to you."
"If you would've asked for the keys to the car, I would've just given them to you," she said.
Reports of Gaxiola's previous felony convictions out of Idaho — in Cassia and Minidoka counties — along with felony convictions with the U.S. District Court and Maricopa County, were placed into evidence as "aggravating factors" to be considered into his sentence.
With that, Gaxiola was classified as a category 3 offender; those convicted of a felony with two or more prior felonies in their criminal history.
Each count varied in different sentences from 28 to 12 years, to be served consecutively with credit of 1,145 days he has served — except on one count relating to the theft of the National Parks Service vehicle.
His sentence began on Monday after the sentencing.
According to Judge Wallace Hoggatt, he will be housed at the Cochise County Jail until the matter of restitution is solved.
When asked to speak, Gaxiola said he's glad the victim has forgiven him.
"I thank the court for giving me the opportunity to tell my story," he said. "That day was the worst day of my life. I wish I should've done something to make this turn out a different way."
Gaxiola has 20 days to appeal.
Gonzales told the Range News Tuesday, "I am so glad it is over and I can move on. I wanted to tell him (Gaxiola) that I was old enough to be his mom. But I did tell him that he is a dangerous man. If he left me for dead, did he leave anyone else for dead? I told him that I don't hate him. I don't even know him. And then I told him, 'Vaya con Dios' (Go with God). I know he will understand that."
The National Park Service responded to the sentencing Tuesday, April 18, as well.
"The National Park Service extends sincere thanks to all who worked tirelessly to ensure justice for the victim and her family.Special agentsof the NPS Investigative Services Branchcollaborated with detectives of the Cochise County Sheriff's Office on the case, which was prosecuted by the Cochise County Attorney's Office. Other agencies that significantly contributed to the detection, apprehension, and successful prosecution of Gaxiola include the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Arizona Department of Public Safety Laboratory," said a press release by NPS Investigative Services Branch.
"We are hopeful that the conclusion of this trial helps Karen Gonzales and her family find some closure with this tragic incident," Superintendent Allen Etheridge of Chiricahua National Monument said, "and we remain supportive of Karen as she continues to recover from her injuries."
Gonzales thanked all those who helped her through this process, especially, Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels and Sgt. Tal Parker, FBI Victim Specialist Colleen Hansen, Attorney Doyle Johnstun and everyone at the National Park Service.
end
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
AZMEX I3 2-5-17
AZMEX I3 2 MAY 2017
Note: As always, all about supporting illegal immigration.
Thx
Updated May 2, 2017 - 7:38 am
Hundreds take to streets to protest immigration agents at Phoenix jail
BY GRISELDA ZETINO | May 2, 2017 @ 5:09 am
http://ktar.com/story/1554612/hundreds-protest-immigration-agents-fourth-avenue-jail/
Hundreds marched on Monday, calling for federal immigration agents to be removed from the Fourth Avenue Jail. (KTAR Photo/Griselda Nevarez)
PHOENIX — Hundreds of people took the streets of downtown Phoenix on Monday to protest federal immigration agents at the Fourth Avenue Jail.
"We are going to be marching to the Fourth Avenue Jail to tell [Maricopa County Sheriff Paul] Penzone that he needs to remove federal ICE agents from the Fourth Avenue jail so that our communities are not funneled into Trump's deportation machine," said Maria Castro, an organizer with Puente Arizona.
A large crowd first gathered at the Arizona State Capitol and heard from a number of speakers, including some from labor unions and immigrant rights activists. They then marched to the jail on Fourth Avenue and Jefferson Street, carrying signs and chanting phrases such as, "Not one more."
In March, Penzone announced ICE agents would be allowed inside county jails. He also made clear that he would not hold people past their release time solely to wait for ICE to pick them up.
The march in downtown Phoenix was part of the May Day rallies and marches that unfolded across the country on Monday. May 1 has been observed as International Workers Day for more than 100 years.
(For years the main communist holiday. )
It has become a prominent day in the United States when major demonstrations are held across the country to support immigrants.
end
More: ( videos in Spanish )
Note: The shirts read in english - ICE out of AZ
http://www.univision.com/arizona/ktvw/cientos-de-personas-salen-a-las-calles-de-phoenix-a-marchar-por-la-dignidad-de-los-trabajadores-video
http://www.telemundoarizona.com/noticias/local/D_a-de-Acci_n-en-solidaridad-por-inmigrantes_TLMD---Arizona-420969093.html
http://www.univision.com/arizona/ktvw/el-consulado-de-mexico-ofrece-taller-para-ensenar-a-padres-de-familia-a-realizar-poderes-notariales-en-caso-de-deportacion-video?eov=true#eov
end
Note: As always, all about supporting illegal immigration.
Thx
Updated May 2, 2017 - 7:38 am
Hundreds take to streets to protest immigration agents at Phoenix jail
BY GRISELDA ZETINO | May 2, 2017 @ 5:09 am
http://ktar.com/story/1554612/hundreds-protest-immigration-agents-fourth-avenue-jail/
Hundreds marched on Monday, calling for federal immigration agents to be removed from the Fourth Avenue Jail. (KTAR Photo/Griselda Nevarez)
PHOENIX — Hundreds of people took the streets of downtown Phoenix on Monday to protest federal immigration agents at the Fourth Avenue Jail.
"We are going to be marching to the Fourth Avenue Jail to tell [Maricopa County Sheriff Paul] Penzone that he needs to remove federal ICE agents from the Fourth Avenue jail so that our communities are not funneled into Trump's deportation machine," said Maria Castro, an organizer with Puente Arizona.
A large crowd first gathered at the Arizona State Capitol and heard from a number of speakers, including some from labor unions and immigrant rights activists. They then marched to the jail on Fourth Avenue and Jefferson Street, carrying signs and chanting phrases such as, "Not one more."
In March, Penzone announced ICE agents would be allowed inside county jails. He also made clear that he would not hold people past their release time solely to wait for ICE to pick them up.
The march in downtown Phoenix was part of the May Day rallies and marches that unfolded across the country on Monday. May 1 has been observed as International Workers Day for more than 100 years.
(For years the main communist holiday. )
It has become a prominent day in the United States when major demonstrations are held across the country to support immigrants.
end
More: ( videos in Spanish )
Note: The shirts read in english - ICE out of AZ
http://www.univision.com/arizona/ktvw/cientos-de-personas-salen-a-las-calles-de-phoenix-a-marchar-por-la-dignidad-de-los-trabajadores-video
http://www.telemundoarizona.com/noticias/local/D_a-de-Acci_n-en-solidaridad-por-inmigrantes_TLMD---Arizona-420969093.html
http://www.univision.com/arizona/ktvw/el-consulado-de-mexico-ofrece-taller-para-ensenar-a-padres-de-familia-a-realizar-poderes-notariales-en-caso-de-deportacion-video?eov=true#eov
end
Monday, May 1, 2017
AZMEX SPECIAL 30-4-17
AZMEX SPECIAL 30 APR 2017
Note: Your correspondent has been familiar with the area for many years. For a long time only an occasional pile of rocks marked the border. This area on both sides of the AZ / NM line get a lot of smuggling activity. Suggest the proverbial grain of salt with much of this story.
Several photos etc. at link.
Thx
'Land that time forgot'
By Lauren Villagran / Journal Staff Writer
Sunday, April 30th, 2017 at 12:02am
'Land that time forgot'
https://www.abqjournal.com/995691/in-nms-wild-untamed-bootheel-the-array-of-animal-and-plant-life-is-threatened-by-the-proposed-wall.html
CORONADO NATIONAL FOREST – Wildlife biologist Fernando Clemente steers a six-man ATV over a gravel road that cuts through golden grasslands and shrub forest, over the dry beds of rivers that run only after monsoon storms. Mountains in Mexico ring the horizon.
"I understand that homeland security is important for everybody," says Clemente, whose New Mexico Wildlife Services educates ranchers on both sides of the border in range management that benefits wildlife, the desert ecosystem and cattle grazing.
"The problem is," he says, "a wall will stop everything except a person."
a00_jd_30apr_hidalgo-countyWild and unwalled, much of the landscape of New Mexico's Bootheel extends seamlessly into Mexico. Wildlife experts say the Trump administration's promise to build a "big, beautiful wall" on the border poses a special risk to plant and animal life in this region, home to one of the most biologically diverse corridors in North America.
"It is the land that time forgot, right there where the border is," said Garrett VeneKlasen, executive director of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, which represents more than 80,000 sportsmen statewide. "That is one of the most complex and significant wildlife corridors in all of North America. On the border, there are big gaps and holes – thank God – to allow that wildlife movement back and forth."
But the region's security challenges are evident in a sign near a Coronado National Forest entrance cautioning, "Smuggling and illegal immigration may be encountered in this area."
Clemente is driving a group that includes Deming Public Schools assistant superintendent and avid sportsman Ray Trejo; Gabe Vasquez, southern New Mexico coordinator for the Wildlife Federation; and Zen Khan, a Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine student who hopes to practice wilderness medicine.
Clemente is carrying a sidearm for a reason.
The Bootheel is a known route for drug mules trekking north to Interstate 10 with 60-pound sacks of marijuana on their backs. The corridor is also used, less often, by economic migrants entering the country illegally. With only a few rough roads, no cellular service and an understaffed station, the Bootheel has long been a challenging area for Border Patrol.
how would Trump's border wall impact the ecosystem in Southern New Mexico
New Mexico's southwestern corner, known as the Bootheel, is largely undeveloped, allowing for dark skies. Wildlife biologists worry about the impact of a proposed border wall on this pristine area. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal)
President Donald Trump wants to wall along the southern border, he has said, to stop illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
Touting the accomplishments of the first 100 days, the administration said last week in a statement that it has "received hundreds of bids" in response to two requests for proposals, one to build a "solid concrete border wall" and the other for prototypes for a "physically imposing" barrier.
Illegal immigration has dropped by more than 60 percent since January. Noting the decline, Trump said Friday at a National Rifle Association forum, "By the way, we will build the wall no matter how low this number gets, or how this goes."
Trump's proposed budget to Congress asks for $2.6 billion to pay for "tactical infrastructure" on the border, including for technology and money to design and start building the wall. Total estimates for a border wall have ranged from $8 billion to $21 billion.
Wildlife experts say a physical barrier – concrete, steel or otherwise – that cuts this landscape could devastate both plant and animal life by reducing or isolating habitats, blocking migration routes, enabling predation of fragile species and even potentially changing wind patterns, which could alter the ecosystem.
Clemente stops the ATV in a cloud of dust. Riding in the back, Trejo focuses binoculars on a tree in the distance.
"A Coues deer," Trejo says, handing off the binoculars. "Can you see it?"
A subspecies of white-tailed deer, Coues aren't endangered but their habitat is limited to parts of New Mexico and Arizona, stretching into Mexico.
A short list of other endangered, threatened or habitat-constrained species native to this region: bighorn sheep, Gould's turkey, pronghorn antelope, white-sided jackrabbit, ridge-nosed rattlesnake, Baird's sparrow and three species of quail.
Clemente is taking a route through the publicly accessible Coronado National Forest, which runs along the border from the foothills of the Peloncillos in New Mexico to the peaks of the Chiricahuas in Arizona. Beyond the boundaries of the national forest, the southwestern corner of the state is dominated by a patchwork of large family ranches, many of them committed to wildlife conservation, Clemente says.
Jaguars, wolves
how would Trump's border wall impact the ecosystem in Southern New Mexico
From left, Deming Public Schools assistant superintendent and avid sportsman Ray Trejo; wildlife biologist Fernando Clemente; and Gabe Vasquez, southern New Mexico coordinator for the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, as they discuss the effect of the proposed border wall on the environment. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal)
A jaguar and Mexican gray wolf were recently seen in this borderlands region, just over the state line in Arizona. Although neither species has naturally repopulated the New Mexico or Arizona borderlands after near extinction decades ago, reintroduction efforts by the U.S. and Mexican governments have stoked advocates' hopes that the jaguar and wolf populations in Mexico will eventually extend into the U.S. Southwest.
"If we block the border further, and especially if we do complete and total obstacles in these mountainous regions, then that population can't repopulate naturally," said Bryan Bird, Southwest program director for the nonprofit advocacy group Defenders of Wildlife. "We want those animals to migrate up from northern Mexico. These animals want to disperse and need to disperse."
Although many ranchers support wildlife conservation, many also oppose the reintroduction of the Mexican wolf, which has been known to hunt cattle.
In desert ecosystems, wild animals often need wide, open land so they can move where there is water, VeneKlasen said.
"It is so critical in desert ecosystems," he said. "A little localized rain and the desert bighorn need to move out of one mountain range into another. Habitat doesn't hold big numbers of wildlife in any one area."
Pronghorn antelope graze the kind of grasslands that have been fast disappearing in the Chihuahuan Desert. Herds roam the Diamond A Ranch just outside of the Coronado National Forest. Pronghorn can run up to 60 mph for extended periods, making them the fastest long-distance mammal in North America – but they typically won't jump walls or fences.
They prefer flat country where they can see for miles, and they'll steer clear of any barrier that blocks their vision, Clemente says.
The hard-to-spot Mearns quail, with its harlequin-patterned feathers, and the red-headed Gould's turkey also won't approach infrastructure that could put them at disadvantage to predators. They'll avoid fences and sometimes roads, Trejo says. The Gould's turkey's only natural habitat is cornered in New Mexico's Bootheel and parts of northern Mexico.
Advocates say these and many other animals depend on their connection to herds, dens, flocks and families in Mexico for their genetic diversity and long-term survival.
"Most environmental organizations are concerned that we keep these populations genetically united and not fragmented and that we create some passageways that are safe for wildlife, for them to cross the border without creating problems for the Border Patrol," said Diana Hadley, president of the Northern Jaguar Project, a reserve in northern Mexico that supports jaguar habitat. "And that can be done."
'Game-friendly'
As it stands today, the "wall" along the Mexican border refers to a range of infrastructure: barbed-wire ranch fences, low vehicle barriers of crisscrossed steel beams; 18-foot steel columns, wire mesh or panels.
In the Bootheel, the border is mostly divided by barbed-wire ranch fences and low vehicle barriers where the land is flat and no fence at all where mountain ranges rise.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the parent agency of the Border Patrol, has worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on previous border infrastructure projects to develop "environmental best management practices, which are implemented during project design and construction to reduce potential impacts on wildlife," Border Patrol spokesman Ramiro Cordero said in an emailed response to questions.
Cordero points to the design of a "game-friendly" panel that was installed in the crisscrossed vehicle barrier in the Bootheel "to keep cattle from moving north-south but allowing deer and other large ungulates safe unimpeded passage in key movement corridors."
Remote beauty
What worries Clemente, Trejo and Vasquez, is that so few people know the beauty of the remote, rugged Bootheel that there won't be enough voices raised to prevent a wall from being built.
Hidalgo County, which encompasses the southwestern corner of the state, touts a population statistic on its website: more than 3,445 square miles of territory with just 1.4 people per square mile.
The three men call the border home and spend more time in the Bootheel than most: Clemente lives in Sunland Park, Trejo in Deming and Vasquez in Las Cruces. They regularly work, hunt, hike and camp out here.
"People think this is a desert full of trash," Vasquez said. "People who don't live here think of it that way. I tell them, think about a wall going through your favorite place, your favorite forest. What if there was an 18-foot concrete wall going through it? That's what this feels like."
Back at their trucks, the men set up camp under a canopy of tall trees and spend the rest of the evening around a campfire. They talk of hunting, the border, politics.
Later, Trejo says, "There's a whole country of people making decisions about what happens here, and they've never been here."
A gibbous moon rises above the trees. To the east, a meteor falls slowly, leaving a momentary trail of light.
end
Note: Your correspondent has been familiar with the area for many years. For a long time only an occasional pile of rocks marked the border. This area on both sides of the AZ / NM line get a lot of smuggling activity. Suggest the proverbial grain of salt with much of this story.
Several photos etc. at link.
Thx
'Land that time forgot'
By Lauren Villagran / Journal Staff Writer
Sunday, April 30th, 2017 at 12:02am
'Land that time forgot'
https://www.abqjournal.com/995691/in-nms-wild-untamed-bootheel-the-array-of-animal-and-plant-life-is-threatened-by-the-proposed-wall.html
CORONADO NATIONAL FOREST – Wildlife biologist Fernando Clemente steers a six-man ATV over a gravel road that cuts through golden grasslands and shrub forest, over the dry beds of rivers that run only after monsoon storms. Mountains in Mexico ring the horizon.
"I understand that homeland security is important for everybody," says Clemente, whose New Mexico Wildlife Services educates ranchers on both sides of the border in range management that benefits wildlife, the desert ecosystem and cattle grazing.
"The problem is," he says, "a wall will stop everything except a person."
a00_jd_30apr_hidalgo-countyWild and unwalled, much of the landscape of New Mexico's Bootheel extends seamlessly into Mexico. Wildlife experts say the Trump administration's promise to build a "big, beautiful wall" on the border poses a special risk to plant and animal life in this region, home to one of the most biologically diverse corridors in North America.
"It is the land that time forgot, right there where the border is," said Garrett VeneKlasen, executive director of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, which represents more than 80,000 sportsmen statewide. "That is one of the most complex and significant wildlife corridors in all of North America. On the border, there are big gaps and holes – thank God – to allow that wildlife movement back and forth."
But the region's security challenges are evident in a sign near a Coronado National Forest entrance cautioning, "Smuggling and illegal immigration may be encountered in this area."
Clemente is driving a group that includes Deming Public Schools assistant superintendent and avid sportsman Ray Trejo; Gabe Vasquez, southern New Mexico coordinator for the Wildlife Federation; and Zen Khan, a Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine student who hopes to practice wilderness medicine.
Clemente is carrying a sidearm for a reason.
The Bootheel is a known route for drug mules trekking north to Interstate 10 with 60-pound sacks of marijuana on their backs. The corridor is also used, less often, by economic migrants entering the country illegally. With only a few rough roads, no cellular service and an understaffed station, the Bootheel has long been a challenging area for Border Patrol.
how would Trump's border wall impact the ecosystem in Southern New Mexico
New Mexico's southwestern corner, known as the Bootheel, is largely undeveloped, allowing for dark skies. Wildlife biologists worry about the impact of a proposed border wall on this pristine area. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal)
President Donald Trump wants to wall along the southern border, he has said, to stop illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
Touting the accomplishments of the first 100 days, the administration said last week in a statement that it has "received hundreds of bids" in response to two requests for proposals, one to build a "solid concrete border wall" and the other for prototypes for a "physically imposing" barrier.
Illegal immigration has dropped by more than 60 percent since January. Noting the decline, Trump said Friday at a National Rifle Association forum, "By the way, we will build the wall no matter how low this number gets, or how this goes."
Trump's proposed budget to Congress asks for $2.6 billion to pay for "tactical infrastructure" on the border, including for technology and money to design and start building the wall. Total estimates for a border wall have ranged from $8 billion to $21 billion.
Wildlife experts say a physical barrier – concrete, steel or otherwise – that cuts this landscape could devastate both plant and animal life by reducing or isolating habitats, blocking migration routes, enabling predation of fragile species and even potentially changing wind patterns, which could alter the ecosystem.
Clemente stops the ATV in a cloud of dust. Riding in the back, Trejo focuses binoculars on a tree in the distance.
"A Coues deer," Trejo says, handing off the binoculars. "Can you see it?"
A subspecies of white-tailed deer, Coues aren't endangered but their habitat is limited to parts of New Mexico and Arizona, stretching into Mexico.
A short list of other endangered, threatened or habitat-constrained species native to this region: bighorn sheep, Gould's turkey, pronghorn antelope, white-sided jackrabbit, ridge-nosed rattlesnake, Baird's sparrow and three species of quail.
Clemente is taking a route through the publicly accessible Coronado National Forest, which runs along the border from the foothills of the Peloncillos in New Mexico to the peaks of the Chiricahuas in Arizona. Beyond the boundaries of the national forest, the southwestern corner of the state is dominated by a patchwork of large family ranches, many of them committed to wildlife conservation, Clemente says.
Jaguars, wolves
how would Trump's border wall impact the ecosystem in Southern New Mexico
From left, Deming Public Schools assistant superintendent and avid sportsman Ray Trejo; wildlife biologist Fernando Clemente; and Gabe Vasquez, southern New Mexico coordinator for the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, as they discuss the effect of the proposed border wall on the environment. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal)
A jaguar and Mexican gray wolf were recently seen in this borderlands region, just over the state line in Arizona. Although neither species has naturally repopulated the New Mexico or Arizona borderlands after near extinction decades ago, reintroduction efforts by the U.S. and Mexican governments have stoked advocates' hopes that the jaguar and wolf populations in Mexico will eventually extend into the U.S. Southwest.
"If we block the border further, and especially if we do complete and total obstacles in these mountainous regions, then that population can't repopulate naturally," said Bryan Bird, Southwest program director for the nonprofit advocacy group Defenders of Wildlife. "We want those animals to migrate up from northern Mexico. These animals want to disperse and need to disperse."
Although many ranchers support wildlife conservation, many also oppose the reintroduction of the Mexican wolf, which has been known to hunt cattle.
In desert ecosystems, wild animals often need wide, open land so they can move where there is water, VeneKlasen said.
"It is so critical in desert ecosystems," he said. "A little localized rain and the desert bighorn need to move out of one mountain range into another. Habitat doesn't hold big numbers of wildlife in any one area."
Pronghorn antelope graze the kind of grasslands that have been fast disappearing in the Chihuahuan Desert. Herds roam the Diamond A Ranch just outside of the Coronado National Forest. Pronghorn can run up to 60 mph for extended periods, making them the fastest long-distance mammal in North America – but they typically won't jump walls or fences.
They prefer flat country where they can see for miles, and they'll steer clear of any barrier that blocks their vision, Clemente says.
The hard-to-spot Mearns quail, with its harlequin-patterned feathers, and the red-headed Gould's turkey also won't approach infrastructure that could put them at disadvantage to predators. They'll avoid fences and sometimes roads, Trejo says. The Gould's turkey's only natural habitat is cornered in New Mexico's Bootheel and parts of northern Mexico.
Advocates say these and many other animals depend on their connection to herds, dens, flocks and families in Mexico for their genetic diversity and long-term survival.
"Most environmental organizations are concerned that we keep these populations genetically united and not fragmented and that we create some passageways that are safe for wildlife, for them to cross the border without creating problems for the Border Patrol," said Diana Hadley, president of the Northern Jaguar Project, a reserve in northern Mexico that supports jaguar habitat. "And that can be done."
'Game-friendly'
As it stands today, the "wall" along the Mexican border refers to a range of infrastructure: barbed-wire ranch fences, low vehicle barriers of crisscrossed steel beams; 18-foot steel columns, wire mesh or panels.
In the Bootheel, the border is mostly divided by barbed-wire ranch fences and low vehicle barriers where the land is flat and no fence at all where mountain ranges rise.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the parent agency of the Border Patrol, has worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on previous border infrastructure projects to develop "environmental best management practices, which are implemented during project design and construction to reduce potential impacts on wildlife," Border Patrol spokesman Ramiro Cordero said in an emailed response to questions.
Cordero points to the design of a "game-friendly" panel that was installed in the crisscrossed vehicle barrier in the Bootheel "to keep cattle from moving north-south but allowing deer and other large ungulates safe unimpeded passage in key movement corridors."
Remote beauty
What worries Clemente, Trejo and Vasquez, is that so few people know the beauty of the remote, rugged Bootheel that there won't be enough voices raised to prevent a wall from being built.
Hidalgo County, which encompasses the southwestern corner of the state, touts a population statistic on its website: more than 3,445 square miles of territory with just 1.4 people per square mile.
The three men call the border home and spend more time in the Bootheel than most: Clemente lives in Sunland Park, Trejo in Deming and Vasquez in Las Cruces. They regularly work, hunt, hike and camp out here.
"People think this is a desert full of trash," Vasquez said. "People who don't live here think of it that way. I tell them, think about a wall going through your favorite place, your favorite forest. What if there was an 18-foot concrete wall going through it? That's what this feels like."
Back at their trucks, the men set up camp under a canopy of tall trees and spend the rest of the evening around a campfire. They talk of hunting, the border, politics.
Later, Trejo says, "There's a whole country of people making decisions about what happens here, and they've never been here."
A gibbous moon rises above the trees. To the east, a meteor falls slowly, leaving a momentary trail of light.
end
AZMEX I3 30-4-17
AZMEX I3 30 APR 2017
Comment: "the United States must recognize Mexico as a sovereign nation" Should that work both ways?
Thx
Mexico's Government Warns U.S.A. to Not Build Border Walls
by BOB PRICE
28 Apr 2017
Mexico City
http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/04/28/mexicos-government-warns-u-s-not-build-border-walls/
The Mexican foreign secretary called the plan to build walls along the border a "hostile" and "deeply unfriendly" act, and an "aggravating action." He warned that Mexico intends to conduct a fierce legal battle to stop any border walls that violate the rights of Mexicans.
Mexico Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray said building any walls when there are already 600 kilometers of barriers is not only a hostile and deeply unfriendly act, but one that "also is not going to fulfill the objectives that it raises, is not only an aggravating action, but it seems to be frankly a bad idea."
The foreign secretary said Mexico is planning a legal fight, and it has no intention to pay for any border walls or to cooperate with the U.S. in any way on the development of border walls.
"Of course, any kind of financial cooperation or any other way in building the physical barrier between our nations and, of course, an important fundamental limit is not accepting the violation of the human rights of Mexicans in the United States."
Videgaray charged that any border wall "is not part of a bilateral discussion and should not be, Mexicans should not be part of that discussion, we will not collaborate in any way the construction of something that hurts us, Is apparently an absolute waste of resources."
Videgaray made this vow during his appearance before the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Chamber of Deputies in Mexico City this week.
The foreign secretary said that his country had put together "a very significant amount of human resources" to argue that the U.S. is violating international treaties, "starting with the ominous Treaty of Guadalupe in 1948." This was most likely a reference to the 1848 treaty that ended the Mexican-American war and set the Rio Grande as a boundary to Mexico.
He forewarns that Mexico will file lawsuits in the U.S., as well as in international courts of law if there are any violations of a border treaty, environmental treaties, or an international law regulation.
Secretary Videgaray told the Committee on Foreign Relations that Mexico "has been a tireless promoter of openness to the world, to open up to us," for decades. He urged, "we must recognize that we face new circumstances, some of them unpublished and others that are reminiscent of things that happened to the world decades ago."
"Today in the world there are threats to our paradigms of international coexistence that have been in force for decades. It is undeniable that there are outbreaks of isolationist protectionism, outbursts of nationalism that try to close the world and beyond that, from political actors of very diverse origins in different latitudes, question the principle of global integration." In the same speech, he said, "first and foremost as it should be," the United States must recognize Mexico as a sovereign nation.
The Mexican foreign secretary threatened that any attempt to tax remittances from the U.S. would be "a break point in any dialogue on other issues." He called the "flow of foreign exchange" "a fundamental support for many families." "[F]or Mexico, [it] is a non-negotiable issue," he charged.
In his address, Videgaray also vowed that Mexico would "increase significantly the attention to Mexicans abroad." Videgaray explained that the 50 Mexican consulates have assisted and protected 45,290 this year – "more than half were in the immigration field."
There have been 2,400 migrants who have been provided legal representation, and they are representing those who have already been deported.
The foreign secretary said Mexico would never accept a unilateral decision by the United States to send migrants from other countries to Mexico, and the country is waiting to challenge executive orders "regarding the extension of the criteria to allow express deportation." They are "waiting for the first act of implementation, not only the Mexican government but the allied organizations, non-governmental organizations, so that when the first act of application exists, proceed to challenge the general rule," he said. "There is not yet an act of application regarding the criterion of expeditiously deporting someone who has more than 14 days in the country or someone who is beyond 100 kilometers of internment."
The foreign secretary added that any revision to NAFTA must include a dialogue between Mexico, Canada, and the U.S.
END
If you have forgotten:
"Mexico decides who enters our country"
"the decisions of who enters Mexico, are made by Mexico and only Mexico"
Luis Videgaray Caso, Mexican Foreign Minister
10 March, 2017
Comment: "the United States must recognize Mexico as a sovereign nation" Should that work both ways?
Thx
Mexico's Government Warns U.S.A. to Not Build Border Walls
by BOB PRICE
28 Apr 2017
Mexico City
http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/04/28/mexicos-government-warns-u-s-not-build-border-walls/
The Mexican foreign secretary called the plan to build walls along the border a "hostile" and "deeply unfriendly" act, and an "aggravating action." He warned that Mexico intends to conduct a fierce legal battle to stop any border walls that violate the rights of Mexicans.
Mexico Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray said building any walls when there are already 600 kilometers of barriers is not only a hostile and deeply unfriendly act, but one that "also is not going to fulfill the objectives that it raises, is not only an aggravating action, but it seems to be frankly a bad idea."
The foreign secretary said Mexico is planning a legal fight, and it has no intention to pay for any border walls or to cooperate with the U.S. in any way on the development of border walls.
"Of course, any kind of financial cooperation or any other way in building the physical barrier between our nations and, of course, an important fundamental limit is not accepting the violation of the human rights of Mexicans in the United States."
Videgaray charged that any border wall "is not part of a bilateral discussion and should not be, Mexicans should not be part of that discussion, we will not collaborate in any way the construction of something that hurts us, Is apparently an absolute waste of resources."
Videgaray made this vow during his appearance before the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Chamber of Deputies in Mexico City this week.
The foreign secretary said that his country had put together "a very significant amount of human resources" to argue that the U.S. is violating international treaties, "starting with the ominous Treaty of Guadalupe in 1948." This was most likely a reference to the 1848 treaty that ended the Mexican-American war and set the Rio Grande as a boundary to Mexico.
He forewarns that Mexico will file lawsuits in the U.S., as well as in international courts of law if there are any violations of a border treaty, environmental treaties, or an international law regulation.
Secretary Videgaray told the Committee on Foreign Relations that Mexico "has been a tireless promoter of openness to the world, to open up to us," for decades. He urged, "we must recognize that we face new circumstances, some of them unpublished and others that are reminiscent of things that happened to the world decades ago."
"Today in the world there are threats to our paradigms of international coexistence that have been in force for decades. It is undeniable that there are outbreaks of isolationist protectionism, outbursts of nationalism that try to close the world and beyond that, from political actors of very diverse origins in different latitudes, question the principle of global integration." In the same speech, he said, "first and foremost as it should be," the United States must recognize Mexico as a sovereign nation.
The Mexican foreign secretary threatened that any attempt to tax remittances from the U.S. would be "a break point in any dialogue on other issues." He called the "flow of foreign exchange" "a fundamental support for many families." "[F]or Mexico, [it] is a non-negotiable issue," he charged.
In his address, Videgaray also vowed that Mexico would "increase significantly the attention to Mexicans abroad." Videgaray explained that the 50 Mexican consulates have assisted and protected 45,290 this year – "more than half were in the immigration field."
There have been 2,400 migrants who have been provided legal representation, and they are representing those who have already been deported.
The foreign secretary said Mexico would never accept a unilateral decision by the United States to send migrants from other countries to Mexico, and the country is waiting to challenge executive orders "regarding the extension of the criteria to allow express deportation." They are "waiting for the first act of implementation, not only the Mexican government but the allied organizations, non-governmental organizations, so that when the first act of application exists, proceed to challenge the general rule," he said. "There is not yet an act of application regarding the criterion of expeditiously deporting someone who has more than 14 days in the country or someone who is beyond 100 kilometers of internment."
The foreign secretary added that any revision to NAFTA must include a dialogue between Mexico, Canada, and the U.S.
END
If you have forgotten:
"Mexico decides who enters our country"
"the decisions of who enters Mexico, are made by Mexico and only Mexico"
Luis Videgaray Caso, Mexican Foreign Minister
10 March, 2017
AZMEX SPECIAL 28-4-17
AZMEX SPECIAL 28 APR 2017
Note: Some still trying to instill fear among legal residents. Prepare for a Monday inbox deluge.
thx
Rush to citizenship in southern Arizona
Friday, April 28th 2017, 12:02 pm MST
By Angelica Carrillo, Multimedia Journalist
http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/35277699/rush-to-citizenship-in-southern-arizona
TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) -
Many in southern Arizona are rushing to become U.S. Citizens after stricter requirements were put in place to make it possible.
There are a lot of people living in the U.S. with a resident alien status or green card.
After the Trump took office, the process to gain citizenship became lengthier.
Now, many people want to make their citizenship official to have more rights.
One of those people is Liza Navarro.
More than a decade ago she and her mom fled a domestic violence situation in Mexico.
Now, Navarro, her mom and her son are all in the process of becoming U.S. citizens.
She said it's something that's always been in the back of her mind, but she's done putting it off.
"I felt really comfortable, but not anymore," Navarro said. "I don't know if tomorrow residents won't be able to be in the United States. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. That's the problem."
And she's not alone.
Mi Familia Vota has been hosting citizenship forums around Arizona to answer questions, concerns and help people get the process started. The group said 160 people showed up to the last forum in Tucson.
"Before, when you submitted an application for citizenship, it was between 4 and 7 months and right now it's at 7 to 9 months or even up to a year so that they can get the interview or so they can get their citizenship certificate," said Nadia Acuña with Mi Familia Vota.
There's a citizenship forum happening on Saturday, April 29, at the Mexican consulate at 3915 E. Broadway Blvd. in Tucson. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., immigration lawyers will be there to answer questions and check applications to make sure everything is in order.
For more information or to make an appointment call 520-449-8412
END
Note: Some still trying to instill fear among legal residents. Prepare for a Monday inbox deluge.
thx
Rush to citizenship in southern Arizona
Friday, April 28th 2017, 12:02 pm MST
By Angelica Carrillo, Multimedia Journalist
http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/35277699/rush-to-citizenship-in-southern-arizona
TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) -
Many in southern Arizona are rushing to become U.S. Citizens after stricter requirements were put in place to make it possible.
There are a lot of people living in the U.S. with a resident alien status or green card.
After the Trump took office, the process to gain citizenship became lengthier.
Now, many people want to make their citizenship official to have more rights.
One of those people is Liza Navarro.
More than a decade ago she and her mom fled a domestic violence situation in Mexico.
Now, Navarro, her mom and her son are all in the process of becoming U.S. citizens.
She said it's something that's always been in the back of her mind, but she's done putting it off.
"I felt really comfortable, but not anymore," Navarro said. "I don't know if tomorrow residents won't be able to be in the United States. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. That's the problem."
And she's not alone.
Mi Familia Vota has been hosting citizenship forums around Arizona to answer questions, concerns and help people get the process started. The group said 160 people showed up to the last forum in Tucson.
"Before, when you submitted an application for citizenship, it was between 4 and 7 months and right now it's at 7 to 9 months or even up to a year so that they can get the interview or so they can get their citizenship certificate," said Nadia Acuña with Mi Familia Vota.
There's a citizenship forum happening on Saturday, April 29, at the Mexican consulate at 3915 E. Broadway Blvd. in Tucson. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., immigration lawyers will be there to answer questions and check applications to make sure everything is in order.
For more information or to make an appointment call 520-449-8412
END
AZMEX UPDATE 28-4-17
AZMEX UPDATE 28 APR 2017
Note: The necessary chemicals usually come from our friends in China.
Look up the Opium Wars.
thx
Man arrested at border trying to smuggle fentanyl
Posted: Apr 29, 2017 12:07 PM MST
Updated: Apr 29, 2017 12:20 PM MST
By News Staff
http://www.cbs5az.com/story/35284678/man-arrested-at-border-trying-to-smuggle-fentanyl?autostart=true
NOGALES, MEXICO (3TV/CBS 5) -
Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Nogales arrested a 28-year-old Mexican man Wednesday for attempting to smuggle 23 pounds of fentanyl.
Officers at the Dennis DeConcini crossing referred the man for a secondary inspection of his Chevy SUV as he attempted to enter through the SENTRI lane. A CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted to the vehicle's dashboard area, where officers found the drugs behind the radio. The drugs are estimated to be worth approximately $378,000.
According to information posted on DEA.gov, Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid, prescribed for severe chronic pain, or breakthrough pain, to patients who are already receiving opioid medication. It is considered to be about 100 times more potent than morphine.
CBP officers seized the drugs, and turned the subject over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.
end
NPD finds $173K in impounded vehicle
Nogales International Apr 28, 2017 Updated 16 hrs ago
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/npd-finds-k-in-impounded-vehicle/article_12c2bac6-2c6c-11e7-8061-b33702a82211.html
Nogales police officers found roughly $173,000 hidden in a shoe box found inside a Nissan pickup on Thursday, April 27.
Several packages containing roughly $173,000 were found wrapped in tape and hidden inside a shoe box.
Yanin Lorena Pintado
Booking photo
NPD cash seizure
Photo courtesy Nogales Police Department
Officers with the Nogales Police Department seized roughly $173,000 this week after finding the money stashed in a box inside a pickup that had been impounded.
At about 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 27, an NPD transit officer pulled over a red 1992 Nissan pickup on southbound Interstate 19 near Kilometer 4 for two equipment violations, the department said in a news release.
After making contact with the adult female driver and running a record's check, it was revealed that the woman was driving on a suspended driver's license. The driver, 31-year-old Yanin Lorena Pintado of Rio Rico, was issued a citation and the vehicle was impounded for 30 days per Arizona state statutes.
While taking an inventory of the vehicle, which the department said is standard procedure when impounding a car, officers found a shoe box in the front passenger area containing small packages wrapped in tape. The packages contained large amounts of cash totaling $173,025.
"The manner in which the money was discovered indicated to officers it could be proceeds from illicit criminal activity," NPD said.
Pintado was subsequently arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of money laundering and driving with a suspended license. The report was referred to the Santa Cruz County Attorney's Office for prosecution, the department said.
end
Surprise inspection of police officers
Details Posted on Friday April 28, 2017,
Written by Editor / El Diario
Http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=88973
Nogales (Son.)
Officials from the National Defense Department commissioned to the 45th Military Zone in Nogales carried out a surprise review in the Southern Zone of the Municipal Police of this border city.
It was around 08:00 a.m., when military personnel arrived at the subdelegation to review each of their carry license and their weapons, the result of the operation has not been disclosed, it is worth mentioning that during The review no one was not allowed to leave.
END
Nogales police officers are disarmed
Apr 28 2017 - 11:16 am. Nogales, Sonora
Http://tribuna.com.mx/nota.php?n=35298
Sedena (Mexican Army) went to C-4 and disarmed the police.
The police are waiting for this problem to be resolved.
Pedro Vega
Nogales, Sonora .- Staff of the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena) disarmed the agents of the Municipal Police of the border town of Nogales, Sonora.
According to the data provided, the cause was the shooting of a person at the hands of an element of Security when he was caught in the middle of a burglary inside a beer sales outlet.
Susana Padilla, of the Board of Honor and Justice, said that inspection is what the army does.
She informed that it is a inspection of the state of the armament of Public Security, something that is done twice a year
"It's like an audit, they make reviews, they make observations, and tell you what to correct."
END
Note: The necessary chemicals usually come from our friends in China.
Look up the Opium Wars.
thx
Man arrested at border trying to smuggle fentanyl
Posted: Apr 29, 2017 12:07 PM MST
Updated: Apr 29, 2017 12:20 PM MST
By News Staff
http://www.cbs5az.com/story/35284678/man-arrested-at-border-trying-to-smuggle-fentanyl?autostart=true
NOGALES, MEXICO (3TV/CBS 5) -
Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Nogales arrested a 28-year-old Mexican man Wednesday for attempting to smuggle 23 pounds of fentanyl.
Officers at the Dennis DeConcini crossing referred the man for a secondary inspection of his Chevy SUV as he attempted to enter through the SENTRI lane. A CBP narcotics-detection canine alerted to the vehicle's dashboard area, where officers found the drugs behind the radio. The drugs are estimated to be worth approximately $378,000.
According to information posted on DEA.gov, Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid, prescribed for severe chronic pain, or breakthrough pain, to patients who are already receiving opioid medication. It is considered to be about 100 times more potent than morphine.
CBP officers seized the drugs, and turned the subject over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.
end
NPD finds $173K in impounded vehicle
Nogales International Apr 28, 2017 Updated 16 hrs ago
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/npd-finds-k-in-impounded-vehicle/article_12c2bac6-2c6c-11e7-8061-b33702a82211.html
Nogales police officers found roughly $173,000 hidden in a shoe box found inside a Nissan pickup on Thursday, April 27.
Several packages containing roughly $173,000 were found wrapped in tape and hidden inside a shoe box.
Yanin Lorena Pintado
Booking photo
NPD cash seizure
Photo courtesy Nogales Police Department
Officers with the Nogales Police Department seized roughly $173,000 this week after finding the money stashed in a box inside a pickup that had been impounded.
At about 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 27, an NPD transit officer pulled over a red 1992 Nissan pickup on southbound Interstate 19 near Kilometer 4 for two equipment violations, the department said in a news release.
After making contact with the adult female driver and running a record's check, it was revealed that the woman was driving on a suspended driver's license. The driver, 31-year-old Yanin Lorena Pintado of Rio Rico, was issued a citation and the vehicle was impounded for 30 days per Arizona state statutes.
While taking an inventory of the vehicle, which the department said is standard procedure when impounding a car, officers found a shoe box in the front passenger area containing small packages wrapped in tape. The packages contained large amounts of cash totaling $173,025.
"The manner in which the money was discovered indicated to officers it could be proceeds from illicit criminal activity," NPD said.
Pintado was subsequently arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of money laundering and driving with a suspended license. The report was referred to the Santa Cruz County Attorney's Office for prosecution, the department said.
end
Surprise inspection of police officers
Details Posted on Friday April 28, 2017,
Written by Editor / El Diario
Http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=88973
Nogales (Son.)
Officials from the National Defense Department commissioned to the 45th Military Zone in Nogales carried out a surprise review in the Southern Zone of the Municipal Police of this border city.
It was around 08:00 a.m., when military personnel arrived at the subdelegation to review each of their carry license and their weapons, the result of the operation has not been disclosed, it is worth mentioning that during The review no one was not allowed to leave.
END
Nogales police officers are disarmed
Apr 28 2017 - 11:16 am. Nogales, Sonora
Http://tribuna.com.mx/nota.php?n=35298
Sedena (Mexican Army) went to C-4 and disarmed the police.
The police are waiting for this problem to be resolved.
Pedro Vega
Nogales, Sonora .- Staff of the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena) disarmed the agents of the Municipal Police of the border town of Nogales, Sonora.
According to the data provided, the cause was the shooting of a person at the hands of an element of Security when he was caught in the middle of a burglary inside a beer sales outlet.
Susana Padilla, of the Board of Honor and Justice, said that inspection is what the army does.
She informed that it is a inspection of the state of the armament of Public Security, something that is done twice a year
"It's like an audit, they make reviews, they make observations, and tell you what to correct."
END
Thursday, April 27, 2017
AZMEX UPDATE 26-4-17
AZMEX UPDATE 26 APR 2017
Note: from our friends at Borderland Beat www.borderlandbeat.com
Map, etc. at link.
Another option not mentioned is legal consequences (jail) for the dopers, besides addiction.
Gracias
From the Sinaloa truce, to the empowerment of the CJNG
Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Zetatijuana article
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2017/04/from-sinaloa-truce-to-empowerment-of.html#more
Subject Matter: Sinaloa Cartel, CJNG
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required
In the study of the project Justice in Mexico at the University of San Diego, the struggle between the CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel has been analyzed, for control of the zones and routes for narco trafficking has led to a 20% increase in homicides in 2016. Augmented by the poor socio-economic conditions in Mexico and the heroin epidemic in the United States, investigators urge that the drugs problem is a problem of public health.
Reporter: Ines Garcia Ramos
The dispute for the territory controlled by Joaquin "El Chapo Guzman" against the CJNG in alliance with other organizations against the Sinaloa Cartel in different regions of Mexico, is one of the causes for the rise in homicides in the last few years.
David Shirk, Director of the program Justice in Mexico, spoke with Zeta about this and other announcements in the annual report "Violence and narco trafficking in Mexico", after his presentation in the University of San Diego.
Justice in Mexico started in 2001 as an investigative initiative to study the systems of justice in Mexico. Since then it has evolved into a study of public politics that could reduce the levels of crimes and violence.
The analysis carried out by Shirk with two investigators of the program, Octavio Rodriguez Ferreria and Kimberly Heinle, reviewed data bases corresponding to 2016 to explain the augmentation in crime levels and in particular homicides.
"We observed a substantive increase of almost 20% in homicides over the whole country, in areas linked to narco trafficking, for example, in Tijuana and the Pacific Coast.", detailed the Professor from the University of San Diego.
For the investigator, the second detention of "El Chapo", in January of 2016, fired up the level of violence, in the plazas that are controlled by narco traffickers, with disputes.
"There are reports that indicate that members of his cartel and that of the CJNG are starting to contest these spaces and routes for narco trafficking."
There the emphasis of the study is on the failed strategy that was started by the Mexican Government to debilitate the Cartels, to decapitate its principal leaders, as occurred with El Chapo, Osiel Cardenas and Benjamin Arellano Felix.
"The result was a grave conflict between different organizations intent on taking plazas, expressed Shirk from the Croc Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego.
The prognostics of Shirk detected, in the data bases, interviews with functionaries, monitoring of newspapers, and the interchange of information with other organizations that" we believe that the wave of violence will continue until these criminal groups establish and equilibrium, or a monopoly or a pact."
The specialist included about public security in Mexico that, "we are not ruling out that an alliance between the Sinaloa Cartel and the CJNG, could implicate a significant reduction in the violence."
CJNG the new "Chapos"
In 2010, after the arrests of Benjamin Arellano Felix, Osiel Cardenas, Vincente Carrillo Fuentes and the execution of Arturo Beltran Leyva, the Sinaloa Cartel consolidated their criminal organization to obtain major control of narco trafficking operations in the whole of Mexico as well as the United States.
This, explains the study, provoked the violence that descended gradually in the period known as the Sinaloa truce, or the Sinaloa peace, this explains why Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez at the lowest levels of homicide between 2011 and 2014.
This stage doesn't only implicate a fortified position of the organization led by El Chapo Guzman and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, but also its implicit pacts or explicit pacts with functionaries to continue control of its plazas.
However, with the first recapture of El Chapo Guzman, in February of 2014, there was an observed change in respect of the homicides in some zones of control, among them, Tijuana.
For the Doctor, David Shirk, the second detention of the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, occurred in January of 2016, after he fled from the maximum security "Altiplano" prison in 2015, as well as when he was transferred to the Ciudad Juarez prison, in May of 2016, debilitated the stature of the capo. This provoked strong confrontations in the Pacific Coast territories.
This was because after his arrest, members of the Sinaloa Cartel were able to ally themselves with the BLO and the CJNG. Although the CJNG is based in Jalisco, it has a presence in Baja California, Chihuahua, Colima, Michoacan, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Guerrero, Morelos, Veracruz and Mexico City.
The organization led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, El Mencho, details the study, will continue to consolidate in the future. Their alliances, for example, with the remnants of the CAF in Tijauana and the Juarez Cartel in Chihuahua, have demonstrated their capacity for strength and financing, which gives them the possibility to position themselves as the new "Chapos", says the expert.
The government is not controlling the violence
The report not only takes into account the dynamics of the black market and the strategies, but the actions and reactions of the cartels during their expansions and or defense of territories, as triggering the violence in Mexico.
In one of its sections, the researchers analyze the socio-economic factors that coincided in 2016, the second year in which the number of intentional homicides in the country rose.
These include the devaluation of the pesos, the stagnation of economic growth, the few job and educational opportunities, uncertainty and financial instability and the terrible levels of approval of the President of the Republic, Enrique Pena Nieto.
In 2016, the report indicates that the five states with the highest number of intentional homicides are Guerrero with 2,123, State of Mexico with 2053, Michoacan with 1887, Veracruz with 1258, and Colima with 1232. They were followed by Baja California with 1179 and Sinaloa with 1110 and Jalisco with 1500.
It highlights how that year, with 871 Felony homicides, Tijuana had the third highest number in the last ten years, with 871. While from January 1st to April 20th of 2017, there were 417 executions the highest number in the last ten years in this period.
In conclusion, the report stresses that " the effort to improve public security in Mexico is not accurate and simple, since even the reduction in violence seen in previous years ( 2012 - 2014 ) can not be directly attributed to compliance with the law."
As part of public policies to reduce violence, the program raises not only the training and professionalization of police corporations, but also work on accountability as the basis for the justice system.
The heroin epidemic and the legalization debate
According to the study, 591,000 people over the age of 12 acknowledged having used heroin in the United States during 2015, this triggered 12,990 deaths from overdoses of this drug.
The dramatic increase, the researchers explain, is related to two reasons. On the one hand, more doctors prescribe opiates to reduce pain in patients, and on the other hand, the production of heroin by cartels in Mexico.
Since these cartels do not have capacity in the production chains as broad as those of their predecessors in South America, " for a few organizations like the CJNG, it is much easier to enter the heroin market as Mexico cannot produce enough", says Shirk.
The solution, he says, is not to fight the Cartels from the Government, since with the large amounts of money in the hands of criminals like El Mayo and El Mencho, it is impossible to prevent Governmental collusion with narcos to provide them with protection.
"The key is to reduce the amount of money the organizations can generate, and the best way to do it is to stop using drugs in the United States or legalize them", he said.
Since the Merida initiative was strengthened in 2008, the United States has provided 2.6 billion dollars in support of public safety institutions in Mexico to combat drugs. However, the specialist says; "We have to have a conversation between Mexico, the United States and other countries that suffer from this endless war on drugs to identify a strategy that turns what has been treated as public security problem, as a problem of Public Health".
Seven of the 59 entities that make up the American Union have already legalized the use of marijuana, but Shirk indicates that this drug only makes up 20% of the drugs trafficked from Mexico.
For the researcher, the solution must cover other factors such as the conditions that lead to the consumption of these drugs, especially in the North and Centre of the Country, and appoint it as a public health policy.
We have to think of broader solutions than sending cops to stop people who sell drugs. It is now a solution too simplified as we have seen over the last 50 years, that it has not worked and how Mexico pays the price of the consumption of these drugs in the United States, Its just not fair.
Original article in Spanish at Zetatijuana
end
Also: http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/04/25/ranchers-fire-back-after-nancy-pelosi-calls-border-wall-immortal-unwise
Note: from our friends at Borderland Beat www.borderlandbeat.com
Map, etc. at link.
Another option not mentioned is legal consequences (jail) for the dopers, besides addiction.
Gracias
From the Sinaloa truce, to the empowerment of the CJNG
Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Zetatijuana article
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2017/04/from-sinaloa-truce-to-empowerment-of.html#more
Subject Matter: Sinaloa Cartel, CJNG
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required
In the study of the project Justice in Mexico at the University of San Diego, the struggle between the CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel has been analyzed, for control of the zones and routes for narco trafficking has led to a 20% increase in homicides in 2016. Augmented by the poor socio-economic conditions in Mexico and the heroin epidemic in the United States, investigators urge that the drugs problem is a problem of public health.
Reporter: Ines Garcia Ramos
The dispute for the territory controlled by Joaquin "El Chapo Guzman" against the CJNG in alliance with other organizations against the Sinaloa Cartel in different regions of Mexico, is one of the causes for the rise in homicides in the last few years.
David Shirk, Director of the program Justice in Mexico, spoke with Zeta about this and other announcements in the annual report "Violence and narco trafficking in Mexico", after his presentation in the University of San Diego.
Justice in Mexico started in 2001 as an investigative initiative to study the systems of justice in Mexico. Since then it has evolved into a study of public politics that could reduce the levels of crimes and violence.
The analysis carried out by Shirk with two investigators of the program, Octavio Rodriguez Ferreria and Kimberly Heinle, reviewed data bases corresponding to 2016 to explain the augmentation in crime levels and in particular homicides.
"We observed a substantive increase of almost 20% in homicides over the whole country, in areas linked to narco trafficking, for example, in Tijuana and the Pacific Coast.", detailed the Professor from the University of San Diego.
For the investigator, the second detention of "El Chapo", in January of 2016, fired up the level of violence, in the plazas that are controlled by narco traffickers, with disputes.
"There are reports that indicate that members of his cartel and that of the CJNG are starting to contest these spaces and routes for narco trafficking."
There the emphasis of the study is on the failed strategy that was started by the Mexican Government to debilitate the Cartels, to decapitate its principal leaders, as occurred with El Chapo, Osiel Cardenas and Benjamin Arellano Felix.
"The result was a grave conflict between different organizations intent on taking plazas, expressed Shirk from the Croc Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego.
The prognostics of Shirk detected, in the data bases, interviews with functionaries, monitoring of newspapers, and the interchange of information with other organizations that" we believe that the wave of violence will continue until these criminal groups establish and equilibrium, or a monopoly or a pact."
The specialist included about public security in Mexico that, "we are not ruling out that an alliance between the Sinaloa Cartel and the CJNG, could implicate a significant reduction in the violence."
CJNG the new "Chapos"
In 2010, after the arrests of Benjamin Arellano Felix, Osiel Cardenas, Vincente Carrillo Fuentes and the execution of Arturo Beltran Leyva, the Sinaloa Cartel consolidated their criminal organization to obtain major control of narco trafficking operations in the whole of Mexico as well as the United States.
This, explains the study, provoked the violence that descended gradually in the period known as the Sinaloa truce, or the Sinaloa peace, this explains why Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez at the lowest levels of homicide between 2011 and 2014.
This stage doesn't only implicate a fortified position of the organization led by El Chapo Guzman and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, but also its implicit pacts or explicit pacts with functionaries to continue control of its plazas.
However, with the first recapture of El Chapo Guzman, in February of 2014, there was an observed change in respect of the homicides in some zones of control, among them, Tijuana.
For the Doctor, David Shirk, the second detention of the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, occurred in January of 2016, after he fled from the maximum security "Altiplano" prison in 2015, as well as when he was transferred to the Ciudad Juarez prison, in May of 2016, debilitated the stature of the capo. This provoked strong confrontations in the Pacific Coast territories.
This was because after his arrest, members of the Sinaloa Cartel were able to ally themselves with the BLO and the CJNG. Although the CJNG is based in Jalisco, it has a presence in Baja California, Chihuahua, Colima, Michoacan, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Guerrero, Morelos, Veracruz and Mexico City.
The organization led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, El Mencho, details the study, will continue to consolidate in the future. Their alliances, for example, with the remnants of the CAF in Tijauana and the Juarez Cartel in Chihuahua, have demonstrated their capacity for strength and financing, which gives them the possibility to position themselves as the new "Chapos", says the expert.
The government is not controlling the violence
The report not only takes into account the dynamics of the black market and the strategies, but the actions and reactions of the cartels during their expansions and or defense of territories, as triggering the violence in Mexico.
In one of its sections, the researchers analyze the socio-economic factors that coincided in 2016, the second year in which the number of intentional homicides in the country rose.
These include the devaluation of the pesos, the stagnation of economic growth, the few job and educational opportunities, uncertainty and financial instability and the terrible levels of approval of the President of the Republic, Enrique Pena Nieto.
In 2016, the report indicates that the five states with the highest number of intentional homicides are Guerrero with 2,123, State of Mexico with 2053, Michoacan with 1887, Veracruz with 1258, and Colima with 1232. They were followed by Baja California with 1179 and Sinaloa with 1110 and Jalisco with 1500.
It highlights how that year, with 871 Felony homicides, Tijuana had the third highest number in the last ten years, with 871. While from January 1st to April 20th of 2017, there were 417 executions the highest number in the last ten years in this period.
In conclusion, the report stresses that " the effort to improve public security in Mexico is not accurate and simple, since even the reduction in violence seen in previous years ( 2012 - 2014 ) can not be directly attributed to compliance with the law."
As part of public policies to reduce violence, the program raises not only the training and professionalization of police corporations, but also work on accountability as the basis for the justice system.
The heroin epidemic and the legalization debate
According to the study, 591,000 people over the age of 12 acknowledged having used heroin in the United States during 2015, this triggered 12,990 deaths from overdoses of this drug.
The dramatic increase, the researchers explain, is related to two reasons. On the one hand, more doctors prescribe opiates to reduce pain in patients, and on the other hand, the production of heroin by cartels in Mexico.
Since these cartels do not have capacity in the production chains as broad as those of their predecessors in South America, " for a few organizations like the CJNG, it is much easier to enter the heroin market as Mexico cannot produce enough", says Shirk.
The solution, he says, is not to fight the Cartels from the Government, since with the large amounts of money in the hands of criminals like El Mayo and El Mencho, it is impossible to prevent Governmental collusion with narcos to provide them with protection.
"The key is to reduce the amount of money the organizations can generate, and the best way to do it is to stop using drugs in the United States or legalize them", he said.
Since the Merida initiative was strengthened in 2008, the United States has provided 2.6 billion dollars in support of public safety institutions in Mexico to combat drugs. However, the specialist says; "We have to have a conversation between Mexico, the United States and other countries that suffer from this endless war on drugs to identify a strategy that turns what has been treated as public security problem, as a problem of Public Health".
Seven of the 59 entities that make up the American Union have already legalized the use of marijuana, but Shirk indicates that this drug only makes up 20% of the drugs trafficked from Mexico.
For the researcher, the solution must cover other factors such as the conditions that lead to the consumption of these drugs, especially in the North and Centre of the Country, and appoint it as a public health policy.
We have to think of broader solutions than sending cops to stop people who sell drugs. It is now a solution too simplified as we have seen over the last 50 years, that it has not worked and how Mexico pays the price of the consumption of these drugs in the United States, Its just not fair.
Original article in Spanish at Zetatijuana
end
Also: http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/04/25/ranchers-fire-back-after-nancy-pelosi-calls-border-wall-immortal-unwise
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
AZMEX POLICY 26-4-17
AZMEX POLICY 26 APR 2017
Mexico talks tough on Trump with NAFTA talks looming
By Frank Jack Daniel | MEXICO CITY
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-politics-idUSKBN17R2CD?il=0
Mexico's government on Tuesday said it would fight any measures in a U.S. tax overhaul that broke international trade rules, and threatened to review cross-border cooperation on migration and security if upcoming negotiations founder.
Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said Mexico was watching to see if plans by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to shake up taxation included a levy on remittances sent home by Mexican workers or the imposition of tariffs on Mexican goods.
"If they are put forward, we'll have to act with absolute firmness, using all the political, diplomatic and obviously legal means at our disposal," he told a session of the foreign relations committee of the lower house of Congress.
Trump has vowed to pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that underpins the bulk of Mexican exports if he cannot rework it in his homeland's favor, and talks between the signatories - Mexico, the United States and Canada - on modernizing the accord are expected to start later this summer.
Regional trade tensions picked up this week, with the Trump administration on Monday announcing a 20 percent duty on Canadian softwood lumber in retaliation for what it sees as unfair restrictions on dairy exports.
And on Tuesday, the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled that Mexico could take retaliatory trade measures against the United States in a dispute over tuna fishing.
Mexico has said it wants to put "all the issues" on the table, including security, migration and trade in negotiations with the United States.
Videgaray said existing security agreements were not under threat, at least for now, adding that Mexico would not be signing any additional pacts.
"What we're not prepared to do is increase or create new systems of coordination, and if negotiation on other issues - migrants, border, trade - is not to Mexico's satisfaction, we'll have to review our current cooperation," he said.
Lawmakers questioned Videgaray extensively about his policy toward the administration of Trump, who has caused deep anger in Mexico with his plans to build a southern border wall to keep out illegal immigrants and his threats to restrict trade.
Videgaray said his government considered the building of the wall a "hostile" act and repeated it would contribute nothing toward it. Trump says Mexico will ultimately pay for the wall.
The foreign minister said Mexico regarded remittances, which Trump had threatened to go after to pay for the wall, as non-negotiable, saying they could prove a "breaking point" issue in any dialogue that encompassed other matters.
Videgaray said any tax on Mexican-made imports by Trump was a "bad idea" that would only end up hurting U.S. consumers.
"However, these types of measures would obviously be against not just the North American accords but particularly the rules of the World Trade Organization, and so we would have the legal means to act against them," he said.
(Additional reporting by Gabriel Stargardter and Adriana Barrera; editing by Dave Graham and Phil Berlowitz)
http://www.excelsior.com.mx/nacional/2017/04/25/1159692
Note: unlike many cities and states in the US, Mexico has little tolerance for unorganized vote fraud.
gracias
INE and institutions go after false credentials
Details Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2017,
Written by Editor / El Diario
Http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=88873
Hermosillo
The National Electoral Institute (INE) asserted that the identity thefts that are not with credentials that have been generated by the INE and correspond to false documents, why it is institutions can identify the veracity of those cards.
Olga Alicia Castro Ramírez explained that for election matters, those with a real credential are on the nominal list and those who arrive and do not appear on that list will be forced to remain without the credential and will be denounced.
"Agreements have been concluded with them so that they can verify the identity of their users of services through our database, then that is one of several mechanisms," said the Vocal Executive of the Local Board in Sonora.
She said that in recent years and thanks to the technology they have to detect false id's, many complaints have been made to the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Electoral Crimes (Fepade) and have issued the corresponding arrest warrants.
Castro Ramirez commented that Sonora has seen cases of identification of people who try to obtain a credential with false information, with a program that is already permanent and that when the applicants present themselves in the modules, a cross reference of information is done in and in several Cases it turns out that they have credentials in other states.
"The person is personally sought in the two states to know what the real process is or what the real data is, and even the one that is not real is dropped and also the complaint is filed so that the corresponding criminal authority in This case the Fepade, if they did it in a deliberate way, with false documents, "he explained.
In the case of minors who have false voter credentials to enter bars and are discovered by security personnel, he said that INE expects that the complaint will be lodged by the Directorate General of Alcoholic Beverages or the owners of those Centers of diversion. (Bars)
END
Mexico talks tough on Trump with NAFTA talks looming
By Frank Jack Daniel | MEXICO CITY
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-politics-idUSKBN17R2CD?il=0
Mexico's government on Tuesday said it would fight any measures in a U.S. tax overhaul that broke international trade rules, and threatened to review cross-border cooperation on migration and security if upcoming negotiations founder.
Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said Mexico was watching to see if plans by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to shake up taxation included a levy on remittances sent home by Mexican workers or the imposition of tariffs on Mexican goods.
"If they are put forward, we'll have to act with absolute firmness, using all the political, diplomatic and obviously legal means at our disposal," he told a session of the foreign relations committee of the lower house of Congress.
Trump has vowed to pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that underpins the bulk of Mexican exports if he cannot rework it in his homeland's favor, and talks between the signatories - Mexico, the United States and Canada - on modernizing the accord are expected to start later this summer.
Regional trade tensions picked up this week, with the Trump administration on Monday announcing a 20 percent duty on Canadian softwood lumber in retaliation for what it sees as unfair restrictions on dairy exports.
And on Tuesday, the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled that Mexico could take retaliatory trade measures against the United States in a dispute over tuna fishing.
Mexico has said it wants to put "all the issues" on the table, including security, migration and trade in negotiations with the United States.
Videgaray said existing security agreements were not under threat, at least for now, adding that Mexico would not be signing any additional pacts.
"What we're not prepared to do is increase or create new systems of coordination, and if negotiation on other issues - migrants, border, trade - is not to Mexico's satisfaction, we'll have to review our current cooperation," he said.
Lawmakers questioned Videgaray extensively about his policy toward the administration of Trump, who has caused deep anger in Mexico with his plans to build a southern border wall to keep out illegal immigrants and his threats to restrict trade.
Videgaray said his government considered the building of the wall a "hostile" act and repeated it would contribute nothing toward it. Trump says Mexico will ultimately pay for the wall.
The foreign minister said Mexico regarded remittances, which Trump had threatened to go after to pay for the wall, as non-negotiable, saying they could prove a "breaking point" issue in any dialogue that encompassed other matters.
Videgaray said any tax on Mexican-made imports by Trump was a "bad idea" that would only end up hurting U.S. consumers.
"However, these types of measures would obviously be against not just the North American accords but particularly the rules of the World Trade Organization, and so we would have the legal means to act against them," he said.
(Additional reporting by Gabriel Stargardter and Adriana Barrera; editing by Dave Graham and Phil Berlowitz)
http://www.excelsior.com.mx/nacional/2017/04/25/1159692
Note: unlike many cities and states in the US, Mexico has little tolerance for unorganized vote fraud.
gracias
INE and institutions go after false credentials
Details Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2017,
Written by Editor / El Diario
Http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=88873
Hermosillo
The National Electoral Institute (INE) asserted that the identity thefts that are not with credentials that have been generated by the INE and correspond to false documents, why it is institutions can identify the veracity of those cards.
Olga Alicia Castro Ramírez explained that for election matters, those with a real credential are on the nominal list and those who arrive and do not appear on that list will be forced to remain without the credential and will be denounced.
"Agreements have been concluded with them so that they can verify the identity of their users of services through our database, then that is one of several mechanisms," said the Vocal Executive of the Local Board in Sonora.
She said that in recent years and thanks to the technology they have to detect false id's, many complaints have been made to the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Electoral Crimes (Fepade) and have issued the corresponding arrest warrants.
Castro Ramirez commented that Sonora has seen cases of identification of people who try to obtain a credential with false information, with a program that is already permanent and that when the applicants present themselves in the modules, a cross reference of information is done in and in several Cases it turns out that they have credentials in other states.
"The person is personally sought in the two states to know what the real process is or what the real data is, and even the one that is not real is dropped and also the complaint is filed so that the corresponding criminal authority in This case the Fepade, if they did it in a deliberate way, with false documents, "he explained.
In the case of minors who have false voter credentials to enter bars and are discovered by security personnel, he said that INE expects that the complaint will be lodged by the Directorate General of Alcoholic Beverages or the owners of those Centers of diversion. (Bars)
END
AZMEX POLICY 26-4-17
AZMEX POLICY 26 APR 2017
Mexico talks tough on Trump with NAFTA talks looming
By Frank Jack Daniel | MEXICO CITY
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-politics-idUSKBN17R2CD?il=0
Mexico's government on Tuesday said it would fight any measures in a U.S. tax overhaul that broke international trade rules, and threatened to review cross-border cooperation on migration and security if upcoming negotiations founder.
Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said Mexico was watching to see if plans by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to shake up taxation included a levy on remittances sent home by Mexican workers or the imposition of tariffs on Mexican goods.
"If they are put forward, we'll have to act with absolute firmness, using all the political, diplomatic and obviously legal means at our disposal," he told a session of the foreign relations committee of the lower house of Congress.
Trump has vowed to pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that underpins the bulk of Mexican exports if he cannot rework it in his homeland's favor, and talks between the signatories - Mexico, the United States and Canada - on modernizing the accord are expected to start later this summer.
Regional trade tensions picked up this week, with the Trump administration on Monday announcing a 20 percent duty on Canadian softwood lumber in retaliation for what it sees as unfair restrictions on dairy exports.
And on Tuesday, the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled that Mexico could take retaliatory trade measures against the United States in a dispute over tuna fishing.
Mexico has said it wants to put "all the issues" on the table, including security, migration and trade in negotiations with the United States.
Videgaray said existing security agreements were not under threat, at least for now, adding that Mexico would not be signing any additional pacts.
"What we're not prepared to do is increase or create new systems of coordination, and if negotiation on other issues - migrants, border, trade - is not to Mexico's satisfaction, we'll have to review our current cooperation," he said.
Lawmakers questioned Videgaray extensively about his policy toward the administration of Trump, who has caused deep anger in Mexico with his plans to build a southern border wall to keep out illegal immigrants and his threats to restrict trade.
Videgaray said his government considered the building of the wall a "hostile" act and repeated it would contribute nothing toward it. Trump says Mexico will ultimately pay for the wall.
The foreign minister said Mexico regarded remittances, which Trump had threatened to go after to pay for the wall, as non-negotiable, saying they could prove a "breaking point" issue in any dialogue that encompassed other matters.
Videgaray said any tax on Mexican-made imports by Trump was a "bad idea" that would only end up hurting U.S. consumers.
"However, these types of measures would obviously be against not just the North American accords but particularly the rules of the World Trade Organization, and so we would have the legal means to act against them," he said.
(Additional reporting by Gabriel Stargardter and Adriana Barrera; editing by Dave Graham and Phil Berlowitz)
http://www.excelsior.com.mx/nacional/2017/04/25/1159692
Note: unlike many cities and states in the US, Mexico has little tolerance for unorganized vote fraud.
gracias
INE and institutions go after false credentials
Details Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2017,
Written by Editor / El Diario
Http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=88873
Hermosillo
The National Electoral Institute (INE) asserted that the identity thefts that are not with credentials that have been generated by the INE and correspond to false documents, why it is institutions can identify the veracity of those cards.
Olga Alicia Castro Ramírez explained that for election matters, those with a real credential are on the nominal list and those who arrive and do not appear on that list will be forced to remain without the credential and will be denounced.
"Agreements have been concluded with them so that they can verify the identity of their users of services through our database, then that is one of several mechanisms," said the Vocal Executive of the Local Board in Sonora.
She said that in recent years and thanks to the technology they have to detect false id's, many complaints have been made to the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Electoral Crimes (Fepade) and have issued the corresponding arrest warrants.
Castro Ramirez commented that Sonora has seen cases of identification of people who try to obtain a credential with false information, with a program that is already permanent and that when the applicants present themselves in the modules, a cross reference of information is done in and in several Cases it turns out that they have credentials in other states.
"The person is personally sought in the two states to know what the real process is or what the real data is, and even the one that is not real is dropped and also the complaint is filed so that the corresponding criminal authority in This case the Fepade, if they did it in a deliberate way, with false documents, "he explained.
In the case of minors who have false voter credentials to enter bars and are discovered by security personnel, he said that INE expects that the complaint will be lodged by the Directorate General of Alcoholic Beverages or the owners of those Centers of diversion. (Bars)
END
Mexico talks tough on Trump with NAFTA talks looming
By Frank Jack Daniel | MEXICO CITY
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-politics-idUSKBN17R2CD?il=0
Mexico's government on Tuesday said it would fight any measures in a U.S. tax overhaul that broke international trade rules, and threatened to review cross-border cooperation on migration and security if upcoming negotiations founder.
Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said Mexico was watching to see if plans by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to shake up taxation included a levy on remittances sent home by Mexican workers or the imposition of tariffs on Mexican goods.
"If they are put forward, we'll have to act with absolute firmness, using all the political, diplomatic and obviously legal means at our disposal," he told a session of the foreign relations committee of the lower house of Congress.
Trump has vowed to pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that underpins the bulk of Mexican exports if he cannot rework it in his homeland's favor, and talks between the signatories - Mexico, the United States and Canada - on modernizing the accord are expected to start later this summer.
Regional trade tensions picked up this week, with the Trump administration on Monday announcing a 20 percent duty on Canadian softwood lumber in retaliation for what it sees as unfair restrictions on dairy exports.
And on Tuesday, the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled that Mexico could take retaliatory trade measures against the United States in a dispute over tuna fishing.
Mexico has said it wants to put "all the issues" on the table, including security, migration and trade in negotiations with the United States.
Videgaray said existing security agreements were not under threat, at least for now, adding that Mexico would not be signing any additional pacts.
"What we're not prepared to do is increase or create new systems of coordination, and if negotiation on other issues - migrants, border, trade - is not to Mexico's satisfaction, we'll have to review our current cooperation," he said.
Lawmakers questioned Videgaray extensively about his policy toward the administration of Trump, who has caused deep anger in Mexico with his plans to build a southern border wall to keep out illegal immigrants and his threats to restrict trade.
Videgaray said his government considered the building of the wall a "hostile" act and repeated it would contribute nothing toward it. Trump says Mexico will ultimately pay for the wall.
The foreign minister said Mexico regarded remittances, which Trump had threatened to go after to pay for the wall, as non-negotiable, saying they could prove a "breaking point" issue in any dialogue that encompassed other matters.
Videgaray said any tax on Mexican-made imports by Trump was a "bad idea" that would only end up hurting U.S. consumers.
"However, these types of measures would obviously be against not just the North American accords but particularly the rules of the World Trade Organization, and so we would have the legal means to act against them," he said.
(Additional reporting by Gabriel Stargardter and Adriana Barrera; editing by Dave Graham and Phil Berlowitz)
http://www.excelsior.com.mx/nacional/2017/04/25/1159692
Note: unlike many cities and states in the US, Mexico has little tolerance for unorganized vote fraud.
gracias
INE and institutions go after false credentials
Details Posted on Tuesday, April 25, 2017,
Written by Editor / El Diario
Http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=88873
Hermosillo
The National Electoral Institute (INE) asserted that the identity thefts that are not with credentials that have been generated by the INE and correspond to false documents, why it is institutions can identify the veracity of those cards.
Olga Alicia Castro Ramírez explained that for election matters, those with a real credential are on the nominal list and those who arrive and do not appear on that list will be forced to remain without the credential and will be denounced.
"Agreements have been concluded with them so that they can verify the identity of their users of services through our database, then that is one of several mechanisms," said the Vocal Executive of the Local Board in Sonora.
She said that in recent years and thanks to the technology they have to detect false id's, many complaints have been made to the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Electoral Crimes (Fepade) and have issued the corresponding arrest warrants.
Castro Ramirez commented that Sonora has seen cases of identification of people who try to obtain a credential with false information, with a program that is already permanent and that when the applicants present themselves in the modules, a cross reference of information is done in and in several Cases it turns out that they have credentials in other states.
"The person is personally sought in the two states to know what the real process is or what the real data is, and even the one that is not real is dropped and also the complaint is filed so that the corresponding criminal authority in This case the Fepade, if they did it in a deliberate way, with false documents, "he explained.
In the case of minors who have false voter credentials to enter bars and are discovered by security personnel, he said that INE expects that the complaint will be lodged by the Directorate General of Alcoholic Beverages or the owners of those Centers of diversion. (Bars)
END
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
AZMEX UPDATE 24-4-17
AZMEX UPDATE 24 APR 2017
Note: the Chicago stye culture of corruption marches on.
Mexico sees 2,020 killings in March, worst month since 2011
By: By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN and MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press
Posted: Apr 24, 2017 11:24 AM MDT
Updated: Apr 24, 2017 11:24 AM MDT
http://www.kvia.com/news/us-world/mexico-sees-2020-killings-in-march-worst-month-since-2011/460523962
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico has surpassed 2,000 homicides in a month for the first time since the summer of 2011 and had more killings in the first quarter of 2017 than in the start of any year in at least two decades, according to data released Friday.
Unlike 2011, when bloody cartel clashes in Ciudad Juarez drove the national toll to new heights, the killings pushing the 2017 total have been spread across a number of states. Authorities attribute them to vicious turf battles resulting from breakdowns in the leadership of some cartels and the splintering of others into smaller gangs.
The southern state of Guerrero, where Acapulco is located, continues to be the homicide leader, with 550 during the first three months of the year.
But Baja California Sur with 133 slayings during the first quarter had the largest year-on-year percentage increase, skyrocketing 682 percent from the 17 homicides it had during the same period in 2016. A territorial dispute between the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels is believed to be driving much of the violence in the southern part of the peninsula popular with foreign tourists.
Nationally, there were 2,020 homicides in March, up about 11 percent from February. For January through March, the national total was 5,775 killings, up 29 percent from the same three months last year.
Pioquinto Damian Huato, a business leader in the Guerrero state capital of Chilpancingo, led an anti-crime crusade until an attempt was made on his life that resulted in the death of his daughter-in-law in 2014.
"Every now and then bagged bodies appear in Chilpancingo," he said. "Yesterday three appeared." The leader of the state's leftist Democratic Revolution Party, Demetrio Saldivar, also was killed Wednesday night in Chilpancingo.
"I live in my home with armored doors to be able to protect my family," Damian Huato said. "How could I go out when they could kill me in any moment?"
Mexico's surge in violence comes at a time when legislators are debating a national security law that would have implications for the military's continued role in domestic security. Rising violence could pose a problem for the governing Institutional Revolutionary Party of President Enrique Pena Nieto in next year's presidential election.
Other states seeing significantly more homicides this year include the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, which registered 372 through March, up 94 percent from the same period last year. A former Veracruz governor, Javier Duarte, was arrested last weekend in Guatemala after six months on the run from corruption charges.
Chihuahua state, home to Ciudad Juarez, is also seeing more violence this year. Its 384 homicides through March were 78 percent more than the same period last year.
end
Chicago homicides for March? Only 37. Only 179 for the year so far.
http://crime.chicagotribune.com/chicago/homicides
Population of Mexico (estimated) 130,000,000
Population of Chicago (estimated) 2,700,000
end
Note: the Chicago stye culture of corruption marches on.
Mexico sees 2,020 killings in March, worst month since 2011
By: By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN and MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press
Posted: Apr 24, 2017 11:24 AM MDT
Updated: Apr 24, 2017 11:24 AM MDT
http://www.kvia.com/news/us-world/mexico-sees-2020-killings-in-march-worst-month-since-2011/460523962
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico has surpassed 2,000 homicides in a month for the first time since the summer of 2011 and had more killings in the first quarter of 2017 than in the start of any year in at least two decades, according to data released Friday.
Unlike 2011, when bloody cartel clashes in Ciudad Juarez drove the national toll to new heights, the killings pushing the 2017 total have been spread across a number of states. Authorities attribute them to vicious turf battles resulting from breakdowns in the leadership of some cartels and the splintering of others into smaller gangs.
The southern state of Guerrero, where Acapulco is located, continues to be the homicide leader, with 550 during the first three months of the year.
But Baja California Sur with 133 slayings during the first quarter had the largest year-on-year percentage increase, skyrocketing 682 percent from the 17 homicides it had during the same period in 2016. A territorial dispute between the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels is believed to be driving much of the violence in the southern part of the peninsula popular with foreign tourists.
Nationally, there were 2,020 homicides in March, up about 11 percent from February. For January through March, the national total was 5,775 killings, up 29 percent from the same three months last year.
Pioquinto Damian Huato, a business leader in the Guerrero state capital of Chilpancingo, led an anti-crime crusade until an attempt was made on his life that resulted in the death of his daughter-in-law in 2014.
"Every now and then bagged bodies appear in Chilpancingo," he said. "Yesterday three appeared." The leader of the state's leftist Democratic Revolution Party, Demetrio Saldivar, also was killed Wednesday night in Chilpancingo.
"I live in my home with armored doors to be able to protect my family," Damian Huato said. "How could I go out when they could kill me in any moment?"
Mexico's surge in violence comes at a time when legislators are debating a national security law that would have implications for the military's continued role in domestic security. Rising violence could pose a problem for the governing Institutional Revolutionary Party of President Enrique Pena Nieto in next year's presidential election.
Other states seeing significantly more homicides this year include the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, which registered 372 through March, up 94 percent from the same period last year. A former Veracruz governor, Javier Duarte, was arrested last weekend in Guatemala after six months on the run from corruption charges.
Chihuahua state, home to Ciudad Juarez, is also seeing more violence this year. Its 384 homicides through March were 78 percent more than the same period last year.
end
Chicago homicides for March? Only 37. Only 179 for the year so far.
http://crime.chicagotribune.com/chicago/homicides
Population of Mexico (estimated) 130,000,000
Population of Chicago (estimated) 2,700,000
end
Monday, April 24, 2017
AZMEX POLICY 23-4-17
AZMEX POLICY 23 APR 2017
EDITORIAL: Know your land rights in case of border wall land takeover
THE MONITOR EDITORIAL BOARD 4 hrs ago
http://www.themonitor.com/opinion/editorials/article_634f1bb2-2765-11e7-85d1-37f2df48f661.html
With the Trump Administration's intent to build a border wall on the Southwest border, come the potential for hundreds of landowners in the Rio Grande Valley to be affected. And while the government has the right to claim land for "national security" reasons, there are many rights that landowners also have, according to our U.S. Constitution, that can delay the process, ensure citizens are paid justly for their losses, and in some cases, successfully fight the takeover of private lands.
But most importantly, landowners must be aware of their rights and they must be prepared with how they plan to respond if, and when, the government comes calling.
Because an informed citizen will be an engaged citizen.
Informed citizens will understand that in order to take their land, the federal government must offer them "just compensation." The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution does enable the taking of private lands "for public use," through eminent domain, but only if the landowner is paid a fair price.
That's an important distinction, Efrén Olivares, racial and economic justice director at the Texas Civil Rights Project, told us last week. It means that a landowner does not have to accept the first offer, especially if they believe it is not at fair market value.
"You can refuse the first offer and you have the right to bring in your own estimates," Olivares said during a news conference Wednesday at his Alamo office. And part of that estimate should include not only the price for the land they are taking, but the devaluation of the existing land that is left, he said. An example would be a farmer whose field is bisected and left unusable for its intended purpose in the future.
Olivares said letters have already gone out to many Valley residents, including some in San Benito. He said that earlier this month he went to speak to homeowners there, and one landowner told him he was unaware that he could refuse an initial offer, which he accepted but said it came in quite low.
Olivares said the offers always increase and homeowners do not have to settle for less. He said that when the government was acquiring private land, under the 2006 Secure Fences Act, to build a border fence/levee here, there was one case in which a woman had border land in her family for "several generations." She did not want to sell and was also originally offered $100. "Ultimately she got $56,000," he told us.
That case from 2008 was settled, but Olivares said there are almost 100 of the 300 cases filed at that time that still remain unresolved and are clogging the court system. Now, his nonprofit organization is offering free legal services to landowners and is trying to rally them to file cases that "could take years," he said.
"We are prepared to fight the long haul for these landowners, either through the preventing of taking (the land) entirely or if that's not possible, ensuring that the landowners receive full compensation for the value of their land," he told us.
There's no doubt that these pro bono services are being offered to politically tilt the issue: And that is to stop a border wall.
We are not advocating that. We recognize that President Donald Trump wants to build a wall and we recognize the legal footing his administration has in claiming this necessary for "national security" reasons. We do, however, urge residents and landowners to educate themselves on the process.
This includes knowing that the government must clearly communicate, in writing, exactly what pieces of land they seek; how much will be paid for each piece and what the intent is for the land — will it be used as an easement for agents to gain access to the border wall, for instance, or will concrete for a 30-foot wall be poured there.
The bottomline is that citizens must be treated with respect and the government must give them their due process.
Those who refuse offers, or cannot come to negotiable terms, have the right to request a jury trial in federal court.
Also be aware that if the federal government wants the land they can act quickly and swiftly to legally change the title into their name, once they have communicated the land, price offered and intended use and deposited the money to the landowners, they legally become title holders with the local court registry. But in order for the government to begin work on said property, they must first file a "motion for immediate possession" and if that is challenged, then that can delay the process, which can buy the landowner more time.
There are about 150 border landowners in Hidalgo County and another 150 in Cameron County; El Paso County has 300, Olivares said. His agency is offering services to all 600 and he said volunteer lawyers throughout Texas and other parts of the United States also have offered their pro bono services to help landowners fight the takeover of their property and to ensure their rights are upheld.
In 2008, all of the 300 filed cases opposing the border fence were sent to the court of U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen. Hanen is the well-known judge whose court heard the controversial DACA/DAPA case against the Obama Administration, which was sued by Texas and several other states which opposed the deferred adjudication program for immigrant parents of U.S. citizens and children of immigrants. It is uncertain whether Hanen's court would be responsible for an onslaught of new cases, especially since nearly 100 eminent domain cases from 2008 are still pending there.
We expect that the government will provide additional courts to hear the cases, as well as patience and prudence in the treatment of landowners whose lives will be uprooted and forever changed by the taking of their lands in order to build a border wall here.
END
EDITORIAL: Know your land rights in case of border wall land takeover
THE MONITOR EDITORIAL BOARD 4 hrs ago
http://www.themonitor.com/opinion/editorials/article_634f1bb2-2765-11e7-85d1-37f2df48f661.html
With the Trump Administration's intent to build a border wall on the Southwest border, come the potential for hundreds of landowners in the Rio Grande Valley to be affected. And while the government has the right to claim land for "national security" reasons, there are many rights that landowners also have, according to our U.S. Constitution, that can delay the process, ensure citizens are paid justly for their losses, and in some cases, successfully fight the takeover of private lands.
But most importantly, landowners must be aware of their rights and they must be prepared with how they plan to respond if, and when, the government comes calling.
Because an informed citizen will be an engaged citizen.
Informed citizens will understand that in order to take their land, the federal government must offer them "just compensation." The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution does enable the taking of private lands "for public use," through eminent domain, but only if the landowner is paid a fair price.
That's an important distinction, Efrén Olivares, racial and economic justice director at the Texas Civil Rights Project, told us last week. It means that a landowner does not have to accept the first offer, especially if they believe it is not at fair market value.
"You can refuse the first offer and you have the right to bring in your own estimates," Olivares said during a news conference Wednesday at his Alamo office. And part of that estimate should include not only the price for the land they are taking, but the devaluation of the existing land that is left, he said. An example would be a farmer whose field is bisected and left unusable for its intended purpose in the future.
Olivares said letters have already gone out to many Valley residents, including some in San Benito. He said that earlier this month he went to speak to homeowners there, and one landowner told him he was unaware that he could refuse an initial offer, which he accepted but said it came in quite low.
Olivares said the offers always increase and homeowners do not have to settle for less. He said that when the government was acquiring private land, under the 2006 Secure Fences Act, to build a border fence/levee here, there was one case in which a woman had border land in her family for "several generations." She did not want to sell and was also originally offered $100. "Ultimately she got $56,000," he told us.
That case from 2008 was settled, but Olivares said there are almost 100 of the 300 cases filed at that time that still remain unresolved and are clogging the court system. Now, his nonprofit organization is offering free legal services to landowners and is trying to rally them to file cases that "could take years," he said.
"We are prepared to fight the long haul for these landowners, either through the preventing of taking (the land) entirely or if that's not possible, ensuring that the landowners receive full compensation for the value of their land," he told us.
There's no doubt that these pro bono services are being offered to politically tilt the issue: And that is to stop a border wall.
We are not advocating that. We recognize that President Donald Trump wants to build a wall and we recognize the legal footing his administration has in claiming this necessary for "national security" reasons. We do, however, urge residents and landowners to educate themselves on the process.
This includes knowing that the government must clearly communicate, in writing, exactly what pieces of land they seek; how much will be paid for each piece and what the intent is for the land — will it be used as an easement for agents to gain access to the border wall, for instance, or will concrete for a 30-foot wall be poured there.
The bottomline is that citizens must be treated with respect and the government must give them their due process.
Those who refuse offers, or cannot come to negotiable terms, have the right to request a jury trial in federal court.
Also be aware that if the federal government wants the land they can act quickly and swiftly to legally change the title into their name, once they have communicated the land, price offered and intended use and deposited the money to the landowners, they legally become title holders with the local court registry. But in order for the government to begin work on said property, they must first file a "motion for immediate possession" and if that is challenged, then that can delay the process, which can buy the landowner more time.
There are about 150 border landowners in Hidalgo County and another 150 in Cameron County; El Paso County has 300, Olivares said. His agency is offering services to all 600 and he said volunteer lawyers throughout Texas and other parts of the United States also have offered their pro bono services to help landowners fight the takeover of their property and to ensure their rights are upheld.
In 2008, all of the 300 filed cases opposing the border fence were sent to the court of U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen. Hanen is the well-known judge whose court heard the controversial DACA/DAPA case against the Obama Administration, which was sued by Texas and several other states which opposed the deferred adjudication program for immigrant parents of U.S. citizens and children of immigrants. It is uncertain whether Hanen's court would be responsible for an onslaught of new cases, especially since nearly 100 eminent domain cases from 2008 are still pending there.
We expect that the government will provide additional courts to hear the cases, as well as patience and prudence in the treatment of landowners whose lives will be uprooted and forever changed by the taking of their lands in order to build a border wall here.
END
AZMEX EXTRA 21-4-17
AZMEX EXTRA 21 APR 2017
Local man tries to cross border with loaded gun
Apr 17, 2017
http://www.douglasdispatch.com/news/local-man-tries-to-cross-border-with-loaded-gun/article_2c4e598a-23c2-11e7-b3fc-ab90961596a2.html
A Douglas man was arrested Saturday after he tried to cross into Mexico carrying a loaded 40-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun with nine rounds of ammunition in the magazine and one round in the chamber.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Raul Hector Castro Port in Douglas arrested a 27-year-old Douglas man Saturday morning when he attempted to walk across the border into Mexico with a loaded firearm.
When a CBP officer monitoring southbound pedestrian traffic attempted to stop the man for questioning, the man tried to run across the border but was caught.
Officers then searched the man and discovered he was carrying a .40-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun with nine rounds of ammunition in the magazine and one round in the chamber.
Officers turned the man, who is not being identified, over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.
end
Note: Photo at link.
Seize weapons and cartridges in Nogales, Son.
Details Posted on Wednesday April 19, 2017,
Written by Editor / El Diario
Http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=88637
Nogales
Operative coordinated by elements of the State Police of Public Security (PESP) and Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) secured long arms known as the "goat horn" with more than 200 cartridges inside a stolen vehicle.
The events were recorded on Monday, April 17, in the Buenos Aires colony, where they located a vehicle with a robbery report in an apparent state of abandonment, within which were the firearms.
PESP and personnel of the Mexican Army carried out the inspection of the vehicle that had been reported robbery since May 7, 2016, and managed to secure a total of 3 rifles, a 9mm caliber handgun, 4 magazines and 201 cartridges.
With the security measures carried out, the seizure being available to the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic following the First Respondent National Protocol.
END
Local man tries to cross border with loaded gun
Apr 17, 2017
http://www.douglasdispatch.com/news/local-man-tries-to-cross-border-with-loaded-gun/article_2c4e598a-23c2-11e7-b3fc-ab90961596a2.html
A Douglas man was arrested Saturday after he tried to cross into Mexico carrying a loaded 40-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun with nine rounds of ammunition in the magazine and one round in the chamber.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Raul Hector Castro Port in Douglas arrested a 27-year-old Douglas man Saturday morning when he attempted to walk across the border into Mexico with a loaded firearm.
When a CBP officer monitoring southbound pedestrian traffic attempted to stop the man for questioning, the man tried to run across the border but was caught.
Officers then searched the man and discovered he was carrying a .40-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun with nine rounds of ammunition in the magazine and one round in the chamber.
Officers turned the man, who is not being identified, over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.
end
Note: Photo at link.
Seize weapons and cartridges in Nogales, Son.
Details Posted on Wednesday April 19, 2017,
Written by Editor / El Diario
Http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=88637
Nogales
Operative coordinated by elements of the State Police of Public Security (PESP) and Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) secured long arms known as the "goat horn" with more than 200 cartridges inside a stolen vehicle.
The events were recorded on Monday, April 17, in the Buenos Aires colony, where they located a vehicle with a robbery report in an apparent state of abandonment, within which were the firearms.
PESP and personnel of the Mexican Army carried out the inspection of the vehicle that had been reported robbery since May 7, 2016, and managed to secure a total of 3 rifles, a 9mm caliber handgun, 4 magazines and 201 cartridges.
With the security measures carried out, the seizure being available to the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic following the First Respondent National Protocol.
END
Thursday, April 20, 2017
AZMEX F&F EXTRA 20-4-17
AZMEX F&F EXTRA 20 APR 2017
Note: Fast & Furious, Mexican Lives didn't Matter
Given the players behind the bloody scheme, many believe the motive was much more to undermine American's 2nd Amendment Rights and bring back a ban on semi automatic rifles, than a Hollywood movie scheme to catch the drug lords.
thx
Suspected shooter in 2010 Border Patrol slaying arrested in Mexico
By Alexis Egeland
Cronkite News Apr 18, 2017 Updated Apr 18, 2017 (0)
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/suspected-shooter-in-border-patrol-slaying-arrested-in-mexico/article_ae318df4-23cd-11e7-88a1-3fa780a60c0e.html
It's been more than six years since Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed in a shootout with drug smugglers near Rio Rico, and his family was beginning to lose hope that the suspects would be caught.
That's why Terry's sister, Michelle Balogh, was "so ecstatic" last Wednesday morning to get the call that a sixth suspect, Heraclio Osorio-Arellanes, who authorities believe may have been the triggerman, was arrested in Mexico in connection with the December 2010 shooting.
"It's been a whirlwind few days," Balogh said Friday. "It's a weird feeling, knowing they caught him, but Brian deserves it."
Terry was patrolling west of Rio Rico on Dec. 14, 2010, when he and other agents ended up in a gunfight with suspected Mexican cartel members. Terry was shot and killed in the fight.
At least one of the smugglers' guns that was found at the scene was later traced back to Operation Fast and Furious, a botched gun-running investigation that was started in 2009 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
That operation was supposed to uncover large-scale gun-trafficking operations by turning a blind eye to people who bought guns illegally in Arizona and then tracking the guns to bigger smugglers. But of the roughly 2,000 guns – including AK-47s and .50-caliber rifles – and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition that were allowed to "walk" in the operation, hundreds were never accounted for.
The operation led to years of congressional investigations and calls for the resignation of then-Attorney General Eric Holder, and led to the replacement of the U.S. Attorney for Arizona and the ATF chief in the state.
After Terry's killing, federal prosecutors in 2014 filed murder, drugs, weapons and other charges against seven suspects in the case, and warrants for their arrests.
Five had already been arrested, convicted and given sentences ranging from eight years for one suspect to life in prison for two others, when Mexican authorities arrested Osorio-Arellanes in Chihuahua late last Tuesday.
Osorio-Arellanes was arrested "based on a provisional arrest warrant issued at the request of the United States," according to a statement released Thursday by the Justice Department. He faces nine counts, including a charge of killing Terry.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in that statement that he is proud of the work that has been done to secure the border, and he sees this arrest as a great way to send a message to America's enemies.
"Working closely with our international partners, we will hunt you down, we will find you, and we will bring you to justice," his statement said.
Officials with the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney's Office for Arizona declined to comment further on the case.
Balogh said the arrest – and the fact that investigators told her they believe Osorio-Arellanes was "the trigger-puller" – have lifted a weight from her family's shoulders. Even though they were told the extradition process could take over a year, they are continuing to fight.
She said this latest arrest has restored her family's hope that the seventh, and final, suspect will be caught.
"The government is working hard with Mexican authorities, so we're very hopeful," Balogh said. "We're still fighting that fight, so it's just a matter of time before they catch him."
But she said they are fighting for more than just her brother.
"We're not just doing it for Brian, we're doing it for everybody," she said. "Especially law enforcement, the ones who protect us – they deserve answers and they deserve the truth."
END
Note: Fast & Furious, Mexican Lives didn't Matter
Given the players behind the bloody scheme, many believe the motive was much more to undermine American's 2nd Amendment Rights and bring back a ban on semi automatic rifles, than a Hollywood movie scheme to catch the drug lords.
thx
Suspected shooter in 2010 Border Patrol slaying arrested in Mexico
By Alexis Egeland
Cronkite News Apr 18, 2017 Updated Apr 18, 2017 (0)
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/suspected-shooter-in-border-patrol-slaying-arrested-in-mexico/article_ae318df4-23cd-11e7-88a1-3fa780a60c0e.html
It's been more than six years since Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed in a shootout with drug smugglers near Rio Rico, and his family was beginning to lose hope that the suspects would be caught.
That's why Terry's sister, Michelle Balogh, was "so ecstatic" last Wednesday morning to get the call that a sixth suspect, Heraclio Osorio-Arellanes, who authorities believe may have been the triggerman, was arrested in Mexico in connection with the December 2010 shooting.
"It's been a whirlwind few days," Balogh said Friday. "It's a weird feeling, knowing they caught him, but Brian deserves it."
Terry was patrolling west of Rio Rico on Dec. 14, 2010, when he and other agents ended up in a gunfight with suspected Mexican cartel members. Terry was shot and killed in the fight.
At least one of the smugglers' guns that was found at the scene was later traced back to Operation Fast and Furious, a botched gun-running investigation that was started in 2009 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
That operation was supposed to uncover large-scale gun-trafficking operations by turning a blind eye to people who bought guns illegally in Arizona and then tracking the guns to bigger smugglers. But of the roughly 2,000 guns – including AK-47s and .50-caliber rifles – and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition that were allowed to "walk" in the operation, hundreds were never accounted for.
The operation led to years of congressional investigations and calls for the resignation of then-Attorney General Eric Holder, and led to the replacement of the U.S. Attorney for Arizona and the ATF chief in the state.
After Terry's killing, federal prosecutors in 2014 filed murder, drugs, weapons and other charges against seven suspects in the case, and warrants for their arrests.
Five had already been arrested, convicted and given sentences ranging from eight years for one suspect to life in prison for two others, when Mexican authorities arrested Osorio-Arellanes in Chihuahua late last Tuesday.
Osorio-Arellanes was arrested "based on a provisional arrest warrant issued at the request of the United States," according to a statement released Thursday by the Justice Department. He faces nine counts, including a charge of killing Terry.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in that statement that he is proud of the work that has been done to secure the border, and he sees this arrest as a great way to send a message to America's enemies.
"Working closely with our international partners, we will hunt you down, we will find you, and we will bring you to justice," his statement said.
Officials with the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney's Office for Arizona declined to comment further on the case.
Balogh said the arrest – and the fact that investigators told her they believe Osorio-Arellanes was "the trigger-puller" – have lifted a weight from her family's shoulders. Even though they were told the extradition process could take over a year, they are continuing to fight.
She said this latest arrest has restored her family's hope that the seventh, and final, suspect will be caught.
"The government is working hard with Mexican authorities, so we're very hopeful," Balogh said. "We're still fighting that fight, so it's just a matter of time before they catch him."
But she said they are fighting for more than just her brother.
"We're not just doing it for Brian, we're doing it for everybody," she said. "Especially law enforcement, the ones who protect us – they deserve answers and they deserve the truth."
END
AZMEX I3 20-4-17
AZMEX I3 20 APR 2017
Note: A de facto "sanctuary" city. All about illegal immigration and "protecting" illegal immigrants. "Immigrant" = illegal immigrant.
thx
Phoenix police to not take part in federal immigration deportations
KTAR.COM | April 19, 2017 @ 6:12 pm
https://ktar.com/story/1536938/phoenix-police-to-not-take-part-in-federal-immigration-deportations/
PHOENIX — Phoenix city council members voted to protect the local police department from taking part in a federal immigration deportation force on Wednesday.
In a press release, the city council said it voted to "reject efforts by the Trump Administration to conscript Phoenix Police officers as part of a federal immigration deportation force."
The Phoenix Police Department will also, according to the release, "modernize its policies to more clearly outline when officers can and cannot inquire about the immigration status of members of the public, particularly to protect crime victims, witnesses and juveniles on school campuses."
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said in the release the Department of Homeland Security is pressuring local police departments to assist with mass deportation plans, but assured residents that the city's police officers would not be taking part.
The changes come from six recommendations made by an Ad Hoc subcommittee that Stanton formed in February in response to President Donald Trump's immigration executive order.
The recommendations included collecting and reporting data that is related to Senate Bill 1070 "more thoroughly," working with local school districts to "foster trust" between resource officers and students, creating a program for refugees to learn English and pursue a higher education and establishing a website for resources available to refugees.
The police order recommendation passed with a 6-3 vote, while the rest passed with a 7-2 vote. Councilmen Jim Waring and Sal DiCiccio voted no on all of the recommendations, according to Stanton's spokesman Robbie Sherwood, and Councilwoman Thelda Williams voted no on the first recommendation.
Stanton, who has been an outspoken advocate for protecting immigrants in the community, said officers need to "focus on community policing and will not enter into any scheme to turn our officers into federal immigration agents."
"It's important for Phoenix schools to focus on education, not immigration, and that we protect the civil rights of all Phoenix residents," Stanton said in the release, adding that the department will continue to focus on catching violent criminals.
Trump has taken a hard-line stance against illegal immigration and refugees by enacting two executive orders — one of which was shut down by federal courts and reinstated through a new executive order — since he took office in January.
Since the executive orders were issued, Phoenix has been in the spotlight after two of its residents — Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos and Juan Carlos Fomperosa Garcia — were deported following routine check-ins with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In February, the Phoenix City Council voted down a measure to declare the city as a sanctuary city in order to protect immigrants, but councilmembers, and Stanton himself, said it would not work due to SB 1070.
Data obtained from local and federal law enforcement authorities have also shown the number of immigrant arrests and number of immigrant removals have slowly climbed in Arizona.
END
Note: A de facto "sanctuary" city. All about illegal immigration and "protecting" illegal immigrants. "Immigrant" = illegal immigrant.
thx
Phoenix police to not take part in federal immigration deportations
KTAR.COM | April 19, 2017 @ 6:12 pm
https://ktar.com/story/1536938/phoenix-police-to-not-take-part-in-federal-immigration-deportations/
PHOENIX — Phoenix city council members voted to protect the local police department from taking part in a federal immigration deportation force on Wednesday.
In a press release, the city council said it voted to "reject efforts by the Trump Administration to conscript Phoenix Police officers as part of a federal immigration deportation force."
The Phoenix Police Department will also, according to the release, "modernize its policies to more clearly outline when officers can and cannot inquire about the immigration status of members of the public, particularly to protect crime victims, witnesses and juveniles on school campuses."
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said in the release the Department of Homeland Security is pressuring local police departments to assist with mass deportation plans, but assured residents that the city's police officers would not be taking part.
The changes come from six recommendations made by an Ad Hoc subcommittee that Stanton formed in February in response to President Donald Trump's immigration executive order.
The recommendations included collecting and reporting data that is related to Senate Bill 1070 "more thoroughly," working with local school districts to "foster trust" between resource officers and students, creating a program for refugees to learn English and pursue a higher education and establishing a website for resources available to refugees.
The police order recommendation passed with a 6-3 vote, while the rest passed with a 7-2 vote. Councilmen Jim Waring and Sal DiCiccio voted no on all of the recommendations, according to Stanton's spokesman Robbie Sherwood, and Councilwoman Thelda Williams voted no on the first recommendation.
Stanton, who has been an outspoken advocate for protecting immigrants in the community, said officers need to "focus on community policing and will not enter into any scheme to turn our officers into federal immigration agents."
"It's important for Phoenix schools to focus on education, not immigration, and that we protect the civil rights of all Phoenix residents," Stanton said in the release, adding that the department will continue to focus on catching violent criminals.
Trump has taken a hard-line stance against illegal immigration and refugees by enacting two executive orders — one of which was shut down by federal courts and reinstated through a new executive order — since he took office in January.
Since the executive orders were issued, Phoenix has been in the spotlight after two of its residents — Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos and Juan Carlos Fomperosa Garcia — were deported following routine check-ins with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In February, the Phoenix City Council voted down a measure to declare the city as a sanctuary city in order to protect immigrants, but councilmembers, and Stanton himself, said it would not work due to SB 1070.
Data obtained from local and federal law enforcement authorities have also shown the number of immigrant arrests and number of immigrant removals have slowly climbed in Arizona.
END
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
AZMEX I3 19-4-17
AZMEX I3 19 APR 2017
Comment: Another fake/ false/ dishonest headline. ICE did not remove more than 5,000 immigrants.
Honest reporting, if it still existed, would have read:
"ICE removes more than 5,000 illegal immigrants from Arizona in first three months of 2017"
Also there are no laws to keep the families from joining them.
thx
ICE removes more than 5,000 immigrants from Arizona in first three months of 2017
KTAR.COM |
April 19, 2017 @ 10:49 am
http://ktar.com/story/1536185/ice-removes-5000-immigrants-arizona-first-three-months-2017/
PHOENIX — More than 5,000 illegal immigrants were removed from Arizona in the first three months of 2017, according to data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In an email, ICE said 5,283 people had been removed as of March 31.
Of those, 1,780 were removed from the state in January, followed by 1,613 in February and 1,890 in March.
The figures include immigrants who were forcibly deported, those who voluntarily deported and those removed from the country by Border Patrol.
Of the 5,283 immigrants, 3,074 had been convicted of a crime.
Earlier this week, the Washington Post reported fewer than 1,000 immigrants had been arrested in the Phoenix area between Jan. 1 and mid-March. The Post's number is lower because the ICE data does not address arrest numbers, but instead people who were removed from Arizona.
The ICE data did not specify the nationality of any person who was removed or if anyone had been removed more than one time.
KTAR News has requested last year's removal numbers. ICE is looking into the request.
In late January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that made all illegal immigrants, regardless of the crime, the focus of deportation efforts.
Arizona made the immigration spotlight shortly after the order was signed when two undocumented immigrants convicted of a crime — Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos and Juan Carlos Fomperosa Garcia — were detained and deported following routine check-ins with ICE.
"Fugitives who commit egregious crimes in their home country should not expect to find refuge in the U.S.," Henry Lucero, the field office director for ICE in Phoenix, said in a release about the arrest and deportation of Juan Garica-Rendon, who was wanted for murder in Mexico.
The arrests garnered controversy among pro-immigration groups, who argued that the deportations were splitting up families and were not for the public good.
end
Comment: Another fake/ false/ dishonest headline. ICE did not remove more than 5,000 immigrants.
Honest reporting, if it still existed, would have read:
"ICE removes more than 5,000 illegal immigrants from Arizona in first three months of 2017"
Also there are no laws to keep the families from joining them.
thx
ICE removes more than 5,000 immigrants from Arizona in first three months of 2017
KTAR.COM |
April 19, 2017 @ 10:49 am
http://ktar.com/story/1536185/ice-removes-5000-immigrants-arizona-first-three-months-2017/
PHOENIX — More than 5,000 illegal immigrants were removed from Arizona in the first three months of 2017, according to data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In an email, ICE said 5,283 people had been removed as of March 31.
Of those, 1,780 were removed from the state in January, followed by 1,613 in February and 1,890 in March.
The figures include immigrants who were forcibly deported, those who voluntarily deported and those removed from the country by Border Patrol.
Of the 5,283 immigrants, 3,074 had been convicted of a crime.
Earlier this week, the Washington Post reported fewer than 1,000 immigrants had been arrested in the Phoenix area between Jan. 1 and mid-March. The Post's number is lower because the ICE data does not address arrest numbers, but instead people who were removed from Arizona.
The ICE data did not specify the nationality of any person who was removed or if anyone had been removed more than one time.
KTAR News has requested last year's removal numbers. ICE is looking into the request.
In late January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that made all illegal immigrants, regardless of the crime, the focus of deportation efforts.
Arizona made the immigration spotlight shortly after the order was signed when two undocumented immigrants convicted of a crime — Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos and Juan Carlos Fomperosa Garcia — were detained and deported following routine check-ins with ICE.
"Fugitives who commit egregious crimes in their home country should not expect to find refuge in the U.S.," Henry Lucero, the field office director for ICE in Phoenix, said in a release about the arrest and deportation of Juan Garica-Rendon, who was wanted for murder in Mexico.
The arrests garnered controversy among pro-immigration groups, who argued that the deportations were splitting up families and were not for the public good.
end
AZMEX I3-2 18-4-17
AZMEX I3-2 18-4-17
Note: related story in AZMEX I3 18-4-17
Immigration activist goes missing while in caravan to US border from Mexico
Published April 18, 2017 FoxNews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/04/18/immigration-activist-goes-missing-while-in-caravan-to-us-border-from-mexico.html
Border Angels has put out a missing poster reads showing Hugo Castro's most recent pictures.
A U.S. pro-immigrant activist visiting Mexico has been reported missing after he lost touch with family and friends on April 13. Hugo Castro, a volunteer coordinator at the San Diego-based group Border Angels, was last seen that day on a Facebook Live pleading for help.
"I need help. I'm here with very little money, they do not want to take dollars, and I was attacked by a group of criminals," Castro said. "If some compañeros could come for me. It's outside Mexico City (...)near Puebla."
Castro, a 40-year-old American citizen, was reportedly taking part in an activity called the Víacrucis del Migrante, an annual march from Central America to Tijuana meant to raise awareness about the dangers migrants face on their route to the United States.
"They want to kill me," he said at some point, visibly distressed, identifying his attackers as "adoradores de la muerte" or death adorers. He said they had caused him to separate from his caravan and to go into hiding.
In the 20-minute recording posted late Thursday afternoon, Castro said that he had been followed for days by individuals he believed were part of the government and even the police.
"I can't trust the police," he said.
According to KPBS, the U.S. Consulate is following the case closely.
"The welfare of U.S. citizens is one of the Department's highest priorities," said Preeti Shah, a spokesman for the U.S. Consulate, as quoted by KPBS. "We stand ready to provide all possible consular assistance. Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment at this time."
A little over a month ago, Castro posted another Facebook video saying that he had received a death threat by taxi drivers for interfering with his plans to pick up the deported migrants.
KPBS reported the he posted it on March 10 on the San Ysidro Port of Entry, where he was working with a newly deported group offering tips on how to avoid being robbed, kidnapped and exploited in Tijuana.
"If anything happens to me, I hold responsible the Taxi Amarillo line of cabs here in Tijuana," he said then.
END
Note: related story in AZMEX I3 18-4-17
Immigration activist goes missing while in caravan to US border from Mexico
Published April 18, 2017 FoxNews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/04/18/immigration-activist-goes-missing-while-in-caravan-to-us-border-from-mexico.html
Border Angels has put out a missing poster reads showing Hugo Castro's most recent pictures.
A U.S. pro-immigrant activist visiting Mexico has been reported missing after he lost touch with family and friends on April 13. Hugo Castro, a volunteer coordinator at the San Diego-based group Border Angels, was last seen that day on a Facebook Live pleading for help.
"I need help. I'm here with very little money, they do not want to take dollars, and I was attacked by a group of criminals," Castro said. "If some compañeros could come for me. It's outside Mexico City (...)near Puebla."
Castro, a 40-year-old American citizen, was reportedly taking part in an activity called the Víacrucis del Migrante, an annual march from Central America to Tijuana meant to raise awareness about the dangers migrants face on their route to the United States.
"They want to kill me," he said at some point, visibly distressed, identifying his attackers as "adoradores de la muerte" or death adorers. He said they had caused him to separate from his caravan and to go into hiding.
In the 20-minute recording posted late Thursday afternoon, Castro said that he had been followed for days by individuals he believed were part of the government and even the police.
"I can't trust the police," he said.
According to KPBS, the U.S. Consulate is following the case closely.
"The welfare of U.S. citizens is one of the Department's highest priorities," said Preeti Shah, a spokesman for the U.S. Consulate, as quoted by KPBS. "We stand ready to provide all possible consular assistance. Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment at this time."
A little over a month ago, Castro posted another Facebook video saying that he had received a death threat by taxi drivers for interfering with his plans to pick up the deported migrants.
KPBS reported the he posted it on March 10 on the San Ysidro Port of Entry, where he was working with a newly deported group offering tips on how to avoid being robbed, kidnapped and exploited in Tijuana.
"If anything happens to me, I hold responsible the Taxi Amarillo line of cabs here in Tijuana," he said then.
END
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)