AZMEX EXTRA 26 OCT 2019
Mesa man recieves prison sentence for trying to smuggle guns into Mexico
BY KTAR.COM
OCTOBER 26, 2019 AT 9:22 AM
https://ktar.com/story/2816932/mesa-man-recieves-prison-sentence-trying-smuggle-guns-into-mexico/
PHOENIX — A prison sentence of 36 months was handed to a Mesa man attempting to smuggle nine handguns,
13 magazines and 200 rounds of ammunition into Mexico.
Miguel Sanchez Alvarez and an accomplice attempted to sneak the firearms and ammunition
through the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales in 2017.
The accomplice, Victor Orlando Leal-Medina, plead guilty one count of unlawful smuggling of goods in December
and was sentenced to 14 months,
while Alvarez was found guilty in a trial by jury for the same offense.
All of the guns and ammunition recovered in the investigation belonged to the 43-year-old Alvarez,
who tried to conceal the weapons in a bucket filled with roofing tar.
Alvarez then provided the bucket to Leal-Medina who attempted to bring the bucket across the border, before being stopped by authorities.
An investigation was then conducted by ICE, ATF and the Phoenix and Nogales police departments.
END
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Monday, October 28, 2019
AZMEX SPECIAL 28-10-19
AZMEX SPECIAL 28 OCT 2019
Mexico's Culiacan tries to regroup after fierce gunbattles
By PETER ORSI
yesterday
https://apnews.com/0dcc46ad23b641cd9f4b97e9c842a8fe
CULIACAN, Mexico (AP) — A dozen or so charred vehicles sit in a government impound lot outside this northwestern city including a patrol car,
a military pickup and a tractor-trailer, casualties of a recent terrifying shootout between drug gang henchmen and Mexican security forces.
In a central district where the worst of the violence took place, blown-out windows have been replaced and bullet holes are plastered over
on restaurants, convenience stores and a home where the son of Mexico's notorious drug lord was believed to have been holed up.
Those physical scars of the Oct. 17 gunbattles — what's come to be known as "black Thursday" by residents of Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa
and a stronghold of the Sinaloa cartel long led by Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán — are beginning to heal.
But residents are still coming to grips with the worst cartel violence in recent memory, in which 13 people were killed
including at least three innocents caught in the crossfire. More than a week later, it's what's on everyone's lips
, from cab conversations to newspaper editorials, as the city of some 800,000 wonders how to move on.
"For people here in Culiacan, there is a psychosis that it could happen again at any moment,"
said Marco Castillo, a 52-year-old who works in the transportation industry, speaking on the street-side patio of a restaurant
outside of which the gunbattle raged.
"On a social level it is going to leave a scar that will be tarnished by what Culiacan has been through."
Set in an inland valley between the beaches of the Gulf of California and the marijuana plantations of the Sierra Madre Oriental range,
Culiacan is home to major exporters of crops such as tomatoes, chilis and eggplant to U.S. markets.
A low-slung city with few high-rises, its historic center teems with smoky minibuses and families strolling on weekend shopping trips.
Sinaloa has been "El Chapo" territory for about three decades since the cartel was founded, and it's seen dark times.
In 2011, around a high point of Mexico's drug war, nearly 2,000 people were murdered.
But homicides have been on a downward trend more recently with just 695 this year through September, compared with 1,202 for all last year.
So while locals long ago grew accustomed to crime and shootings — mostly between local gangsters — the Oct. 17 firefights were shocking.
Hundreds of gunmen with high-caliber weapons blockaded 19 key intersections and river bridges, setting vehicles aflame
and turning the cityscape into something resembling a war zone with staccato gunfire and columns of smoke rising skyward.
In the face of the fierce response to their ill-fated operation that had cornered Ovidio Guzmán,
federal security officials ordered a retreat and "El Chapo's" son was free to escape.
But the chaos abated only after residents spent hours hunkering down in homes, malls and auto dealerships as the bullets flew.
Outside a car wash where two people died, a smatter of small bloodstains can still be seen on the white exterior wall.
Car wash worker Arturo González Verdugo, 18, said he, too, fears it could happen again and that people of Culiacan are resigned to living with violence.
"I think people are already accustomed to ... the fact that there are bad people," González said. "I don't think it will be forgotten."
Six 24/7 checkpoints have been set up on the main entrances to the city to search for weapons or contraband.
At one, next to a prison where over 50 inmates escaped during the chaos, soldiers and police waved over to the side of the road two young men in a Cooper Mini
with tinted windows and out-of-state plates this weekend.
They peered inside and made the annoyed passenger step out and unzip a backpack.
Clad head-to-toe in police black, a helmet and a heavy flak vest, an officer who was not authorized to speak to the media in an official capacity
said he expects the checkpoints aren't going away any time soon.
Local security officials did not respond to interview requests over the weekend.
There are certainly signs of a return to normalcy.
Hundreds of people came out Saturday to dine and listen to live music on a street off the main square that closes to car traffic at night.
Sinaloa Gov. Quirino Ordaz said state tourism and investment have not been harmed by the shootouts,
which made international news, and that an effort is under way to burnish the state's image.
"It is a team effort," Ordaz was quoted as saying by El Noroeste newspaper.
"We are in the streets, many people are going to the plazas, the malls.
On the contrary, I think Sinaloans are showing the world their great capacity to move ahead."
But plenty remain jittery.
A manager of a restaurant on the street where the worst of the gunbattles took place said business has fallen by 60% since.
Speaking on condition of anonymity for safety reasons,
the manager said restaurateurs like him need government help to clean up the streets and convince people it's safe.
"We want to get back up," the person said. "Recovery is possible."
Ana Paula Inzunza Mascareño, a 35-year-old psychologist, took visitors from out of town to see the city's shrine to Jesús Malverde,
a Robin Hood-like folk saint revered by many in the narco world.
On tables outside, statuettes of Malverde were on sale plus necklaces bearing the images of "El Chapo"
and the Holy Infant of Atocha — Ovidio Guzmán had one of the latter around his neck in a mugshot-like picture
that surfaced purportedly showing him during the chaos.
Inzunza said she was shopping far from the shootouts when she learned about it.
Family members called each other to make sure everyone was safe, and then remained sheltered in their homes.
She's avoiding going out more than necessary and hopes for peace.
"I think a bit more time has to go by," Insunza said.
"Yes, we have entered normalcy in our jobs, schools and everything, but that uncertainty exists, that little fear ... the less we are outside, the better."
Hundreds of people marched Sunday from a soccer stadium parking lot to a riverside park to call for peace.
"We are here to promote peace, unity," Mayor Jesús Estrada Ferreiro said.
Billed as a nonpartisan demonstration, there was little in the way of concrete demands.
Rather, many say they just want to go back to a life where the dangers in the city,
historically one of the more violent places in Mexico, are a known, manageable quantity.
Guillermo Ibarra Escobar, an urban economist at the Autonomous University of Sinaloa and the author of "Culiacan: City of Fear,"
said his research suggests the drug trade and related economic activity represent about 20% of the state's gross domestic product.
With organized crime inextricably intertwined with society and government over the last 30 years through corruption,
collusion and money-laundering, residents have become used to narcos living in their midst.
"Just as the New Yorker accepts the traffic, just as the inhabitant of Mexico City accepts the smog …
the inhabitant of Culiacan knows how to negotiate the day-to-day of ecologies of fear," Ibarra said.
That was ruptured, he argued, by the ill-conceived raid and ferocious response,
and he believes it could be months before a return to the status quo.
Culiacan residents seem about evenly divided over whether authorities did the right thing in surrendering to the cartel,
and Ibarra predicted they will now be less supportive of future anti-cartel operations after this last one turned the city on its ear.
"There is a kind of routine that lets people calculate how they go about their daily lives," Ibarra said,
"that if they're going to take their child (to school) in the morning,
they won't run across a group of narcos that are going to be shooting at each other and might get their child killed."
___
Associated Press writer Andrés Villarreal and video journalist Gerardo Carrillo in Culiacan contributed to this report.
END
Mexico's Culiacan tries to regroup after fierce gunbattles
By PETER ORSI
yesterday
https://apnews.com/0dcc46ad23b641cd9f4b97e9c842a8fe
CULIACAN, Mexico (AP) — A dozen or so charred vehicles sit in a government impound lot outside this northwestern city including a patrol car,
a military pickup and a tractor-trailer, casualties of a recent terrifying shootout between drug gang henchmen and Mexican security forces.
In a central district where the worst of the violence took place, blown-out windows have been replaced and bullet holes are plastered over
on restaurants, convenience stores and a home where the son of Mexico's notorious drug lord was believed to have been holed up.
Those physical scars of the Oct. 17 gunbattles — what's come to be known as "black Thursday" by residents of Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa
and a stronghold of the Sinaloa cartel long led by Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán — are beginning to heal.
But residents are still coming to grips with the worst cartel violence in recent memory, in which 13 people were killed
including at least three innocents caught in the crossfire. More than a week later, it's what's on everyone's lips
, from cab conversations to newspaper editorials, as the city of some 800,000 wonders how to move on.
"For people here in Culiacan, there is a psychosis that it could happen again at any moment,"
said Marco Castillo, a 52-year-old who works in the transportation industry, speaking on the street-side patio of a restaurant
outside of which the gunbattle raged.
"On a social level it is going to leave a scar that will be tarnished by what Culiacan has been through."
Set in an inland valley between the beaches of the Gulf of California and the marijuana plantations of the Sierra Madre Oriental range,
Culiacan is home to major exporters of crops such as tomatoes, chilis and eggplant to U.S. markets.
A low-slung city with few high-rises, its historic center teems with smoky minibuses and families strolling on weekend shopping trips.
Sinaloa has been "El Chapo" territory for about three decades since the cartel was founded, and it's seen dark times.
In 2011, around a high point of Mexico's drug war, nearly 2,000 people were murdered.
But homicides have been on a downward trend more recently with just 695 this year through September, compared with 1,202 for all last year.
So while locals long ago grew accustomed to crime and shootings — mostly between local gangsters — the Oct. 17 firefights were shocking.
Hundreds of gunmen with high-caliber weapons blockaded 19 key intersections and river bridges, setting vehicles aflame
and turning the cityscape into something resembling a war zone with staccato gunfire and columns of smoke rising skyward.
In the face of the fierce response to their ill-fated operation that had cornered Ovidio Guzmán,
federal security officials ordered a retreat and "El Chapo's" son was free to escape.
But the chaos abated only after residents spent hours hunkering down in homes, malls and auto dealerships as the bullets flew.
Outside a car wash where two people died, a smatter of small bloodstains can still be seen on the white exterior wall.
Car wash worker Arturo González Verdugo, 18, said he, too, fears it could happen again and that people of Culiacan are resigned to living with violence.
"I think people are already accustomed to ... the fact that there are bad people," González said. "I don't think it will be forgotten."
Six 24/7 checkpoints have been set up on the main entrances to the city to search for weapons or contraband.
At one, next to a prison where over 50 inmates escaped during the chaos, soldiers and police waved over to the side of the road two young men in a Cooper Mini
with tinted windows and out-of-state plates this weekend.
They peered inside and made the annoyed passenger step out and unzip a backpack.
Clad head-to-toe in police black, a helmet and a heavy flak vest, an officer who was not authorized to speak to the media in an official capacity
said he expects the checkpoints aren't going away any time soon.
Local security officials did not respond to interview requests over the weekend.
There are certainly signs of a return to normalcy.
Hundreds of people came out Saturday to dine and listen to live music on a street off the main square that closes to car traffic at night.
Sinaloa Gov. Quirino Ordaz said state tourism and investment have not been harmed by the shootouts,
which made international news, and that an effort is under way to burnish the state's image.
"It is a team effort," Ordaz was quoted as saying by El Noroeste newspaper.
"We are in the streets, many people are going to the plazas, the malls.
On the contrary, I think Sinaloans are showing the world their great capacity to move ahead."
But plenty remain jittery.
A manager of a restaurant on the street where the worst of the gunbattles took place said business has fallen by 60% since.
Speaking on condition of anonymity for safety reasons,
the manager said restaurateurs like him need government help to clean up the streets and convince people it's safe.
"We want to get back up," the person said. "Recovery is possible."
Ana Paula Inzunza Mascareño, a 35-year-old psychologist, took visitors from out of town to see the city's shrine to Jesús Malverde,
a Robin Hood-like folk saint revered by many in the narco world.
On tables outside, statuettes of Malverde were on sale plus necklaces bearing the images of "El Chapo"
and the Holy Infant of Atocha — Ovidio Guzmán had one of the latter around his neck in a mugshot-like picture
that surfaced purportedly showing him during the chaos.
Inzunza said she was shopping far from the shootouts when she learned about it.
Family members called each other to make sure everyone was safe, and then remained sheltered in their homes.
She's avoiding going out more than necessary and hopes for peace.
"I think a bit more time has to go by," Insunza said.
"Yes, we have entered normalcy in our jobs, schools and everything, but that uncertainty exists, that little fear ... the less we are outside, the better."
Hundreds of people marched Sunday from a soccer stadium parking lot to a riverside park to call for peace.
"We are here to promote peace, unity," Mayor Jesús Estrada Ferreiro said.
Billed as a nonpartisan demonstration, there was little in the way of concrete demands.
Rather, many say they just want to go back to a life where the dangers in the city,
historically one of the more violent places in Mexico, are a known, manageable quantity.
Guillermo Ibarra Escobar, an urban economist at the Autonomous University of Sinaloa and the author of "Culiacan: City of Fear,"
said his research suggests the drug trade and related economic activity represent about 20% of the state's gross domestic product.
With organized crime inextricably intertwined with society and government over the last 30 years through corruption,
collusion and money-laundering, residents have become used to narcos living in their midst.
"Just as the New Yorker accepts the traffic, just as the inhabitant of Mexico City accepts the smog …
the inhabitant of Culiacan knows how to negotiate the day-to-day of ecologies of fear," Ibarra said.
That was ruptured, he argued, by the ill-conceived raid and ferocious response,
and he believes it could be months before a return to the status quo.
Culiacan residents seem about evenly divided over whether authorities did the right thing in surrendering to the cartel,
and Ibarra predicted they will now be less supportive of future anti-cartel operations after this last one turned the city on its ear.
"There is a kind of routine that lets people calculate how they go about their daily lives," Ibarra said,
"that if they're going to take their child (to school) in the morning,
they won't run across a group of narcos that are going to be shooting at each other and might get their child killed."
___
Associated Press writer Andrés Villarreal and video journalist Gerardo Carrillo in Culiacan contributed to this report.
END
AZMEX EXTRA-2 19-10-19
AZMEX EXTRA-2 19 OCT 2019
AMLO and Trump agree to take actions to "freeze" arms trafficking
López Obrador received a call from Trump, who expressed his solidarity with the case of Ovidio Guzmán that unleashed violence in Culiacán.
By El Universal
October 19
https://www.elimparcial.com/mexico/AMLO-y-Trump-acuerdan-tomar-acciones-para-congelar-trafico-de-armas--20191019-0046.html
AMLO and Trump held a phone call where they played the subject of Culiacán, Sinaloa.
OAXACA, Oaxaca.- The presidents of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the United States, Donald Trump,
agreed to take immediate action to "freeze" the traffic of high-power weapons to our country,
such as those used by organized crime last Thursday in Culiacán, Sinaloa,
in the failed operation against Ovidio Guzmán, son of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.
This was reported by Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard Casaubón
when he announced the issues discussed in the telephone conversation between both leaders.
"I want to ask you, said the President (López Obrador) that using technology in the two countries,
we will close, at the border, freeze the arms traffic that is causing casualties in Mexico,
and President Trump's response was that he it seemed very good that it is done based on technology
, "Ebrard said that was one of the issues in the call that both heads of state held this morning.
The Foreign Minister said that the 50-caliber weapons used by criminal groups last Thursday are typical of a war
and had continued the operation against the alleged drug trafficker, he estimated, would have caused more than 200 civilian casualties.
Ebrard Casaubón explained that yesterday an extraordinary work table of the high-level group of Mexico-United States
was held in which the Security Cabinet, its American counterpart, Ambassador Cristhoper Landau,
as well as representatives of the DEA and of The American embassy
They agreed that next week together with the Secretary of Security, Alfonso Durazo and his counterparts from the United States
would meet to present immediate actions to achieve the objective of freezing,
not reducing, freezing arms trafficking to Mexico from the United States.
END
AMLO and Trump agree to take actions to "freeze" arms trafficking
López Obrador received a call from Trump, who expressed his solidarity with the case of Ovidio Guzmán that unleashed violence in Culiacán.
By El Universal
October 19
https://www.elimparcial.com/mexico/AMLO-y-Trump-acuerdan-tomar-acciones-para-congelar-trafico-de-armas--20191019-0046.html
AMLO and Trump held a phone call where they played the subject of Culiacán, Sinaloa.
OAXACA, Oaxaca.- The presidents of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the United States, Donald Trump,
agreed to take immediate action to "freeze" the traffic of high-power weapons to our country,
such as those used by organized crime last Thursday in Culiacán, Sinaloa,
in the failed operation against Ovidio Guzmán, son of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.
This was reported by Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard Casaubón
when he announced the issues discussed in the telephone conversation between both leaders.
"I want to ask you, said the President (López Obrador) that using technology in the two countries,
we will close, at the border, freeze the arms traffic that is causing casualties in Mexico,
and President Trump's response was that he it seemed very good that it is done based on technology
, "Ebrard said that was one of the issues in the call that both heads of state held this morning.
The Foreign Minister said that the 50-caliber weapons used by criminal groups last Thursday are typical of a war
and had continued the operation against the alleged drug trafficker, he estimated, would have caused more than 200 civilian casualties.
Ebrard Casaubón explained that yesterday an extraordinary work table of the high-level group of Mexico-United States
was held in which the Security Cabinet, its American counterpart, Ambassador Cristhoper Landau,
as well as representatives of the DEA and of The American embassy
They agreed that next week together with the Secretary of Security, Alfonso Durazo and his counterparts from the United States
would meet to present immediate actions to achieve the objective of freezing,
not reducing, freezing arms trafficking to Mexico from the United States.
END
AZMEX EXTRA 19-10-19
AZMEX EXTRA 19 OCT 2019
Note: some very interesting details . photos, etc. at the link: Thanks again to Borderland Beat.
Gracias
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Ovidio Guzman: Weapons used by Sinaloa Cartel sicarios in Culiacán, Mexico
Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat TY Doc from ARES
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2019/10/ovidio-guzjman-weapons-used-by-sinaloa.html#more
Yesterday, Mexican law enforcement units, supported by elements of the Mexican military, arrested Ovidio Guzmán López, son of Joaquín "Chapo" Guzmán Loera, during an operation in Colonia Tres Ríos, Culiacán. It remains unclear how targeted this operation was. According to government officials, a patrol came under fire from a house during routine operations and detained Mr. Guzmán López after securing the building.
In response to this arrest, dozens of sicarios ('hitmen'; sometimes translated as 'soldiers') of the Sinaloa cartel unleashed chaos in the streets of Culiacán, the capital of the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Over more than four hours, they set up at least 19 blockades in the streets by seizing large buses and trucks, and setting fire to them. Armed criminals fanned out across much of the city. In effect, they managed to lay siege to the central area near the Humaya and Tamazula rivers. Reinforcements from both government (military, federal and state police, and Guardia Nacional) and cartel units streamed towards the area, but were hampered by roadblocks.
After a series of intense shootouts resulting in casualties on both sides, government forces released Mr. Guzmán López. Reports of kidnapped Mexican soldiers and police and military family members spread via WhatsApp channels monitored by ARES, followed by voice messages stating that the "patrón" was finally being released. During the operation at least six sicarios were killed. It seems that a prison heist was also staged, facilitating the escape of more than 40 criminals. According to government statements, at least 14 different shoot-outs took place, and a small unit of Mexican soldiers appears to have been captured and later released.
Sicarios were equipped with a mix of small arms. These include a range of both AK (primarily 7.62 × 39 mm; at least one 5.56 × 45 mm example was observed) and AR-15 (5.56 × 45 mm) platform rifles, as well as FN Herstal Minimi / M249 SAW belt-fed machine guns (5.56 × 45 mm), and handguns including Beretta and Glock models. Many of the AK rifles had features consistent with Romanian origin. At least one M72-series shoulder-fired rocket launcher and two unidentified revolvers were also observed. Following the woundings and capture of police and military members, it is possible cartel forces have acquired additional firepower. Videos purported to show at least two captured weapons: an AR-type rifle and a short-barrelled FX-05 Xihucóatl.
Body armour and load-bearing equipment were used by many cartel members, including examples marked 'Marina' (Marines) or 'Policía Estatal' (State Police). Even ballistic helmets were seen in use. Modern optics, including AimPoint types and the distinctive Vism ECO 4×34 model were seen. Other firearms accessories were also observed, including laser aiming modules; aftermarket furniture such as fore-ends, stocks, vertical grips; and white lights. Many sicarios were observed carrying small UHF radios. The cartel operated primarily from white-coloured vehicles, with some sources indicated that as many as 50 vehicles may have been stolen to facilitate the cartel response.
Despite this range of personal weaponry and equipment, the cartel's firepower superiority inside the city was achieve due to light weapons, and especially the employment of technicals: civilian pick-up trucks used to carry heavy machine guns. At least four different technicals were used during the incident, with one being disabled by government forces. It's noteworthy that the disabled technical is the one with a gunner cupola on it, which negates a clear advantage that these technicals exploit: being able to pass visually as civilian vehicles until they manoeuvre to firing positions, and later merge again into traffic. Several more technicals were observed moving toward the affected area during and following the most intense periods of fighting.
.50 BMG (12.7 × 99 mm) calibre heavy machine guns have historically been used by cartels to disable armoured vehicles, belonging to both police and military units, and those belonging to other cartels and criminal groups. Weapon chambered for this calibre are also much more effective against targets in cover, especially in an urban environment, than small arms fire. These are also the primary reasons for the acquisition and use of .50 BMG anti-materiel rifles. In Culiacán, several M2-type heavy machine guns were observed fitted to the technicals described above. In addition, at least one Barrett M82-series anti-material rifle was employed. One .30 calibre M1919 machine gun was also seen.
Access to light weapons and the platforms to deploy them provided a significant advantage. Range, accuracy, and anti-armour capability can provide a tremendous advantage in an urban area, especially where government forces were restricted in their ability to reinforce units in the besieged area. Numbers and violence of action, supported by capabilities traditionally associated with non-state actors in areas of open conflict, gave the upper hand to the Sinaloa cartel.
Editor's Note: Readers should be aware that an unusually large number of false posts have been associated with the incident in Culiacán. These include images and video from movies, TV shows, and various other incidents in Mexico and elsewhere around the world, presented as being from this incident. Numerous sources have also presented images of police personnel, including plainclothes personnel, as sicarios. The material presented herein has been subjected to an abbreviated verification process, in order to keep this article timely. Readers are advised accordingly. ARES is currently preparing more detailed analyses for our clients. At the time of publication, sporadic clashes are continuing. New information may not be reflected in this article.
With thanks to confidential sources in Mexico, @abraxasspa and @on_point_skillz. All images sourced from Mexican social media via the ARES CONMAT Database. Header image from MbS News.
End
Note: some very interesting details . photos, etc. at the link: Thanks again to Borderland Beat.
Gracias
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Ovidio Guzman: Weapons used by Sinaloa Cartel sicarios in Culiacán, Mexico
Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat TY Doc from ARES
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2019/10/ovidio-guzjman-weapons-used-by-sinaloa.html#more
Yesterday, Mexican law enforcement units, supported by elements of the Mexican military, arrested Ovidio Guzmán López, son of Joaquín "Chapo" Guzmán Loera, during an operation in Colonia Tres Ríos, Culiacán. It remains unclear how targeted this operation was. According to government officials, a patrol came under fire from a house during routine operations and detained Mr. Guzmán López after securing the building.
In response to this arrest, dozens of sicarios ('hitmen'; sometimes translated as 'soldiers') of the Sinaloa cartel unleashed chaos in the streets of Culiacán, the capital of the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Over more than four hours, they set up at least 19 blockades in the streets by seizing large buses and trucks, and setting fire to them. Armed criminals fanned out across much of the city. In effect, they managed to lay siege to the central area near the Humaya and Tamazula rivers. Reinforcements from both government (military, federal and state police, and Guardia Nacional) and cartel units streamed towards the area, but were hampered by roadblocks.
After a series of intense shootouts resulting in casualties on both sides, government forces released Mr. Guzmán López. Reports of kidnapped Mexican soldiers and police and military family members spread via WhatsApp channels monitored by ARES, followed by voice messages stating that the "patrón" was finally being released. During the operation at least six sicarios were killed. It seems that a prison heist was also staged, facilitating the escape of more than 40 criminals. According to government statements, at least 14 different shoot-outs took place, and a small unit of Mexican soldiers appears to have been captured and later released.
Sicarios were equipped with a mix of small arms. These include a range of both AK (primarily 7.62 × 39 mm; at least one 5.56 × 45 mm example was observed) and AR-15 (5.56 × 45 mm) platform rifles, as well as FN Herstal Minimi / M249 SAW belt-fed machine guns (5.56 × 45 mm), and handguns including Beretta and Glock models. Many of the AK rifles had features consistent with Romanian origin. At least one M72-series shoulder-fired rocket launcher and two unidentified revolvers were also observed. Following the woundings and capture of police and military members, it is possible cartel forces have acquired additional firepower. Videos purported to show at least two captured weapons: an AR-type rifle and a short-barrelled FX-05 Xihucóatl.
Body armour and load-bearing equipment were used by many cartel members, including examples marked 'Marina' (Marines) or 'Policía Estatal' (State Police). Even ballistic helmets were seen in use. Modern optics, including AimPoint types and the distinctive Vism ECO 4×34 model were seen. Other firearms accessories were also observed, including laser aiming modules; aftermarket furniture such as fore-ends, stocks, vertical grips; and white lights. Many sicarios were observed carrying small UHF radios. The cartel operated primarily from white-coloured vehicles, with some sources indicated that as many as 50 vehicles may have been stolen to facilitate the cartel response.
Despite this range of personal weaponry and equipment, the cartel's firepower superiority inside the city was achieve due to light weapons, and especially the employment of technicals: civilian pick-up trucks used to carry heavy machine guns. At least four different technicals were used during the incident, with one being disabled by government forces. It's noteworthy that the disabled technical is the one with a gunner cupola on it, which negates a clear advantage that these technicals exploit: being able to pass visually as civilian vehicles until they manoeuvre to firing positions, and later merge again into traffic. Several more technicals were observed moving toward the affected area during and following the most intense periods of fighting.
.50 BMG (12.7 × 99 mm) calibre heavy machine guns have historically been used by cartels to disable armoured vehicles, belonging to both police and military units, and those belonging to other cartels and criminal groups. Weapon chambered for this calibre are also much more effective against targets in cover, especially in an urban environment, than small arms fire. These are also the primary reasons for the acquisition and use of .50 BMG anti-materiel rifles. In Culiacán, several M2-type heavy machine guns were observed fitted to the technicals described above. In addition, at least one Barrett M82-series anti-material rifle was employed. One .30 calibre M1919 machine gun was also seen.
Access to light weapons and the platforms to deploy them provided a significant advantage. Range, accuracy, and anti-armour capability can provide a tremendous advantage in an urban area, especially where government forces were restricted in their ability to reinforce units in the besieged area. Numbers and violence of action, supported by capabilities traditionally associated with non-state actors in areas of open conflict, gave the upper hand to the Sinaloa cartel.
Editor's Note: Readers should be aware that an unusually large number of false posts have been associated with the incident in Culiacán. These include images and video from movies, TV shows, and various other incidents in Mexico and elsewhere around the world, presented as being from this incident. Numerous sources have also presented images of police personnel, including plainclothes personnel, as sicarios. The material presented herein has been subjected to an abbreviated verification process, in order to keep this article timely. Readers are advised accordingly. ARES is currently preparing more detailed analyses for our clients. At the time of publication, sporadic clashes are continuing. New information may not be reflected in this article.
With thanks to confidential sources in Mexico, @abraxasspa and @on_point_skillz. All images sourced from Mexican social media via the ARES CONMAT Database. Header image from MbS News.
End
Friday, October 25, 2019
AZMEX EXTRA 25-10-19
AZMEX EXTRA 25 OCT 2019
Note: photo at link:
Best contribution from the US to Mexico: stop the arms trafficking
Details Published on Friday, October 25, 2019,
Written by Notimex
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=138267
CDMX
The head of the SRE, Marcelo Ebrard, considers that this is better than the delivery of weapons or helicopters; asks the US to monitor its border line to avoid arms trafficking
Foreign Secretary (SRE), Marcelo Ebrard, said that the most important contribution that the United States government can make in the fight against crime is not that it gives Mexico weapons or helicopters, but that it stops the illegal arms traffic .
At the morning press conference of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the foreign minister indicated that the illicit arms trade determines the fire capacity of the adversary of the institutions responsible for public security in Mexico and therefore, said,
(stop that traffic ) would be the most important contribution that the US government can make.
In National Palace, he commented that a meeting was held on Monday attended by the head of the Secretariats of Citizen Protection, National Defense and Marine, as well as the National Guard, which was attended by the United States ambassador to Mexico , Christopher Landau, and his team, to know specifically what that country will do in the fight against arms.
He recalled that since August 27, when there was still no ambassador, there was a high-level group to establish a security strategy with the U.S. and Mexico put their proposals on the table.
"For Mexico, there is a real effort by the United States to reduce illicit arms trafficking" and to do its homework on security in the area of security in the border area that corresponds to it, he said.
He commented that at the meeting this Monday, the Ministry of Public Safety presented a catalog of weapons, not only for what happened last week in Culiacán, Sinaloa, but for the recount that was made so far this year on this issue.
Marcelo Ebrard mentioned that next week, the Secretariat will share the catalog of weapons, the United States measures to stop traffic and what Mexico has done on the matter, in a coordinated manner with customs and other instances.
What is involved is to prevent illicit arms trafficking, what we ask the United States is to monitor its border and that they review what they see passing to the Mexican side, as Mexico does from its territory, he said.
END
Note: photo at link:
Best contribution from the US to Mexico: stop the arms trafficking
Details Published on Friday, October 25, 2019,
Written by Notimex
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=138267
CDMX
The head of the SRE, Marcelo Ebrard, considers that this is better than the delivery of weapons or helicopters; asks the US to monitor its border line to avoid arms trafficking
Foreign Secretary (SRE), Marcelo Ebrard, said that the most important contribution that the United States government can make in the fight against crime is not that it gives Mexico weapons or helicopters, but that it stops the illegal arms traffic .
At the morning press conference of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the foreign minister indicated that the illicit arms trade determines the fire capacity of the adversary of the institutions responsible for public security in Mexico and therefore, said,
(stop that traffic ) would be the most important contribution that the US government can make.
In National Palace, he commented that a meeting was held on Monday attended by the head of the Secretariats of Citizen Protection, National Defense and Marine, as well as the National Guard, which was attended by the United States ambassador to Mexico , Christopher Landau, and his team, to know specifically what that country will do in the fight against arms.
He recalled that since August 27, when there was still no ambassador, there was a high-level group to establish a security strategy with the U.S. and Mexico put their proposals on the table.
"For Mexico, there is a real effort by the United States to reduce illicit arms trafficking" and to do its homework on security in the area of security in the border area that corresponds to it, he said.
He commented that at the meeting this Monday, the Ministry of Public Safety presented a catalog of weapons, not only for what happened last week in Culiacán, Sinaloa, but for the recount that was made so far this year on this issue.
Marcelo Ebrard mentioned that next week, the Secretariat will share the catalog of weapons, the United States measures to stop traffic and what Mexico has done on the matter, in a coordinated manner with customs and other instances.
What is involved is to prevent illicit arms trafficking, what we ask the United States is to monitor its border and that they review what they see passing to the Mexican side, as Mexico does from its territory, he said.
END
Thursday, October 24, 2019
AZMEX SPECIAL 24-10-19
AZMEX SPECIAL 24 OCT 2019
Note: Thanks to the good guys at Borderland Beat. AMLO is, of course, a leftist.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Narco Suspicions Against AMLO
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2019/10/narco-suspicions-against-amlo.html#more
In a low voice, Mexico has been talking, for a long time,
about the peculiar relationship of the Government of President López Obrador with the drug cartels,
particularly with the one headed by Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán (now imprisoned for life and convicted in the United States), the Sinaloa Cartel.
The comments rose in tone after the serious incidents of last Thursday, when the city of Culiacán was held by the cartel for several hours
and subtracted authority of the Mexican State.
Culiacán is not just any city: it is the capital of the state of Sinaloa and has about 900,000 inhabitants (a population similar to the total of Cyprus,
a third more than the total of Luxembourg, almost three times that of Iceland,
or similar to cities like San Francisco or Indianapolis in the United States),
with a state GDP per capita of 148,680 pesos per year, equivalent to $7,780 US dollars (data from INEGI 2017),
lower than the Mexican average but higher than that of India, for example.
It is therefore not a city without importance, isolated or marginal.
The city of Culiacán, Sinaloa was taken hostage by the Sinaloa Cartel, last Thursday, October 17
, in order to achieve the release of the son of "El Chapo", Ovidio Guzman,
apparently arrested by the Mexican Government in an operation at his girlfriend's house
to complete an extradition request from the United States Government.
The aforementioned operation was conducted by the new National Guard, with only 30 elements,
without an arrest warrant or strategy, without communication or request for support with the Army or local authorities.
In response, it only took the cartel 15 minutes to change to a small but fearfully armed army, surround the National Guard,
control the city through blockades and threaten the housing unit where the families of soldiers from the military headquarters in the region live.
In the end, after a few hours,
López Obrador's government had to hand over Ovidio Guzmán to them, to restore order in the city and cease the threats of the cartel.
In this manner, the Cartel demonstrated to his own and strangers that it can easily destabilize the Mexican Government,
paralyze and kidnap any city in the country, attack the Army with impunity in their own homes
and subject the population at will through terror and blackmail. In view of the ease and its results,
it would not be uncommon to see other similar cases soon.
In his apology, López Obrador argues that by freeing the son of the boss he saved thousands of lives. Maybe.
But it should not be forgotten that he himself and his Government were who first put them in grave danger,
with an insufficient, chaotic and improvised operation.
So thanking or cheering for your decision is a nonsense: it means rewarding incapable planning and failed execution of the operation,
parts of a public safety strategy that simply does not work.
It is to excuse irresponsibility. It is to agree with a ridiculous rule of law.
It is as the old Mexican adage goes: to want to cover the sun with a finger, to defend a government
that to those who were in the middle of the shooting or hiding and terrified in their homes or jobs, simply does not help them.
It is fooling ourselves.
Governor of Sinaloa with Pres Lopez Obrador
The Government of López Obrador simply does not work, public institutions have been inoperative and overwhelmed.
This, in principle, by the inability of a government that does not distinguish between the use of force to repress
and its use to enforce the rights of life, property and freedom of its fellow citizens.
López Obrador does not seem to understand that not every use of government force is repression.
In this sense, avoiding deaths happens precisely by preserving the individual rights of citizens.
Otherwise, given the manifest incapacity, allow citizens to arm themselves and defend themselves, on their own.
On the sidelines, however, it is urgent in Mexico to legislate for the free acquisition and carrying of firearms.
What happened in Culiacán would be a great negligence and incapacity of López Obrador and his government.
But it could also mean something else, different, intentional.
Therefore, we must ask ourselves the question that many today can only think:
Was López Obrador financed by the Cartel at some point in his long political career,
which would force him to preferential treatment at least towards that cartel?
Maybe.
The opacity of his personal income in the last 14 years, the suspicion about the resources of his different campaigns,
the endless scandals about his financing (Bejarano, Mandoki, contracts in the government of Marcelo Ebrard,
the «voluntary cooperations» to the PRD and MORENA of government employees or Eva Cadena)
speak at least of an unscrupulous handling in financial matters.
A preferential treatment to the Sinaloa cartel can be traced at least from the management of immigration privileges
for the mother of "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera, Consuelo Loera, so that she could visit her son in the United States,
and López Obrador's condolences for the conviction of the narco criminal:
"Nobody deserves something like that," López Obrador said, untouched by the fate of the multi assassin.
Or that the "lopezobradorista" Security Secretary himself possesses properties that once belonged to drug traffickers,
or that in other posts he has employed characters linked to the cartels
or that one of his children has shared a school classroom with Ovidio Guzmán himself. ( The Security Secretary, ie)
Like cherry on the cake, there was the press conference of the lawyers of the Guzmán Loera family,
thanking President López Obrador for having released Ovidio.
We saw criminals thanking a president publicly in a media show for not arresting a known criminal with an extradition warrant ?
On top of all that they invited him to their operations center, Badiraguato,
to celebrate it and inaugurate a university for which the Guzmán family will fund!
All this throws a disturbing suspicion, which transcends the possible inability of the government:
the operation to detain Ovidio Guzman was planned and deliberately executed to fail.
Thus, the president sought to look good with the cartel,
externally earning the animosity of the United States Government.
He simply tried to look good with God and the Devil.
In the end, whether it was an operation "planned" for incompetence or ill-intentioned,
the serious thing is the message it sends to the other drug cartels
(some with much greater fire capacity than that of Sinaloa)
and other criminal groups: anything goes against an accomplice kneeling government.
So what happened last Thursday, will happen again, sooner or later,
and perhaps more seriously, to everyone's misfortune.
Sol Prendido for Borderland Beat from: Lapolaka
End
Note: Thanks to the good guys at Borderland Beat. AMLO is, of course, a leftist.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Narco Suspicions Against AMLO
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2019/10/narco-suspicions-against-amlo.html#more
In a low voice, Mexico has been talking, for a long time,
about the peculiar relationship of the Government of President López Obrador with the drug cartels,
particularly with the one headed by Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán (now imprisoned for life and convicted in the United States), the Sinaloa Cartel.
The comments rose in tone after the serious incidents of last Thursday, when the city of Culiacán was held by the cartel for several hours
and subtracted authority of the Mexican State.
Culiacán is not just any city: it is the capital of the state of Sinaloa and has about 900,000 inhabitants (a population similar to the total of Cyprus,
a third more than the total of Luxembourg, almost three times that of Iceland,
or similar to cities like San Francisco or Indianapolis in the United States),
with a state GDP per capita of 148,680 pesos per year, equivalent to $7,780 US dollars (data from INEGI 2017),
lower than the Mexican average but higher than that of India, for example.
It is therefore not a city without importance, isolated or marginal.
The city of Culiacán, Sinaloa was taken hostage by the Sinaloa Cartel, last Thursday, October 17
, in order to achieve the release of the son of "El Chapo", Ovidio Guzman,
apparently arrested by the Mexican Government in an operation at his girlfriend's house
to complete an extradition request from the United States Government.
The aforementioned operation was conducted by the new National Guard, with only 30 elements,
without an arrest warrant or strategy, without communication or request for support with the Army or local authorities.
In response, it only took the cartel 15 minutes to change to a small but fearfully armed army, surround the National Guard,
control the city through blockades and threaten the housing unit where the families of soldiers from the military headquarters in the region live.
In the end, after a few hours,
López Obrador's government had to hand over Ovidio Guzmán to them, to restore order in the city and cease the threats of the cartel.
In this manner, the Cartel demonstrated to his own and strangers that it can easily destabilize the Mexican Government,
paralyze and kidnap any city in the country, attack the Army with impunity in their own homes
and subject the population at will through terror and blackmail. In view of the ease and its results,
it would not be uncommon to see other similar cases soon.
In his apology, López Obrador argues that by freeing the son of the boss he saved thousands of lives. Maybe.
But it should not be forgotten that he himself and his Government were who first put them in grave danger,
with an insufficient, chaotic and improvised operation.
So thanking or cheering for your decision is a nonsense: it means rewarding incapable planning and failed execution of the operation,
parts of a public safety strategy that simply does not work.
It is to excuse irresponsibility. It is to agree with a ridiculous rule of law.
It is as the old Mexican adage goes: to want to cover the sun with a finger, to defend a government
that to those who were in the middle of the shooting or hiding and terrified in their homes or jobs, simply does not help them.
It is fooling ourselves.
Governor of Sinaloa with Pres Lopez Obrador
The Government of López Obrador simply does not work, public institutions have been inoperative and overwhelmed.
This, in principle, by the inability of a government that does not distinguish between the use of force to repress
and its use to enforce the rights of life, property and freedom of its fellow citizens.
López Obrador does not seem to understand that not every use of government force is repression.
In this sense, avoiding deaths happens precisely by preserving the individual rights of citizens.
Otherwise, given the manifest incapacity, allow citizens to arm themselves and defend themselves, on their own.
On the sidelines, however, it is urgent in Mexico to legislate for the free acquisition and carrying of firearms.
What happened in Culiacán would be a great negligence and incapacity of López Obrador and his government.
But it could also mean something else, different, intentional.
Therefore, we must ask ourselves the question that many today can only think:
Was López Obrador financed by the Cartel at some point in his long political career,
which would force him to preferential treatment at least towards that cartel?
Maybe.
The opacity of his personal income in the last 14 years, the suspicion about the resources of his different campaigns,
the endless scandals about his financing (Bejarano, Mandoki, contracts in the government of Marcelo Ebrard,
the «voluntary cooperations» to the PRD and MORENA of government employees or Eva Cadena)
speak at least of an unscrupulous handling in financial matters.
A preferential treatment to the Sinaloa cartel can be traced at least from the management of immigration privileges
for the mother of "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera, Consuelo Loera, so that she could visit her son in the United States,
and López Obrador's condolences for the conviction of the narco criminal:
"Nobody deserves something like that," López Obrador said, untouched by the fate of the multi assassin.
Or that the "lopezobradorista" Security Secretary himself possesses properties that once belonged to drug traffickers,
or that in other posts he has employed characters linked to the cartels
or that one of his children has shared a school classroom with Ovidio Guzmán himself. ( The Security Secretary, ie)
Like cherry on the cake, there was the press conference of the lawyers of the Guzmán Loera family,
thanking President López Obrador for having released Ovidio.
We saw criminals thanking a president publicly in a media show for not arresting a known criminal with an extradition warrant ?
On top of all that they invited him to their operations center, Badiraguato,
to celebrate it and inaugurate a university for which the Guzmán family will fund!
All this throws a disturbing suspicion, which transcends the possible inability of the government:
the operation to detain Ovidio Guzman was planned and deliberately executed to fail.
Thus, the president sought to look good with the cartel,
externally earning the animosity of the United States Government.
He simply tried to look good with God and the Devil.
In the end, whether it was an operation "planned" for incompetence or ill-intentioned,
the serious thing is the message it sends to the other drug cartels
(some with much greater fire capacity than that of Sinaloa)
and other criminal groups: anything goes against an accomplice kneeling government.
So what happened last Thursday, will happen again, sooner or later,
and perhaps more seriously, to everyone's misfortune.
Sol Prendido for Borderland Beat from: Lapolaka
End
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
AZMEX SPECIAL 23-10-19
AZMEX SPECIAL 23 OCT 2019
El Chapo's son believed to be hiding out in Mexico after release
by Yami VirginTuesday, October 22nd 2019
https://kfoxtv.com/news/nation-world/el-chapos-son-believed-to-be-hiding-out-in-mexico-after-release
SAN ANTONIO — Unlike his father, El Chapo's younger son, Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, only lasted a few hours in custody.
He was captured and released last week when the Mexican government claimed it was "too dangerous" to keep him in custody.
The video of the scene gives an idea of what happened after his arrest.
Thursday, "El Raton" or "Raton Nuevo" was found in his home by Mexican law enforcement.
Although he was released by the Mexican government, it hasn't changed anything here in the states
where El Chapo's son continue to be on the DEA's most wanted list.
"El Chapo Guzman's son Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar has been involved in narcotics trade, involved with his father,
trafficking cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, across the southwest border," DEA Agent Dante Sorianello said.
Guzman-Salazar has been charged federally out of Illinois with conspiring to distribute
cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana from Mexico and other countries into the United States.
Authorities said they believe he's hiding out in Mexico.
So is there an amount of time before a warrant just disappears and the DEA doesn't find them?
"No it will stay on the books," Sorianello said. "To have it removed from the books or a warrant removed
you would have to request dismissal charges."
If he is arrested in Mexico again, and not released again as the Mexican president has promised,
the United States would ask for them to be extradited
and be brought to justice here in the U.S.
following in the footsteps of their father El Chapo.
END
El Chapo's son believed to be hiding out in Mexico after release
by Yami VirginTuesday, October 22nd 2019
https://kfoxtv.com/news/nation-world/el-chapos-son-believed-to-be-hiding-out-in-mexico-after-release
SAN ANTONIO — Unlike his father, El Chapo's younger son, Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, only lasted a few hours in custody.
He was captured and released last week when the Mexican government claimed it was "too dangerous" to keep him in custody.
The video of the scene gives an idea of what happened after his arrest.
Thursday, "El Raton" or "Raton Nuevo" was found in his home by Mexican law enforcement.
Although he was released by the Mexican government, it hasn't changed anything here in the states
where El Chapo's son continue to be on the DEA's most wanted list.
"El Chapo Guzman's son Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar has been involved in narcotics trade, involved with his father,
trafficking cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, across the southwest border," DEA Agent Dante Sorianello said.
Guzman-Salazar has been charged federally out of Illinois with conspiring to distribute
cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana from Mexico and other countries into the United States.
Authorities said they believe he's hiding out in Mexico.
So is there an amount of time before a warrant just disappears and the DEA doesn't find them?
"No it will stay on the books," Sorianello said. "To have it removed from the books or a warrant removed
you would have to request dismissal charges."
If he is arrested in Mexico again, and not released again as the Mexican president has promised,
the United States would ask for them to be extradited
and be brought to justice here in the U.S.
following in the footsteps of their father El Chapo.
END
Fwd: [FWD: Mexico Proves it]
Note: another "Need to Read"Thx
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Mexico Proves it
From: "Gun Dynamics" <news@gundynamics.com>
Date: Wed, October 23, 2019 10:47 am
To:
VIEW IN BROWSER
Patriot,
Mexico undeniably fits the definition of a failed state. Last Thursday the Mexican government launched a poorly planned operation in Culiacán, Sinaloa to capture, Ovidio Guzman, a son of jailed Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman. The operation was a total failure.
Ovidio Guzman was taken captive by the Mexican Military and an all-out battle ensued. The Mexican military underestimated the Sinaloa Cartel's rapid response. The cartel blockaded streets and patrolled Culiacán with Kalashnikovs and .50 caliber machine guns mounted on trucks. Government forces were surrounded by the cartel and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador order the military to release Guzman and called for peace. Lopez Obrador said, "This decision was taken to protect citizens. You cannot fight fire with fire," Obrador continued, "We do not want deaths. We do not want war."
This is a weak president negotiating from a weak position. The President of Mexico admitted that the Sinaloa Cartel could launch a war against the country. Who has control of Mexico?!
Politicians and "journalists" are already pointing the finger at U.S. gun laws. But, few blame systemic corruption in Mexico, the illegal drug trade, the porous border, or culture. You the law-abiding armed citizen are the problem.
Culiacán should be the final wakeup call for U.S. politicians. But it won't be. Politicians will continue to call for the disarmament of the Americans while the border remains open.
If the Mexican State of Sinaloa has been coopted by the cartels, what gives lawmaker the hubris to think that the United States will remain unaffected by violence?
It's immoral to ask citizens to disarm while the border remains open.
With your help, Gun Dynamics advocates politically and technically on behalf of the armed citizen. We provide the platform to crowdfund for gun entrepreneurs and alert you to the latest in gun politics. Together we will work to keep the individual armed and free.
For Freedom,
Larry Lapota
Gun Dynamics, President
P.S. The Sinaloa Cartel doesn't care if there is a border and neither do U.S. politicians. Stay vigilant and help Gun Dynamics' efforts to bring the citizen the latest in Gun Technology.
Gun Dynamics
211 Greenwood Avenue, STE 150
Bethel, CT 06801
USA
info@gundynamics.com©2018, All Rights Reserved
VIEW IN BROWSER
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
AZMEX SPECIAL 18-10-19
AZMEX SPECIAL 18 OCT 2019
El Chapo's family to cover costs of those killed in botched arrest
A civilian, a member of the National Guard, an escaped inmate and five cartel henchmen were among those who died.
Saturday 19 October 2019 06:04, UK
• MEXICO
https://news.sky.com/story/mexico-admits-failure-as-eight-die-in-attempt-to-arrest-el-chapos-son-11839132
The family of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman have said they will cover the expenses of those injured and killed
during a failed attempt to capture his son in Mexico.
At least eight died and more than 20 were injured after National Guard officers were overpowered by heavily armed gangsters
as they tried to apprehend Ovidio Guzman on charges of trafficking cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana.
Jose Luis Gonzalez Mesa, a lawyer for Guzman's family, said:
"The family apologises to the people of Sinaloa, and particularly to the people of Culiacan.
However many there were, man, no problem, they will help them economically."
A civilian, a member of the National Guard, an escaped inmate and five attackers were among those who lost their lives,
and officials fear the death toll could rise.
Image:
Cartel gunmen took control of the city following the shootout
Ovidio Guzman ended up walking free as the police retreated to prevent loss of life.
A heavy gun battle took place on the streets of the city following the botched operation,
with members of Guzman's cartel attempting to take control of the city from security forces.
Mexico's government has admitted that the operation was bungled - and at a news conference on Friday,
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said:
"The capture of one criminal cannot be worth more than the lives of people.
You cannot fight fire with fire. We do not want deaths. We do not want war."
More from Mexico
• El Chapo's son arrested - then escapes as cartel overpowers police in gun fight
• 13 police officers killed in ambush by gunmen from drug cartel
• Mexican mayor dragged through streets by angry villagers on truck
• Mexico City rollercoaster deaths: Two killed after carriage flips over
• Gunmen steal £2m worth of gold coins and valuables from federal mint in Mexico City
• Peter Chadwick: Property investor on the run over wife's murder arrested in Mexico
Lopez Obrador has been fiercely criticised by security experts for his stance,
as it could encourage copycat incidents and more bloodshed in future.
Image:
Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman is now serving a life sentence at a supermax prison in the US
Mike Vigil, a former executive at the US Drug Enforcement Administration,
described the violence as a "massive black eye" for Mexico's government, adding:
"This is going to set an example for the other groups.
"It sends them the message that if they capture a member of the cartel,
all they have to do is go in the city and intimidate the citizenry and security forces."
Mexico's defence minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval admitted:
"It was done hastily, the consequences were not considered, the riskiest part wasn't taken into account."
Security minister Alfonso Durazo also acknowledged the National Guard's sting was a "failure" -
and he said that he and top brass in the military had not been informed about the operation owing to a bureaucratic error.
El Chapo's son escapes arrest amid gunfight
During the unrest, cartel gunmen blocked main roads and seizing toll booths,
with others occupying major junctions.
Some of the cartel gunmen even turned their fire on to a housing complex where the wives and children of soldiers live,
in an effort to show their power and influence.
As a result of the frenzy in the city, 56 inmates at the local prison rioted,
seized weapons and escaped, with 49 still at large on Friday.
Lopez Obrador set up the National Guard to replace the federal police and take in thousands of soldiers,
but instead many of them are working an immigration beat
as a result of US President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal migration through the country and over the country's shared border.
The shootout became the third clash in less than a week between police and cartel gunmen.
END
El Chapo's family to cover costs of those killed in botched arrest
A civilian, a member of the National Guard, an escaped inmate and five cartel henchmen were among those who died.
Saturday 19 October 2019 06:04, UK
• MEXICO
https://news.sky.com/story/mexico-admits-failure-as-eight-die-in-attempt-to-arrest-el-chapos-son-11839132
The family of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman have said they will cover the expenses of those injured and killed
during a failed attempt to capture his son in Mexico.
At least eight died and more than 20 were injured after National Guard officers were overpowered by heavily armed gangsters
as they tried to apprehend Ovidio Guzman on charges of trafficking cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana.
Jose Luis Gonzalez Mesa, a lawyer for Guzman's family, said:
"The family apologises to the people of Sinaloa, and particularly to the people of Culiacan.
However many there were, man, no problem, they will help them economically."
A civilian, a member of the National Guard, an escaped inmate and five attackers were among those who lost their lives,
and officials fear the death toll could rise.
Image:
Cartel gunmen took control of the city following the shootout
Ovidio Guzman ended up walking free as the police retreated to prevent loss of life.
A heavy gun battle took place on the streets of the city following the botched operation,
with members of Guzman's cartel attempting to take control of the city from security forces.
Mexico's government has admitted that the operation was bungled - and at a news conference on Friday,
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said:
"The capture of one criminal cannot be worth more than the lives of people.
You cannot fight fire with fire. We do not want deaths. We do not want war."
More from Mexico
• El Chapo's son arrested - then escapes as cartel overpowers police in gun fight
• 13 police officers killed in ambush by gunmen from drug cartel
• Mexican mayor dragged through streets by angry villagers on truck
• Mexico City rollercoaster deaths: Two killed after carriage flips over
• Gunmen steal £2m worth of gold coins and valuables from federal mint in Mexico City
• Peter Chadwick: Property investor on the run over wife's murder arrested in Mexico
Lopez Obrador has been fiercely criticised by security experts for his stance,
as it could encourage copycat incidents and more bloodshed in future.
Image:
Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman is now serving a life sentence at a supermax prison in the US
Mike Vigil, a former executive at the US Drug Enforcement Administration,
described the violence as a "massive black eye" for Mexico's government, adding:
"This is going to set an example for the other groups.
"It sends them the message that if they capture a member of the cartel,
all they have to do is go in the city and intimidate the citizenry and security forces."
Mexico's defence minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval admitted:
"It was done hastily, the consequences were not considered, the riskiest part wasn't taken into account."
Security minister Alfonso Durazo also acknowledged the National Guard's sting was a "failure" -
and he said that he and top brass in the military had not been informed about the operation owing to a bureaucratic error.
El Chapo's son escapes arrest amid gunfight
During the unrest, cartel gunmen blocked main roads and seizing toll booths,
with others occupying major junctions.
Some of the cartel gunmen even turned their fire on to a housing complex where the wives and children of soldiers live,
in an effort to show their power and influence.
As a result of the frenzy in the city, 56 inmates at the local prison rioted,
seized weapons and escaped, with 49 still at large on Friday.
Lopez Obrador set up the National Guard to replace the federal police and take in thousands of soldiers,
but instead many of them are working an immigration beat
as a result of US President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal migration through the country and over the country's shared border.
The shootout became the third clash in less than a week between police and cartel gunmen.
END
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
AZMEX UPDATE 8-10-19
AZMEX UPDATE 8 OCT 2019
Border Patrol agent found dead while on duty in Arizona
BY KTAR.COM | OCTOBER 7, 2019 AT 11:00 AM
UPDATED: OCTOBER 7, 2019 AT 6:47 PM
https://ktar.com/story/2780035/border-patrol-agent-found-dead-while-on-duty-in-arizona/
PHOENIX – A U.S. Border Patrol agent died after apparently falling and hitting his head while on duty in a remote part of southern Arizona on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
Robert Hotten, 44, was responding to sensor activity on Mount Washington when he stopped communicating with fellow agents via radio, Tucson Sector Chief Border Patrol Agent Roy Villareal said during a news conference Monday.
"The agents began to search for him, found him unresponsive and then immediately began lifesaving efforts," Villareal said.
Hotten couldn't be airlifted because of the rugged terrain in the area, Villareal said, and it was difficult to get medical equipment to him.
"It appears that he had fallen and may have hit his head on some rocks. … At this stage we're not sure if that was the cause of death or if there was some other underlying effect," Villareal said. (?).
Agents wound up hiking up the mountain with a defibrillator and rescue basket in efforts to safe Hotten's life, he said.
They eventually carried Hotten for 25 minutes in the basket, known as a litter, to where he could be airlifted. He was transported to a hospital in Nogales, where he was pronounced dead.
"The effort that was put forward by the agents out there was heroic," Villareal said, noting that the rescue attempt went on for several hours.
Hotton, who is survived by a wife and son, is the 14th Tucson Sector border agent to die in the line of duty, Villareal said.
Villareal said a group of around seven migrants in the country illegally apparently set off the sensor that Hotten and two other agents responded to. One person was taken into custody, he said.
The FBI was investigating the incident, he said.
Agent Joe Curran told KTAR News 92.3 FM that Hotten was found south of Patagonia, about 18 miles northeast of Nogales.
"Anytime one of our own passes away in the line of duty, it's just a stark reminder of the dangers that all our Border Patrol agents face day in and day out in doing this job," Curran said.
Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan
✔
@CBPMarkMorgan
Last night, we lost one of our own, U.S. Border Patrol Agent Robert Hotten. Agent Hotten was found unresponsive while on patrol in AZ. Agent Hotten, Class 910, served for 10 years in USBP. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, son, loved ones, and colleagues.
Acting U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan said Hotten had served in the agency for 10 years.
END
Border Patrol agent found dead while on duty in Arizona
BY KTAR.COM | OCTOBER 7, 2019 AT 11:00 AM
UPDATED: OCTOBER 7, 2019 AT 6:47 PM
https://ktar.com/story/2780035/border-patrol-agent-found-dead-while-on-duty-in-arizona/
PHOENIX – A U.S. Border Patrol agent died after apparently falling and hitting his head while on duty in a remote part of southern Arizona on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
Robert Hotten, 44, was responding to sensor activity on Mount Washington when he stopped communicating with fellow agents via radio, Tucson Sector Chief Border Patrol Agent Roy Villareal said during a news conference Monday.
"The agents began to search for him, found him unresponsive and then immediately began lifesaving efforts," Villareal said.
Hotten couldn't be airlifted because of the rugged terrain in the area, Villareal said, and it was difficult to get medical equipment to him.
"It appears that he had fallen and may have hit his head on some rocks. … At this stage we're not sure if that was the cause of death or if there was some other underlying effect," Villareal said. (?).
Agents wound up hiking up the mountain with a defibrillator and rescue basket in efforts to safe Hotten's life, he said.
They eventually carried Hotten for 25 minutes in the basket, known as a litter, to where he could be airlifted. He was transported to a hospital in Nogales, where he was pronounced dead.
"The effort that was put forward by the agents out there was heroic," Villareal said, noting that the rescue attempt went on for several hours.
Hotton, who is survived by a wife and son, is the 14th Tucson Sector border agent to die in the line of duty, Villareal said.
Villareal said a group of around seven migrants in the country illegally apparently set off the sensor that Hotten and two other agents responded to. One person was taken into custody, he said.
The FBI was investigating the incident, he said.
Agent Joe Curran told KTAR News 92.3 FM that Hotten was found south of Patagonia, about 18 miles northeast of Nogales.
"Anytime one of our own passes away in the line of duty, it's just a stark reminder of the dangers that all our Border Patrol agents face day in and day out in doing this job," Curran said.
Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan
✔
@CBPMarkMorgan
Last night, we lost one of our own, U.S. Border Patrol Agent Robert Hotten. Agent Hotten was found unresponsive while on patrol in AZ. Agent Hotten, Class 910, served for 10 years in USBP. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, son, loved ones, and colleagues.
Acting U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan said Hotten had served in the agency for 10 years.
END
Saturday, October 5, 2019
AZMEX EXTRA 4-10-19
AZMEX EXTRA 4 OCT 2019
Mother, daughter sentenced in federal ammo case
Lorenzo Zazueta-Castro -
September 28, 2019
https://www.themonitor.com/2019/09/28/mother-daughter-sentenced-federal-ammo-case/
A mother and daughter from Rio Grande City were sentenced for their roles in an attempt to transport more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition into Mexico received their sentence Wednesday, court records show.
U.S. District Judge sentenced Edna Yaritza Zamarripa and her mother, Consuelo Teresita Ramirez Zamarripa, to 46 and 37 months in prison, respectively, records show.
The mother-daughter duo pleaded guilty in December 2018 to federal smuggling charges in an effort to avoid a federal jury trial. In exchange, the government agreed to dismiss the remaining smuggling and transportation charges, records show.
Zamarripa, 26, and her 49-year-old mother, along with a third woman, Sonia Sussette Lucio, were accused of conspiring with each other to export more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition from within the U.S. into Mexico. All three women are United States citizens.
Zamarripa was accused of recruiting Lucio, 23, also of Rio Grande City, to help her export ammo from the U.S. into Mexico.
Lucio, who was sentenced to time served in April of this year, remains on home confinement through April 2020, after which, she will be required to serve three years of supervised release, court documents state.
Federal agents began investigating the trio's conspiracy in 2017, when Lucio was arrested while attempting to export thousands of rounds of ammunition into Mexico through the Rio Grande City port of entry.
On Sept. 5, 2017, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations agents were conducting surveillance at a sporting goods store in Edinburg and came across Lucio and Ramirez Zamarripa, who were purchasing "a significant amount of ammunition," according to the complaint.
"HSI agents observed Lucio and Consuelo Zamarripa load the ammunition into a black Chrysler 300 and observed them depart from the sporting goods store to Consuelo Zamarripa's residence in Rio Grande City, Texas," the complaint stated.
After dropping off Consuelo at her residence, Lucio headed toward the Rio Grande City port of entry and attempted to cross into Mexico.
HSI agents contacted U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the port and advised them Lucio's vehicle was loaded with ammunition.
CBP officers inspected Lucio's vehicle and found more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition hidden within a speakerbox in the back of the vehicle.
During an interview with federal agents, Lucio admitted her role in the movement of ammo and implicated Edna Zamarripa as the person who recruited her in the scheme.
Less than a year later, in June 2018, HSI agents interviewed Edna and Consuelo Zamarripa at their Rio Grande City residence.
During the interview, Edna admitted to moving ammunition into Mexico on past instances, and at least on one occasion, she told agents she got a hold of a semi-automatic weapon for a person in Mexico, the complaint stated.
"Edna Zamarripa admitted to recruiting Lucio to procure and illegally export ammunition from the United States into Mexico," the court record shows.
Zamarripa, after the sentencing, was remanded into custody. She and her mother will be required to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of their prison terms.
Her mother, Consuelo, who has been free on a $30,000 bond, will remain free on bond pending a date for self-surrender.
END
Mother, daughter sentenced in federal ammo case
Lorenzo Zazueta-Castro -
September 28, 2019
https://www.themonitor.com/2019/09/28/mother-daughter-sentenced-federal-ammo-case/
A mother and daughter from Rio Grande City were sentenced for their roles in an attempt to transport more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition into Mexico received their sentence Wednesday, court records show.
U.S. District Judge sentenced Edna Yaritza Zamarripa and her mother, Consuelo Teresita Ramirez Zamarripa, to 46 and 37 months in prison, respectively, records show.
The mother-daughter duo pleaded guilty in December 2018 to federal smuggling charges in an effort to avoid a federal jury trial. In exchange, the government agreed to dismiss the remaining smuggling and transportation charges, records show.
Zamarripa, 26, and her 49-year-old mother, along with a third woman, Sonia Sussette Lucio, were accused of conspiring with each other to export more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition from within the U.S. into Mexico. All three women are United States citizens.
Zamarripa was accused of recruiting Lucio, 23, also of Rio Grande City, to help her export ammo from the U.S. into Mexico.
Lucio, who was sentenced to time served in April of this year, remains on home confinement through April 2020, after which, she will be required to serve three years of supervised release, court documents state.
Federal agents began investigating the trio's conspiracy in 2017, when Lucio was arrested while attempting to export thousands of rounds of ammunition into Mexico through the Rio Grande City port of entry.
On Sept. 5, 2017, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations agents were conducting surveillance at a sporting goods store in Edinburg and came across Lucio and Ramirez Zamarripa, who were purchasing "a significant amount of ammunition," according to the complaint.
"HSI agents observed Lucio and Consuelo Zamarripa load the ammunition into a black Chrysler 300 and observed them depart from the sporting goods store to Consuelo Zamarripa's residence in Rio Grande City, Texas," the complaint stated.
After dropping off Consuelo at her residence, Lucio headed toward the Rio Grande City port of entry and attempted to cross into Mexico.
HSI agents contacted U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the port and advised them Lucio's vehicle was loaded with ammunition.
CBP officers inspected Lucio's vehicle and found more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition hidden within a speakerbox in the back of the vehicle.
During an interview with federal agents, Lucio admitted her role in the movement of ammo and implicated Edna Zamarripa as the person who recruited her in the scheme.
Less than a year later, in June 2018, HSI agents interviewed Edna and Consuelo Zamarripa at their Rio Grande City residence.
During the interview, Edna admitted to moving ammunition into Mexico on past instances, and at least on one occasion, she told agents she got a hold of a semi-automatic weapon for a person in Mexico, the complaint stated.
"Edna Zamarripa admitted to recruiting Lucio to procure and illegally export ammunition from the United States into Mexico," the court record shows.
Zamarripa, after the sentencing, was remanded into custody. She and her mother will be required to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of their prison terms.
Her mother, Consuelo, who has been free on a $30,000 bond, will remain free on bond pending a date for self-surrender.
END
Friday, October 4, 2019
AZMEX EXTRA 4-10-19
AZMEX EXTRA 4 OCT 2019
Mother, daughter sentenced in federal ammo case
Lorenzo Zazueta-Castro -
September 28, 2019
https://www.themonitor.com/2019/09/28/mother-daughter-sentenced-federal-ammo-case/
A mother and daughter from Rio Grande City were sentenced for their roles in an attempt to transport more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition into Mexico received their sentence Wednesday, court records show.
U.S. District Judge sentenced Edna Yaritza Zamarripa and her mother, Consuelo Teresita Ramirez Zamarripa, to 46 and 37 months in prison, respectively, records show.
The mother-daughter duo pleaded guilty in December 2018 to federal smuggling charges in an effort to avoid a federal jury trial. In exchange, the government agreed to dismiss the remaining smuggling and transportation charges, records show.
Zamarripa, 26, and her 49-year-old mother, along with a third woman, Sonia Sussette Lucio, were accused of conspiring with each other to export more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition from within the U.S. into Mexico. All three women are United States citizens.
Zamarripa was accused of recruiting Lucio, 23, also of Rio Grande City, to help her export ammo from the U.S. into Mexico.
Lucio, who was sentenced to time served in April of this year, remains on home confinement through April 2020, after which, she will be required to serve three years of supervised release, court documents state.
Federal agents began investigating the trio's conspiracy in 2017, when Lucio was arrested while attempting to export thousands of rounds of ammunition into Mexico through the Rio Grande City port of entry.
On Sept. 5, 2017, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations agents were conducting surveillance at a sporting goods store in Edinburg and came across Lucio and Ramirez Zamarripa, who were purchasing "a significant amount of ammunition," according to the complaint.
"HSI agents observed Lucio and Consuelo Zamarripa load the ammunition into a black Chrysler 300 and observed them depart from the sporting goods store to Consuelo Zamarripa's residence in Rio Grande City, Texas," the complaint stated.
After dropping off Consuelo at her residence, Lucio headed toward the Rio Grande City port of entry and attempted to cross into Mexico.
HSI agents contacted U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the port and advised them Lucio's vehicle was loaded with ammunition.
CBP officers inspected Lucio's vehicle and found more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition hidden within a speakerbox in the back of the vehicle.
During an interview with federal agents, Lucio admitted her role in the movement of ammo and implicated Edna Zamarripa as the person who recruited her in the scheme.
Less than a year later, in June 2018, HSI agents interviewed Edna and Consuelo Zamarripa at their Rio Grande City residence.
During the interview, Edna admitted to moving ammunition into Mexico on past instances, and at least on one occasion, she told agents she got a hold of a semi-automatic weapon for a person in Mexico, the complaint stated.
"Edna Zamarripa admitted to recruiting Lucio to procure and illegally export ammunition from the United States into Mexico," the court record shows.
Zamarripa, after the sentencing, was remanded into custody. She and her mother will be required to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of their prison terms.
Her mother, Consuelo, who has been free on a $30,000 bond, will remain free on bond pending a date for self-surrender.
END
Mother, daughter sentenced in federal ammo case
Lorenzo Zazueta-Castro -
September 28, 2019
https://www.themonitor.com/2019/09/28/mother-daughter-sentenced-federal-ammo-case/
A mother and daughter from Rio Grande City were sentenced for their roles in an attempt to transport more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition into Mexico received their sentence Wednesday, court records show.
U.S. District Judge sentenced Edna Yaritza Zamarripa and her mother, Consuelo Teresita Ramirez Zamarripa, to 46 and 37 months in prison, respectively, records show.
The mother-daughter duo pleaded guilty in December 2018 to federal smuggling charges in an effort to avoid a federal jury trial. In exchange, the government agreed to dismiss the remaining smuggling and transportation charges, records show.
Zamarripa, 26, and her 49-year-old mother, along with a third woman, Sonia Sussette Lucio, were accused of conspiring with each other to export more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition from within the U.S. into Mexico. All three women are United States citizens.
Zamarripa was accused of recruiting Lucio, 23, also of Rio Grande City, to help her export ammo from the U.S. into Mexico.
Lucio, who was sentenced to time served in April of this year, remains on home confinement through April 2020, after which, she will be required to serve three years of supervised release, court documents state.
Federal agents began investigating the trio's conspiracy in 2017, when Lucio was arrested while attempting to export thousands of rounds of ammunition into Mexico through the Rio Grande City port of entry.
On Sept. 5, 2017, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations agents were conducting surveillance at a sporting goods store in Edinburg and came across Lucio and Ramirez Zamarripa, who were purchasing "a significant amount of ammunition," according to the complaint.
"HSI agents observed Lucio and Consuelo Zamarripa load the ammunition into a black Chrysler 300 and observed them depart from the sporting goods store to Consuelo Zamarripa's residence in Rio Grande City, Texas," the complaint stated.
After dropping off Consuelo at her residence, Lucio headed toward the Rio Grande City port of entry and attempted to cross into Mexico.
HSI agents contacted U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the port and advised them Lucio's vehicle was loaded with ammunition.
CBP officers inspected Lucio's vehicle and found more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition hidden within a speakerbox in the back of the vehicle.
During an interview with federal agents, Lucio admitted her role in the movement of ammo and implicated Edna Zamarripa as the person who recruited her in the scheme.
Less than a year later, in June 2018, HSI agents interviewed Edna and Consuelo Zamarripa at their Rio Grande City residence.
During the interview, Edna admitted to moving ammunition into Mexico on past instances, and at least on one occasion, she told agents she got a hold of a semi-automatic weapon for a person in Mexico, the complaint stated.
"Edna Zamarripa admitted to recruiting Lucio to procure and illegally export ammunition from the United States into Mexico," the court record shows.
Zamarripa, after the sentencing, was remanded into custody. She and her mother will be required to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of their prison terms.
Her mother, Consuelo, who has been free on a $30,000 bond, will remain free on bond pending a date for self-surrender.
END
Thursday, October 3, 2019
AZMEX EXTRA 15-9-19
AZMEX EXTRA 15 SEP 2019
Note: from a few days ago.
Tucson couple sentenced in weapons smuggling case
Posted: 1:00 PM, Sep 10, 2019 Updated: 5:22 PM, Sep 10, 2019
By: Phil Villarreal
A Tucson couple was sentenced to five years in prison for weapons smuggling.
https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/tucson-couple-sentenced-in-weapons-smuggling-case
TUCSON, Ariz. - A Tucson couple was sentenced to five years in prison for weapons smuggling.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 29-year-old Michael Justin Huynh
and 28-year-old Katie Ellen O'Brien pleaded guilty to smuggling
AK-type and .50 caliber semiautomatic assault rifles from the U.S. into Mexico.
Huynh was sentenced Sept. 3 and O'Brien was sentenced Jan. 16.
The ATF and U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigated the case.
End
Note: from a few days ago.
Tucson couple sentenced in weapons smuggling case
Posted: 1:00 PM, Sep 10, 2019 Updated: 5:22 PM, Sep 10, 2019
By: Phil Villarreal
A Tucson couple was sentenced to five years in prison for weapons smuggling.
https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/tucson-couple-sentenced-in-weapons-smuggling-case
TUCSON, Ariz. - A Tucson couple was sentenced to five years in prison for weapons smuggling.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 29-year-old Michael Justin Huynh
and 28-year-old Katie Ellen O'Brien pleaded guilty to smuggling
AK-type and .50 caliber semiautomatic assault rifles from the U.S. into Mexico.
Huynh was sentenced Sept. 3 and O'Brien was sentenced Jan. 16.
The ATF and U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigated the case.
End
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
AZMEX I3-2 24-9-19
AZMEX I3-2 24 SEP 2019
ARIZONA
Members of AZ anti-immigrant group settle federal lawsuit
The defendants also cannot verbally or physically harass anyone or use amplifying devices like megaphones.
Author: Associated Press
Published: 3:16 PM MST September 24, 2019
Updated: 3:16 PM MST September 24, 2019
https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona/members-of-az-anti-immigrant-group-settle-federal-lawsuit/75-4d18b5f0-1273-4000-82bf-7d040edc629f
PHOENIX — (AP) — Some members of an Arizona anti-immigrant group have agreed to stop harassing Phoenix-area churches
as part of a lawsuit settlement.
Four members of AZ Patriots cannot trespass on the churches' property or obstruct people coming and going.
The terms were revealed in a consent decree filed Friday in federal court in Phoenix.
The Southern Poverty Law Center brought the suit in June on behalf of five Christian churches,
their senior pastors and a local nonprofit.
The defendants also cannot verbally or physically harass anyone or use amplifying devices like megaphones.
They must also remove any published statements
claiming the churches engage in sex trafficking or harbor fugitives.
RELATED: Family separations continue at border, Arizona-based lawyer says
RELATED: NBC: Migrant children held at Arizona border station allege sex assault, retaliation from CBP agents
The churches have been helping federal immigration authorities
who don't have the resources to deal with the soaring number of migrants seeking asylum.
RELATED: Former Phoenix school will house asylum-seeking migrants
End
ARIZONA
Members of AZ anti-immigrant group settle federal lawsuit
The defendants also cannot verbally or physically harass anyone or use amplifying devices like megaphones.
Author: Associated Press
Published: 3:16 PM MST September 24, 2019
Updated: 3:16 PM MST September 24, 2019
https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona/members-of-az-anti-immigrant-group-settle-federal-lawsuit/75-4d18b5f0-1273-4000-82bf-7d040edc629f
PHOENIX — (AP) — Some members of an Arizona anti-immigrant group have agreed to stop harassing Phoenix-area churches
as part of a lawsuit settlement.
Four members of AZ Patriots cannot trespass on the churches' property or obstruct people coming and going.
The terms were revealed in a consent decree filed Friday in federal court in Phoenix.
The Southern Poverty Law Center brought the suit in June on behalf of five Christian churches,
their senior pastors and a local nonprofit.
The defendants also cannot verbally or physically harass anyone or use amplifying devices like megaphones.
They must also remove any published statements
claiming the churches engage in sex trafficking or harbor fugitives.
RELATED: Family separations continue at border, Arizona-based lawyer says
RELATED: NBC: Migrant children held at Arizona border station allege sex assault, retaliation from CBP agents
The churches have been helping federal immigration authorities
who don't have the resources to deal with the soaring number of migrants seeking asylum.
RELATED: Former Phoenix school will house asylum-seeking migrants
End
AZMEX I3 24-9-19
AZMEX I3 24 SEP 2019
CBS 5 INVESTIGATES
Phoenix woman says daughter was held hostage by pastor's human smugglers
Morgan Loew
Posted Sep 22, 2019
https://www.azfamily.com/news/investigations/cbs_5_investigates/phoenix-woman-says-daughter-was-held-hostage-by-pastor-s/article_36dbbd42-dda7-11e9-9a0f-ab40c0fd1f7d.html
They said a pastor was setting up immigrant families with unscrupulous smugglers in Mexico.
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Human smuggling gangs are targeting victims on both sides of the border, holding immigrants for ransom,
extorting thousands of dollars from their families and the kingpins are unlikely to face prosecution.
That is according to a CBS 5 Investigation.
[WATCH: Phoenix woman says pastor tied to smugglers]
"The criminals get quite brazen," said one former human smuggler, or "coyote,"
who agreed to speak to CBS 5 Investigates on condition of anonymity.
He said the only real exposure for the gangs of smugglers is when they are actually crossing the desert with a group of immigrants.
According to him, the people who arrange the trips and set things up have little concern that they're going to get caught.
"They just get really comfortable because they feel that they're not going to get reported," said the former coyote.
"You'll have cases where the smuggler gets caught. And the smuggler is willing to give up the person who's actually making the money.
And the government has no interest in talking and learning who those people are,"
said Ray Ybarra Maldonado, who is an attorney who represents immigrants.
"All they want is the easy catch. The easy prosecution to keep those numbers up, as opposed to doing the real investigations
and stopping the people who are profiting and abusing people," said Ybarra Maldonado.
The case of the pastor
CBS 5 began investigating this issue after a tip from a Valley family.
They said a pastor was setting up immigrant families with unscrupulous smugglers in Mexico.
Those smugglers were holding immigrants for ransom.
One family paid $8,000 and said their family member never made it across the border.
"I think he's making good money on this," said one woman, whose identity we are concealing.
"They put her in a hotel room, and they took away her cell phone," she said,
referring to the experience her family member endured in Mexico.
"They called me and said they need $3,000 more," she added.
She said she was directed to this smuggling group by the pastor.
CBS 5 Investigates found the man does not work at or represent any one particular church here in the Valley.
But he occasionally serves as a guest pastor at small Hispanic churches where many of the congregants are undocumented.
CBS 5 Investigates tracked down the man, whose real identity we were unable to confirm.
"I was only trying to help this family," he said.
"I did not know these people, and this situation has caused me much pain," he added.
Cartels and gangs increasingly smuggle humans
The former smuggler says what used to be primarily mom and pop operations
have turned into big business for drug gangs and cartels.
"Today, you'll find more of the cartels.
Cartels are doing it. So they're saying,
'We can make as much money running people as we do running drugs.
' They treat it as a commodity," said the former smuggler.
END
CBS 5 INVESTIGATES
Phoenix woman says daughter was held hostage by pastor's human smugglers
Morgan Loew
Posted Sep 22, 2019
https://www.azfamily.com/news/investigations/cbs_5_investigates/phoenix-woman-says-daughter-was-held-hostage-by-pastor-s/article_36dbbd42-dda7-11e9-9a0f-ab40c0fd1f7d.html
They said a pastor was setting up immigrant families with unscrupulous smugglers in Mexico.
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Human smuggling gangs are targeting victims on both sides of the border, holding immigrants for ransom,
extorting thousands of dollars from their families and the kingpins are unlikely to face prosecution.
That is according to a CBS 5 Investigation.
[WATCH: Phoenix woman says pastor tied to smugglers]
"The criminals get quite brazen," said one former human smuggler, or "coyote,"
who agreed to speak to CBS 5 Investigates on condition of anonymity.
He said the only real exposure for the gangs of smugglers is when they are actually crossing the desert with a group of immigrants.
According to him, the people who arrange the trips and set things up have little concern that they're going to get caught.
"They just get really comfortable because they feel that they're not going to get reported," said the former coyote.
"You'll have cases where the smuggler gets caught. And the smuggler is willing to give up the person who's actually making the money.
And the government has no interest in talking and learning who those people are,"
said Ray Ybarra Maldonado, who is an attorney who represents immigrants.
"All they want is the easy catch. The easy prosecution to keep those numbers up, as opposed to doing the real investigations
and stopping the people who are profiting and abusing people," said Ybarra Maldonado.
The case of the pastor
CBS 5 began investigating this issue after a tip from a Valley family.
They said a pastor was setting up immigrant families with unscrupulous smugglers in Mexico.
Those smugglers were holding immigrants for ransom.
One family paid $8,000 and said their family member never made it across the border.
"I think he's making good money on this," said one woman, whose identity we are concealing.
"They put her in a hotel room, and they took away her cell phone," she said,
referring to the experience her family member endured in Mexico.
"They called me and said they need $3,000 more," she added.
She said she was directed to this smuggling group by the pastor.
CBS 5 Investigates found the man does not work at or represent any one particular church here in the Valley.
But he occasionally serves as a guest pastor at small Hispanic churches where many of the congregants are undocumented.
CBS 5 Investigates tracked down the man, whose real identity we were unable to confirm.
"I was only trying to help this family," he said.
"I did not know these people, and this situation has caused me much pain," he added.
Cartels and gangs increasingly smuggle humans
The former smuggler says what used to be primarily mom and pop operations
have turned into big business for drug gangs and cartels.
"Today, you'll find more of the cartels.
Cartels are doing it. So they're saying,
'We can make as much money running people as we do running drugs.
' They treat it as a commodity," said the former smuggler.
END
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
AZMEX I3-2 17-9-19
AZMEX I3-2 17 SEP 2019
Note: photos & video at link.
31 migrants found inside trailer trying to smuggle into the U.S.
CBP said the driver is a 40-year-old U.S. citizen.
https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona/31-migrants-found-inside-cargo-trailer/75-de7c0673-32af-41e8-a08a-fc669e399083
Author: 12 News
Published: 3:52 PM MST September 17, 2019
Updated: 3:52 PM MST September 17, 2019
31 Mexican nationals were found inside a cargo trailer Wednesday night and the driver of the trailer was arrested for human smuggling,
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.
CBP said a canine alerted agents assigned to the Interstate 19 immigration checkpoint near Amado, to the trailer,
the driver was asked to go for a secondary inspection when border patrol agents discovered the immigrants.
CBP said the driver is a 40-year-old U.S. citizen.
The immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally, were between the ages 15 and 40, according to CBP.
Closed Caption
"In an effort to prevent fatalities at the hands of smugglers, Department of Homeland Security recently launched
'Operation Safeguard' to educate the public and the trucking industry on the life-threatening dangers involved in
using commercial conveyances to smuggle humans", said CBP.
End
Note: photos & video at link.
31 migrants found inside trailer trying to smuggle into the U.S.
CBP said the driver is a 40-year-old U.S. citizen.
https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona/31-migrants-found-inside-cargo-trailer/75-de7c0673-32af-41e8-a08a-fc669e399083
Author: 12 News
Published: 3:52 PM MST September 17, 2019
Updated: 3:52 PM MST September 17, 2019
31 Mexican nationals were found inside a cargo trailer Wednesday night and the driver of the trailer was arrested for human smuggling,
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.
CBP said a canine alerted agents assigned to the Interstate 19 immigration checkpoint near Amado, to the trailer,
the driver was asked to go for a secondary inspection when border patrol agents discovered the immigrants.
CBP said the driver is a 40-year-old U.S. citizen.
The immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally, were between the ages 15 and 40, according to CBP.
Closed Caption
"In an effort to prevent fatalities at the hands of smugglers, Department of Homeland Security recently launched
'Operation Safeguard' to educate the public and the trucking industry on the life-threatening dangers involved in
using commercial conveyances to smuggle humans", said CBP.
End
AZMEX I3 17-9-19
AZMEX I3 17 SEP 2019
Note: as always, "immigrants" mean illegal aliens.
Thx
Arizona driver arrested after 31 immigrants found in big rig
Posted: 4:12 PM, Sep 17, 2019 Updated: 4:12 PM, Sep 17, 2019
By: Associated Press
https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/arizona-driver-arrested-after-31-immigrants-found-in-big-rig
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Authorities say an Arizona man has been arrested on suspicion of human smuggling after 31 Mexican immigrants
were found in the tractor-trailer he was driving.
U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Interstate 19 immigration checkpoint near Amado
say the 40-year-old driver is a resident of Nogales, Arizona.
His name wasn't immediately released Tuesday.
They say a Border Patrol dog alerted agents to the big rig for a secondary inspection and
they discovered the immigrants between the ages of 15 and 40 all sitting in the cargo trailer.
Authorities say they will be processed for immigration violations.
Border Patrol officials say the Department of Homeland Security launched "Operation Safeguard"
to educate the trucking industry on the life-threatening dangers involved in using commercial vehicles to smuggle humans.
End
Note: as always, "immigrants" mean illegal aliens.
Thx
Arizona driver arrested after 31 immigrants found in big rig
Posted: 4:12 PM, Sep 17, 2019 Updated: 4:12 PM, Sep 17, 2019
By: Associated Press
https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/arizona-driver-arrested-after-31-immigrants-found-in-big-rig
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Authorities say an Arizona man has been arrested on suspicion of human smuggling after 31 Mexican immigrants
were found in the tractor-trailer he was driving.
U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Interstate 19 immigration checkpoint near Amado
say the 40-year-old driver is a resident of Nogales, Arizona.
His name wasn't immediately released Tuesday.
They say a Border Patrol dog alerted agents to the big rig for a secondary inspection and
they discovered the immigrants between the ages of 15 and 40 all sitting in the cargo trailer.
Authorities say they will be processed for immigration violations.
Border Patrol officials say the Department of Homeland Security launched "Operation Safeguard"
to educate the trucking industry on the life-threatening dangers involved in using commercial vehicles to smuggle humans.
End
Monday, September 16, 2019
AZMEX I3 14-9-19
AZMEX I3 14 SEP 2019
Note: mug shot at link.
Border Patrol arrests man wanted for rape, murder
Border Patrol arrested Juan Francisco Espinosa-Burgos, wanted for rape and murder.
(Source: U.S. Border Patrol)
By KOLD News 13 Staff | September 12, 2019 at 3:18 PM MST - Updated September 12 at 3:18 PM
https://www.kold.com/2019/09/12/border-patrol-arrests-man-wanted-rape-murder/
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a Mexican national with multiple warrants in both Mexico and Oregon
for homicide and rape, respectively.
Tucson Sector agents arrested three men after they illegally crossed the border into the United States
through a mountainous area outside Nogales.
Records checks revealed one of the men, Juan Francisco Espinosa-Burgos, to be wanted for rape in Oregon City, Oregon.
He is also wanted in Mexico for homicide.
All three subjects will be processed for immigration violations.
Espinosa-Burgos will be handed over to Mexican law enforcement authorities following his extradition to Oregon
for adjudication of his alleged crimes in the U.S.
All those arrested by the Border Patrol undergo criminal history checks
using biometrics to ensure migrants with criminal histories are positively identified.
END
INM will grant permanent residence to African migrants
Details Published on Saturday September 14, 2019,
Written by Special
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=135925
Chiapas
The procedures in favor of Africans will start from Tuesday, the National Migration Institute reported
The National Institute of Migration could grant the permanent residence card to the group of 812 Africans
who seek protection from a federal judge, in order to have a legal stay in Mexican territory,
said José Luis Villagrán director of the Human Dignification Center, who gives legal advice to extracontinentals.
He said that it was a commitment assumed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the procedures in favor of Africans
will start from Tuesday, but he said that the intention of the agency is not that Africans decide to go to the United States,
because there they can also be arrested
He explained that the amparo process continues so that they are taken care of
and not forced to return by the southern border.
End
Note: mug shot at link.
Border Patrol arrests man wanted for rape, murder
Border Patrol arrested Juan Francisco Espinosa-Burgos, wanted for rape and murder.
(Source: U.S. Border Patrol)
By KOLD News 13 Staff | September 12, 2019 at 3:18 PM MST - Updated September 12 at 3:18 PM
https://www.kold.com/2019/09/12/border-patrol-arrests-man-wanted-rape-murder/
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a Mexican national with multiple warrants in both Mexico and Oregon
for homicide and rape, respectively.
Tucson Sector agents arrested three men after they illegally crossed the border into the United States
through a mountainous area outside Nogales.
Records checks revealed one of the men, Juan Francisco Espinosa-Burgos, to be wanted for rape in Oregon City, Oregon.
He is also wanted in Mexico for homicide.
All three subjects will be processed for immigration violations.
Espinosa-Burgos will be handed over to Mexican law enforcement authorities following his extradition to Oregon
for adjudication of his alleged crimes in the U.S.
All those arrested by the Border Patrol undergo criminal history checks
using biometrics to ensure migrants with criminal histories are positively identified.
END
INM will grant permanent residence to African migrants
Details Published on Saturday September 14, 2019,
Written by Special
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=135925
Chiapas
The procedures in favor of Africans will start from Tuesday, the National Migration Institute reported
The National Institute of Migration could grant the permanent residence card to the group of 812 Africans
who seek protection from a federal judge, in order to have a legal stay in Mexican territory,
said José Luis Villagrán director of the Human Dignification Center, who gives legal advice to extracontinentals.
He said that it was a commitment assumed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the procedures in favor of Africans
will start from Tuesday, but he said that the intention of the agency is not that Africans decide to go to the United States,
because there they can also be arrested
He explained that the amparo process continues so that they are taken care of
and not forced to return by the southern border.
End
Friday, September 13, 2019
AZMEX UPDATE 13-9-19
AZMEX UPDATE 13 SEP 2019
NOTE: Mug shot at link:
Phoenix man arrested for laundering nearly 50K in illegal enterprise, police say
Zulekha Pitts
Posted 2 hrs ago
Angel Cardenas-Baez
Angel Cardenas-Baez faces conspiracy, illegally conducting an enterprise and money laundering charges.
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
https://www.azfamily.com/news/phoenix-man-arrested-for-laundering-nearly-k-in-illegal-enterprise/article_c0b26926-d65e-11e9-9ff6-93099798f318.html
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- A man living in Phoenix was arrested on Thursday for running an illegal money laundering enterprise, police say.
On August 1, Judge Warren Granville of the Maricopa County Superior Court authorized the wiretapping of a cellphone number
used by 43-year-old Angel Cardenas-Baez between August 26 and 27.
During that time, investigators intercepted calls Cardenas-Baez had with his significant other Zuleyma Nevarez-Paredes
and his mom Maria Baez-Lopez.
Court documents say while investigators intercepted the phone calls, they discovered that Cardenas-Baez was traveling
from Mochis, Mexico to Phoenix to get a concealed amount of illegal drug earnings in U.S. dollars to take back to Mexico.
By August 30, Judge Granville authorized investigators to keep tapping the cellphone number used by Cardenas-Baez.
That same day, when intercepting calls Cardenas-Baez had with his mom Baez-Lopez and an anonymous money courier,
investigators learned that the courier wanted to deliver $17,500 to Baez-Lopez.
Court documents said Baez-Lopez then called her son to tell him about the delivery that was coming.
Cardenas-Baez then called the courier to tell him to meet him by Anthem where he worked.
Later, Cardenas-Baez's mom called him to tell him the money was delivered to her at his home in Phoenix.
In another intercepted phone call, according to court documents, Baez-Lopez told her son that she was going back to Mexico
by a shuttle that day because the people she was giving the money to were getting anxious.
She also told her son that an additional $15,000 was delivered to her at his home.
Later that day, court documents say, investigators installed surveillance at Cardenas-Baez's home
in the area of Hazelwood Street and 57th Avenue.
Through their surveillance, investigators witnessed Baez-Lopez leave her son's home.
They followed her to a shuttle service where she got on a van and left the area, court documents say.
With help from the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, a traffic stop on the shuttle van was conducted.
With consent, the PCSO deputies found multiple packages of U.S. currency in the purse, pants and shoes of Baez-Lopez.
In total, the deputies uncovered $48,720 of U.S. dollars, court documents say.
On September 12, Cardenas-Baez was arrested at his Phoenix home.
While Baez-Lopez's was arrested, her charges are pending. Meanwhile,
the charges her son Cardenas-Baez faces include conspiracy, illegally conducting an enterprise and money laundering.
End
NOTE: Mug shot at link:
Phoenix man arrested for laundering nearly 50K in illegal enterprise, police say
Zulekha Pitts
Posted 2 hrs ago
Angel Cardenas-Baez
Angel Cardenas-Baez faces conspiracy, illegally conducting an enterprise and money laundering charges.
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
https://www.azfamily.com/news/phoenix-man-arrested-for-laundering-nearly-k-in-illegal-enterprise/article_c0b26926-d65e-11e9-9ff6-93099798f318.html
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- A man living in Phoenix was arrested on Thursday for running an illegal money laundering enterprise, police say.
On August 1, Judge Warren Granville of the Maricopa County Superior Court authorized the wiretapping of a cellphone number
used by 43-year-old Angel Cardenas-Baez between August 26 and 27.
During that time, investigators intercepted calls Cardenas-Baez had with his significant other Zuleyma Nevarez-Paredes
and his mom Maria Baez-Lopez.
Court documents say while investigators intercepted the phone calls, they discovered that Cardenas-Baez was traveling
from Mochis, Mexico to Phoenix to get a concealed amount of illegal drug earnings in U.S. dollars to take back to Mexico.
By August 30, Judge Granville authorized investigators to keep tapping the cellphone number used by Cardenas-Baez.
That same day, when intercepting calls Cardenas-Baez had with his mom Baez-Lopez and an anonymous money courier,
investigators learned that the courier wanted to deliver $17,500 to Baez-Lopez.
Court documents said Baez-Lopez then called her son to tell him about the delivery that was coming.
Cardenas-Baez then called the courier to tell him to meet him by Anthem where he worked.
Later, Cardenas-Baez's mom called him to tell him the money was delivered to her at his home in Phoenix.
In another intercepted phone call, according to court documents, Baez-Lopez told her son that she was going back to Mexico
by a shuttle that day because the people she was giving the money to were getting anxious.
She also told her son that an additional $15,000 was delivered to her at his home.
Later that day, court documents say, investigators installed surveillance at Cardenas-Baez's home
in the area of Hazelwood Street and 57th Avenue.
Through their surveillance, investigators witnessed Baez-Lopez leave her son's home.
They followed her to a shuttle service where she got on a van and left the area, court documents say.
With help from the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, a traffic stop on the shuttle van was conducted.
With consent, the PCSO deputies found multiple packages of U.S. currency in the purse, pants and shoes of Baez-Lopez.
In total, the deputies uncovered $48,720 of U.S. dollars, court documents say.
On September 12, Cardenas-Baez was arrested at his Phoenix home.
While Baez-Lopez's was arrested, her charges are pending. Meanwhile,
the charges her son Cardenas-Baez faces include conspiracy, illegally conducting an enterprise and money laundering.
End
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
AZMEX POLICY 11-9-19
AZMEX POLICY 11 SEP 2019
Supreme Court allows Trump asylum restrictions to take effect, ending 9th Circuit injunctions
By Gregg Re, Bill Mears | Fox News
https://www.foxnews.com/us/supreme-court-green-lights-trumps-immigration-asylum-ban
In a major win for the Trump administration, the Supreme Court issued an order late Wednesday ending all injunctions
that had blocked the White House's ban on asylum for anyone trying to enter the U.S. by traveling through a third country, such as Mexico,
without seeking protection there.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals – long a liberal bastion that has been aggressively reshaped into a more moderate court by the Trump administration –
handed the Trump administration a partial victory in the case on Monday by ending the nationwide injunction.
But the 9th Circuit kept the injunction alive within the territorial boundaries of the circuit —
which encompasses California, Arizona, Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, Idaho, Guam, Oregon and Washington.
The Supreme Court's order was not a final ruling on the policy's merits
but does allow the policy to take effect nationwide while the case makes its way through the lower courts.
TRUMP ADMIN ANNOUNCES MAJOR CRACKDOWN ON ASYLUM SEEKERS, CITING WIDESPREAD FRAUD
Trump tweeted that the ruling was a "BIG United States Supreme Court WIN for the Border on Asylum!"
Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg dissented.
"Once again the Executive Branch has issued a rule that seeks to upend longstanding practices regarding refugees
who seek shelter from persecution," Sotomayor and Ginsburg wrote.
The legal challenge to the new policy has a brief but somewhat convoluted history.
Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco
blocked the new policy from taking effect in late July.
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals narrowed Tigar's order
so that it effectively applied only in Arizona and California,
states that are within the 9th Circuit.
Appeals court sides with Trump administration on asylum rulesVideo
That left the administration free to enforce the policy on asylum seekers arriving in New Mexico and Texas.
Tigar issued a new order on Monday that reimposed a nationwide hold on asylum policy.
In his ruling Monday, Tigar stressed a "need to maintain uniform immigration policy"
and found that nonprofit organizations such as Al Otro Lado don't know where asylum seekers who enter the U.S.
will end up living and making their case to remain in the country.
President Trump said he disagreed with the judge's ruling, and the idea of single federal judges issuing nationwide injunctions in general —
a phenomenon that has exploded under his administration.
"I think it's very unfair that he does that," Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for a trip to North Carolina.
"I don't think it should be allowed."
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement that a sole judge
shouldn't have the ability to exert such a broad impact on immigration policy.
"This ruling is a gift to human smugglers and traffickers and undermines the rule of law," she said.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals then narrowed Tiger's his order again on Tuesday by issuing an administrative stay.
The stay blocked Tiger's order nationally, but ruled it still had could take effect within the 9th Circuit's boundaries.
The high-court action leaves the administration free to impose the new policy everywhere while the court case against it continues.
The Trump administration has reason for optimism now that the case is back in the 9th Circuit.
The San Francisco-based appellate court has seven Trump-appointed federal judges — more than any other federal appellate bench.
The radical transformation of the court, which has 29 seats, is largely the result of Trump's push to nominate conservative judges
and bypass traditional consultations with Senate Democrats.
Thirteen of the 29 seats are now occupied by GOP-appointed judges. Last year, that number stood at six.
"Thanks to Trump, the liberal 9th Circuit is no longer liberal," The Washington Post noted earlier this year.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
END
Supreme Court allows Trump asylum restrictions to take effect, ending 9th Circuit injunctions
By Gregg Re, Bill Mears | Fox News
https://www.foxnews.com/us/supreme-court-green-lights-trumps-immigration-asylum-ban
In a major win for the Trump administration, the Supreme Court issued an order late Wednesday ending all injunctions
that had blocked the White House's ban on asylum for anyone trying to enter the U.S. by traveling through a third country, such as Mexico,
without seeking protection there.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals – long a liberal bastion that has been aggressively reshaped into a more moderate court by the Trump administration –
handed the Trump administration a partial victory in the case on Monday by ending the nationwide injunction.
But the 9th Circuit kept the injunction alive within the territorial boundaries of the circuit —
which encompasses California, Arizona, Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, Idaho, Guam, Oregon and Washington.
The Supreme Court's order was not a final ruling on the policy's merits
but does allow the policy to take effect nationwide while the case makes its way through the lower courts.
TRUMP ADMIN ANNOUNCES MAJOR CRACKDOWN ON ASYLUM SEEKERS, CITING WIDESPREAD FRAUD
Trump tweeted that the ruling was a "BIG United States Supreme Court WIN for the Border on Asylum!"
Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg dissented.
"Once again the Executive Branch has issued a rule that seeks to upend longstanding practices regarding refugees
who seek shelter from persecution," Sotomayor and Ginsburg wrote.
The legal challenge to the new policy has a brief but somewhat convoluted history.
Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco
blocked the new policy from taking effect in late July.
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals narrowed Tigar's order
so that it effectively applied only in Arizona and California,
states that are within the 9th Circuit.
Appeals court sides with Trump administration on asylum rulesVideo
That left the administration free to enforce the policy on asylum seekers arriving in New Mexico and Texas.
Tigar issued a new order on Monday that reimposed a nationwide hold on asylum policy.
In his ruling Monday, Tigar stressed a "need to maintain uniform immigration policy"
and found that nonprofit organizations such as Al Otro Lado don't know where asylum seekers who enter the U.S.
will end up living and making their case to remain in the country.
President Trump said he disagreed with the judge's ruling, and the idea of single federal judges issuing nationwide injunctions in general —
a phenomenon that has exploded under his administration.
"I think it's very unfair that he does that," Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for a trip to North Carolina.
"I don't think it should be allowed."
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement that a sole judge
shouldn't have the ability to exert such a broad impact on immigration policy.
"This ruling is a gift to human smugglers and traffickers and undermines the rule of law," she said.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals then narrowed Tiger's his order again on Tuesday by issuing an administrative stay.
The stay blocked Tiger's order nationally, but ruled it still had could take effect within the 9th Circuit's boundaries.
The high-court action leaves the administration free to impose the new policy everywhere while the court case against it continues.
The Trump administration has reason for optimism now that the case is back in the 9th Circuit.
The San Francisco-based appellate court has seven Trump-appointed federal judges — more than any other federal appellate bench.
The radical transformation of the court, which has 29 seats, is largely the result of Trump's push to nominate conservative judges
and bypass traditional consultations with Senate Democrats.
Thirteen of the 29 seats are now occupied by GOP-appointed judges. Last year, that number stood at six.
"Thanks to Trump, the liberal 9th Circuit is no longer liberal," The Washington Post noted earlier this year.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
END
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
AZMEX POLICY 29-8-19
AZMEX POLICY 29 AUG 2019
Note: for decades it has been the the reverse. Criminals coming into the USA illegally to commit violent crimes.
Gracias
Alert for risk of attacks on Mexicans in the US
Details Published on Thursday, August 29, 2019,
Written by Drafting / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=135165
Marcelo Ebrar warned of groups that promote hate actions against the Latino community
MEXICO CITY
Excelsior
The Foreign Secretary, Marcelo Ebrard, warned of the risk that persists in the United States of attacks on the Latino and particularly Mexican community, by members of supremacist groups that promote hate and genocide actions.
Meeting with deputies of Morena in his plenary, the chancellor said that after the massacre of El Paso, Texas in which 22 people died, 8 of them Mexican and knowing the manifesto published in networks by the aggressor, Patrick Crusius, they have evidence of what was a terrorist attack and of the movement that is promoted by these groups to try to "exterminate" races they consider threatening.
We are in the presence of a network of connected people in the world who think that such acts of hate or even genocide are correct and should be imitated, so that document is very relevant.
The second thing that document says is that the purpose of their actions is based on a doctrine that says replacement of civilizations, "he said.
He informed that the Government of Mexico, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with the support of the Attorney General's Office, maintains its demand that this subject be considered a terrorist, even if tried and, where appropriate, extradition can be achieved.
He said that the tragedy of August 3 is a starting point to work together with other countries to prevent them from repeating again, stopping the promotion of racial hatred ...
We could not act otherwise because letting El Paso happen as an isolated event of an insane individual would be very serious because then, surely, we will see - and hopefully I am wrong - we could soon see other acts against nationals or people of Latin American origin in the United States ".
The foreign minister highlighted the unanimous condemnation made by the plenary of the Organization of American States yesterday, at the request of Mexico to combat and seek to prevent this racial violence.
He said they promote a meeting with all Spanish-speaking countries to defend the idea that world wealth is the interaction of different civilizations.
A meeting that allows us to defend our idea of the world and our civilization of which we are part, "he stressed.
END
Note: for decades it has been the the reverse. Criminals coming into the USA illegally to commit violent crimes.
Gracias
Alert for risk of attacks on Mexicans in the US
Details Published on Thursday, August 29, 2019,
Written by Drafting / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=135165
Marcelo Ebrar warned of groups that promote hate actions against the Latino community
MEXICO CITY
Excelsior
The Foreign Secretary, Marcelo Ebrard, warned of the risk that persists in the United States of attacks on the Latino and particularly Mexican community, by members of supremacist groups that promote hate and genocide actions.
Meeting with deputies of Morena in his plenary, the chancellor said that after the massacre of El Paso, Texas in which 22 people died, 8 of them Mexican and knowing the manifesto published in networks by the aggressor, Patrick Crusius, they have evidence of what was a terrorist attack and of the movement that is promoted by these groups to try to "exterminate" races they consider threatening.
We are in the presence of a network of connected people in the world who think that such acts of hate or even genocide are correct and should be imitated, so that document is very relevant.
The second thing that document says is that the purpose of their actions is based on a doctrine that says replacement of civilizations, "he said.
He informed that the Government of Mexico, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with the support of the Attorney General's Office, maintains its demand that this subject be considered a terrorist, even if tried and, where appropriate, extradition can be achieved.
He said that the tragedy of August 3 is a starting point to work together with other countries to prevent them from repeating again, stopping the promotion of racial hatred ...
We could not act otherwise because letting El Paso happen as an isolated event of an insane individual would be very serious because then, surely, we will see - and hopefully I am wrong - we could soon see other acts against nationals or people of Latin American origin in the United States ".
The foreign minister highlighted the unanimous condemnation made by the plenary of the Organization of American States yesterday, at the request of Mexico to combat and seek to prevent this racial violence.
He said they promote a meeting with all Spanish-speaking countries to defend the idea that world wealth is the interaction of different civilizations.
A meeting that allows us to defend our idea of the world and our civilization of which we are part, "he stressed.
END
Monday, September 9, 2019
AZMEX UPDATE 4-9-19
AZMEX UPDATE 4 SEP 2019
Mexico
Detect that police from 50 municipalities have links to organized crime
He specified that the National Guard, even with its effectiveness, would be insufficient if states and municipalities do not do their part.
By El Universal
September 4
https://www.elimparcial.com/mexico/Detectan-que-policias-de-50-municipal-tienen-vinculos-con-el-crimen-organizado-20190904-0104.html
\
The Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), Alfonso Durazo, reported that, according to intelligence work,
they have resulted in police from 50 municipalities that have links to organized crime. (Illustrative)
MEXICO CITY.- The Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), Alfonso Durazo, informed that, according to intelligence work,
they have resulted in police from 50 municipalities that have links to organized crime and that for The Federation is a priority.
In an interview after meeting with deputies from different states in the Legislative Palace of San Lázaro, Durazo said that today
they already have a very clear map of crime in the Country
and refused to publicize the name of the municipalities that have this problem of collusion With organized crime.
More on this topic
Protesters attack military outside the Palace; there are 3 injured.
"Intelligence works allow us to reach that conclusion, we are very clear about the map of crime in the country, so we are working,
I will not specifically mention any municipality, but I can say that it is obviously one of the priorities,
because the work of the municipal police is an essential work of the work of the National Guard. "
He specified that the National Guard, even with its effectiveness, would be insufficient if the states and municipalities do not do their part,
and said that the crime must be faced in a united way.
The National Guard still in its effectiveness and in its dimension, will be insufficient if the states and municipalities do not do their part
and it is not about throwing the ball at each other, no, because the problem we have is of such dimension to face them together,
in a coordinated way, but each instance doing its part ".
- In percentage, how many municipalities would be the ones that are colluded?
- We are talking about 50 municipalities that would have priority.
When asked if the Federation will help the training of municipal and state police, he said that the priority
is the construction of the National Guard and that priority cannot be lost sight of.
More on this topic
The Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection reported Tuesday morning that the commander of the National Guard,
Brigadier General D.E.M. Luis Rodríguez Bucio, caused changes .
MEXICO
National Guard Commander Causes Army changes
"We are in a priority right now that is the construction of the National Guard, we cannot lose sight of that priority
and there all our efforts are destined, however, through a couple of budget items it is that states and municipalities are supported to police improvement, "he said.
END
Wave of violence has not affected tourism in Sonora: Cofetur
Details Published on Saturday August 31, 2019,
Written by Ángel Lozano
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=135288
Hermosillo, Son
Hotel occupancy exceeds 95% in Puerto Peñasco and San Carlos
The wave of violence that is registered in the State has not inhibited the arrival of tourists,
said the representative of the Tourism Promotion Commission (Cofetur).
Luis Núñez Noriega said that despite the travel alerts issued by the U.S. Consulate to its workers, tourism growth is expected for 2018 this year.
He pointed out that the last three weekends in Puerto Peñasco and San Carlos
there has been a tourist influx and hotel occupancy above 95%.
"We are measuring the tourist influx that is the best indicator, the tourist influx in Sonora has not stopped,
has advanced even has been increasing in a sensitive way," he said,
Although the Secretary of Security, David Anaya Cooley, urged the mayors to evaluate the events
where there is sale of beverages and alcoholics and bets to avoid risks in the population,
the representative of Cofetur said that tourism in Sonora is increasing .
Derived from acts of violence in the Sierra Baja on August 27, Mayor of Nácori Chico, Jorge Luis Portillo Arvizu,
canceled the patron saint festivities of Santa Rosa de Lima scheduled for this weekend.
END
Mexico
Detect that police from 50 municipalities have links to organized crime
He specified that the National Guard, even with its effectiveness, would be insufficient if states and municipalities do not do their part.
By El Universal
September 4
https://www.elimparcial.com/mexico/Detectan-que-policias-de-50-municipal-tienen-vinculos-con-el-crimen-organizado-20190904-0104.html
\
The Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), Alfonso Durazo, reported that, according to intelligence work,
they have resulted in police from 50 municipalities that have links to organized crime. (Illustrative)
MEXICO CITY.- The Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), Alfonso Durazo, informed that, according to intelligence work,
they have resulted in police from 50 municipalities that have links to organized crime and that for The Federation is a priority.
In an interview after meeting with deputies from different states in the Legislative Palace of San Lázaro, Durazo said that today
they already have a very clear map of crime in the Country
and refused to publicize the name of the municipalities that have this problem of collusion With organized crime.
Protesters attack military outside the Palace; there are 3 injured.
"Intelligence works allow us to reach that conclusion, we are very clear about the map of crime in the country, so we are working,
I will not specifically mention any municipality, but I can say that it is obviously one of the priorities,
because the work of the municipal police is an essential work of the work of the National Guard. "
He specified that the National Guard, even with its effectiveness, would be insufficient if the states and municipalities do not do their part,
and said that the crime must be faced in a united way.
The National Guard still in its effectiveness and in its dimension, will be insufficient if the states and municipalities do not do their part
and it is not about throwing the ball at each other, no, because the problem we have is of such dimension to face them together,
in a coordinated way, but each instance doing its part ".
- In percentage, how many municipalities would be the ones that are colluded?
- We are talking about 50 municipalities that would have priority.
When asked if the Federation will help the training of municipal and state police, he said that the priority
is the construction of the National Guard and that priority cannot be lost sight of.
The Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection reported Tuesday morning that the commander of the National Guard,
Brigadier General D.E.M. Luis Rodríguez Bucio, caused changes .
MEXICO
National Guard Commander Causes Army changes
"We are in a priority right now that is the construction of the National Guard, we cannot lose sight of that priority
and there all our efforts are destined, however, through a couple of budget items it is that states and municipalities are supported to police improvement, "he said.
END
Wave of violence has not affected tourism in Sonora: Cofetur
Details Published on Saturday August 31, 2019,
Written by Ángel Lozano
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=135288
Hermosillo, Son
Hotel occupancy exceeds 95% in Puerto Peñasco and San Carlos
The wave of violence that is registered in the State has not inhibited the arrival of tourists,
said the representative of the Tourism Promotion Commission (Cofetur).
Luis Núñez Noriega said that despite the travel alerts issued by the U.S. Consulate to its workers, tourism growth is expected for 2018 this year.
He pointed out that the last three weekends in Puerto Peñasco and San Carlos
there has been a tourist influx and hotel occupancy above 95%.
"We are measuring the tourist influx that is the best indicator, the tourist influx in Sonora has not stopped,
has advanced even has been increasing in a sensitive way," he said,
Although the Secretary of Security, David Anaya Cooley, urged the mayors to evaluate the events
where there is sale of beverages and alcoholics and bets to avoid risks in the population,
the representative of Cofetur said that tourism in Sonora is increasing .
Derived from acts of violence in the Sierra Baja on August 27, Mayor of Nácori Chico, Jorge Luis Portillo Arvizu,
canceled the patron saint festivities of Santa Rosa de Lima scheduled for this weekend.
END
Saturday, September 7, 2019
AZMEX UPDATE 7-9-19
AZMEX UPDATE 7 SEP 2019
Note: Be advised.
Dengue Fever at: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/dengue-fever-reference#1
Dengue is present in Sonora; there are 19 cases
Only in the last week 5 dengue cases were confirmed
By Tanya Vasquez
September 6
https://www.elimparcial.com/sonora/sonora/Dengue-hace-presencia-en-Sonora-hay-19- Cases-20190906-0054.html
Dengue is present in Sonora; there are 19 cases | Pixabay
HERMOSILLO, Sonora.- A total of 19 confirmed cases of dengue in the State have registered the Ministry of Health,
five of them were confirmed in the last week.
Gerardo Álvarez Hernández, general director of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention,
said that most cases have been registered at Pesqueira Station, with 13 cases,
five in Puerto Peñasco and one in Hermosillo.
"Dengue outbreaks in Peñasco and Pesqueira Station remain active and there are probable cases in Hermosillo
that remain under study, so the magnitude is likely to increase in the following weeks,
following national and even worldwide behavior," he said.
More on this topic
They watch ovitrampas to trap a mosquito that transmits dengue
The environmental conditions are favorable for the growth and dispersion of the Aedes aegypti fly, he said,
so that during the last week more than 3,800 hectares were fumigated and more than 7 thousand ovitrampas were reviewed,
where it was observed that the indicator remains at emergency levels
To avoid the bite of the fly, he emphasized the importance of keeping homes and yards clean,
eliminating tires, containers, cans and any other item that can store water and promote its reproduction,
such as drums, water tanks, pots, pots, vases, fountains , cover threads and tires.
Finally, he pointed out that if you travel to regions with cases of dengue, chikungunya or zika,
you should reinforce individual protection measures, in addition,
if you return to the first week fever, malaise, headache, head and eyes, you should see a doctor immediately.
END
Note: Be advised.
Dengue Fever at: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/dengue-fever-reference#1
Dengue is present in Sonora; there are 19 cases
Only in the last week 5 dengue cases were confirmed
By Tanya Vasquez
September 6
https://www.elimparcial.com/sonora/sonora/Dengue-hace-presencia-en-Sonora-hay-19- Cases-20190906-0054.html
Dengue is present in Sonora; there are 19 cases | Pixabay
HERMOSILLO, Sonora.- A total of 19 confirmed cases of dengue in the State have registered the Ministry of Health,
five of them were confirmed in the last week.
Gerardo Álvarez Hernández, general director of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention,
said that most cases have been registered at Pesqueira Station, with 13 cases,
five in Puerto Peñasco and one in Hermosillo.
"Dengue outbreaks in Peñasco and Pesqueira Station remain active and there are probable cases in Hermosillo
that remain under study, so the magnitude is likely to increase in the following weeks,
following national and even worldwide behavior," he said.
They watch ovitrampas to trap a mosquito that transmits dengue
The environmental conditions are favorable for the growth and dispersion of the Aedes aegypti fly, he said,
so that during the last week more than 3,800 hectares were fumigated and more than 7 thousand ovitrampas were reviewed,
where it was observed that the indicator remains at emergency levels
To avoid the bite of the fly, he emphasized the importance of keeping homes and yards clean,
eliminating tires, containers, cans and any other item that can store water and promote its reproduction,
such as drums, water tanks, pots, pots, vases, fountains , cover threads and tires.
Finally, he pointed out that if you travel to regions with cases of dengue, chikungunya or zika,
you should reinforce individual protection measures, in addition,
if you return to the first week fever, malaise, headache, head and eyes, you should see a doctor immediately.
END
Friday, September 6, 2019
AZMEX I3 6-9-19
AZMEX I3 6 SEP 2019
Note: as always, "migrant" means illegal immigrant .
Gracias
Mexico declares success in slowing migrant flow after Trump tariff threats
By: Associated Press
Posted: Sep 06, 2019 12:05 PM MDT
Updated: Sep 06, 2019 12:05 PM MDT
https://www.kvia.com/news/border/mexico-declares-success-in-slowing-migrant-flow-after-trump-tariff-threats/1117971811
Mexico declares success in slowing migrant flow after Trump tariff threats
Getty Images
Mexican soldiers keep watch on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border on June 27, 2019, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
The Mexican government has deployed 15,000 troops to its border with the U.S. as part of a broader immigration crackdown.
Related story:
US Border Patrol arrests continue to drop in August
MEXICO CITY, Mexico - Under threat of crippling U.S. tariffs, Mexico said Friday it had reduced the flow of migrants arriving at its northern border by 56% in three months.
Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said he believes Mexico's strategy of cracking down on illegal migration
with a National Guard deployment, investment in Central America and allowing the U.S. to make more asylum seekers wait in Mexico
is enough to avert President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs on all Mexican imports.
Ebrard is scheduled to meet with U.S. officials next week at the White House to review the progress.
"We're showing that the strategy that Mexico put forward has been successful," Ebrard said.
"I don't expect a tariff threat Tuesday because it wouldn't make sense."
Using U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, Ebrard said the number of migrants apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border in August was 63,989,
down from 144,266 in May. Ebrard's numbers include those who presented themselves at U.S. ports of entry and were deemed inadmissible.
Mexico has reinforced security on its porous southern border and set up checkpoints on highways leading north,
deploying 21,600 police and troops across the nation. Ebrard said there had been seven formal complaints of human rights violations
involving the National Guard, a relatively low number which he saw as another sign of success.
The enforcement has been paired with an incipient economic development plan.
Mexico has agreed with Honduras and El Salvador to expand a tree-planting program that aims to keep farmers on their land
through direct payments and provide them with income-generating fruit and timber trees.
Mexico has committed $60 million to that program and another to create job opportunities for youth.
Some 4,300 Central American migrants are working in Mexico's version of that program in the south, Ebrard said.
Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador, a leftist who took office Dec. 1 promising better treatment of migrants,
instead has embraced the fight against migrant smuggling.
In recent weeks, he has seldom mentioned the U.S. pressure and depicts the crackdown on migrants as a struggle to defend Mexican laws.
His administration has taken a tough line against hundreds of African migrants
waiting in the southern city of Tapachula for transit visas that Mexico no longer hands out.
"We will not budge," he said after the Africans protested, "because the recent events in Tapachula
aim to make Mexico yield and oblige us to give out certificates so migrants can get into the United States.
We cannot do that. It isn't our job."
He said migrant caravans once tolerated by Mexico were the work of human traffickers, and effectively ended them.
"All of these people who traffic with migrants' needs for jobs, safety and welfare, they are committing a crime and they will be punished,"
López Obrador said last week.
"We are already doing this in Mexico, without violating human rights. We are ensuring there isn't anarchy, disorder."
Migrant-rights activists say López Obrador is simply dressing up the fact that he yielded to Trump's pressure tactics.
"Mexico is just trying to comply with the U.S. (demands) and cut down on migration, but it is improvising and violating the law,"
said Javier Martínez, a lawyer for the Casa del Migrante shelter in the northern city of Saltillo.
"We are seeing things we never saw before."
Mexico has raided freight trains that migrants ride north, and pulled thousands off buses
and out of the freight compartments of trucks.
The government has warned bus and taxi drivers they could lose their permits if they transport migrants.
Activists say that has forced migrants to hike through unpopulated areas to avoid checkpoints,
exposing them to greater risk from thieves, muggers and rapists who lie in wait.
Ebrard said Friday that authorities had found 2,186 migrants inside 35 tractor-trailers
and said that nearly 40% were minors. Ebrard said 357 people had been charged in migrant-smuggling cases.
The Rev. Alejandro Solalinde, who runs a migrant shelter in the southern state of Oaxaca, said Mexico essentially had no choice.
"It was the least worse choice," Solalinde said of the government's decision.
"Given that Donald Trump is an unstable person, full of surprises, we had to make this deal."
All of that has left migrants like Jose Bento, a 30-year-old from Congo, feeling like they have been caught in the middle and left in limbo.
"We are in a jail without walls," said Bento, who has spent four months traveling through South and Central America in a bid to reach the United States.
"This is a policy of lies. We are considered as animals."
END
Note: as always, "migrant" means illegal immigrant .
Gracias
Mexico declares success in slowing migrant flow after Trump tariff threats
By: Associated Press
Posted: Sep 06, 2019 12:05 PM MDT
Updated: Sep 06, 2019 12:05 PM MDT
https://www.kvia.com/news/border/mexico-declares-success-in-slowing-migrant-flow-after-trump-tariff-threats/1117971811
Mexico declares success in slowing migrant flow after Trump tariff threats
Getty Images
Mexican soldiers keep watch on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border on June 27, 2019, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
The Mexican government has deployed 15,000 troops to its border with the U.S. as part of a broader immigration crackdown.
Related story:
US Border Patrol arrests continue to drop in August
MEXICO CITY, Mexico - Under threat of crippling U.S. tariffs, Mexico said Friday it had reduced the flow of migrants arriving at its northern border by 56% in three months.
Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said he believes Mexico's strategy of cracking down on illegal migration
with a National Guard deployment, investment in Central America and allowing the U.S. to make more asylum seekers wait in Mexico
is enough to avert President Donald Trump's threat to impose tariffs on all Mexican imports.
Ebrard is scheduled to meet with U.S. officials next week at the White House to review the progress.
"We're showing that the strategy that Mexico put forward has been successful," Ebrard said.
"I don't expect a tariff threat Tuesday because it wouldn't make sense."
Using U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, Ebrard said the number of migrants apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border in August was 63,989,
down from 144,266 in May. Ebrard's numbers include those who presented themselves at U.S. ports of entry and were deemed inadmissible.
Mexico has reinforced security on its porous southern border and set up checkpoints on highways leading north,
deploying 21,600 police and troops across the nation. Ebrard said there had been seven formal complaints of human rights violations
involving the National Guard, a relatively low number which he saw as another sign of success.
The enforcement has been paired with an incipient economic development plan.
Mexico has agreed with Honduras and El Salvador to expand a tree-planting program that aims to keep farmers on their land
through direct payments and provide them with income-generating fruit and timber trees.
Mexico has committed $60 million to that program and another to create job opportunities for youth.
Some 4,300 Central American migrants are working in Mexico's version of that program in the south, Ebrard said.
Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador, a leftist who took office Dec. 1 promising better treatment of migrants,
instead has embraced the fight against migrant smuggling.
In recent weeks, he has seldom mentioned the U.S. pressure and depicts the crackdown on migrants as a struggle to defend Mexican laws.
His administration has taken a tough line against hundreds of African migrants
waiting in the southern city of Tapachula for transit visas that Mexico no longer hands out.
"We will not budge," he said after the Africans protested, "because the recent events in Tapachula
aim to make Mexico yield and oblige us to give out certificates so migrants can get into the United States.
We cannot do that. It isn't our job."
He said migrant caravans once tolerated by Mexico were the work of human traffickers, and effectively ended them.
"All of these people who traffic with migrants' needs for jobs, safety and welfare, they are committing a crime and they will be punished,"
López Obrador said last week.
"We are already doing this in Mexico, without violating human rights. We are ensuring there isn't anarchy, disorder."
Migrant-rights activists say López Obrador is simply dressing up the fact that he yielded to Trump's pressure tactics.
"Mexico is just trying to comply with the U.S. (demands) and cut down on migration, but it is improvising and violating the law,"
said Javier Martínez, a lawyer for the Casa del Migrante shelter in the northern city of Saltillo.
"We are seeing things we never saw before."
Mexico has raided freight trains that migrants ride north, and pulled thousands off buses
and out of the freight compartments of trucks.
The government has warned bus and taxi drivers they could lose their permits if they transport migrants.
Activists say that has forced migrants to hike through unpopulated areas to avoid checkpoints,
exposing them to greater risk from thieves, muggers and rapists who lie in wait.
Ebrard said Friday that authorities had found 2,186 migrants inside 35 tractor-trailers
and said that nearly 40% were minors. Ebrard said 357 people had been charged in migrant-smuggling cases.
The Rev. Alejandro Solalinde, who runs a migrant shelter in the southern state of Oaxaca, said Mexico essentially had no choice.
"It was the least worse choice," Solalinde said of the government's decision.
"Given that Donald Trump is an unstable person, full of surprises, we had to make this deal."
All of that has left migrants like Jose Bento, a 30-year-old from Congo, feeling like they have been caught in the middle and left in limbo.
"We are in a jail without walls," said Bento, who has spent four months traveling through South and Central America in a bid to reach the United States.
"This is a policy of lies. We are considered as animals."
END
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
AZMEX POLICY 2-9-19
AZMEX POLICY 2 SEP 2019
Sonora news.
Sailors ( Marines? ) will replace compromised police, Durazo warns
The head of the SSP, Alfonso Durazo, detailed the pilot program to purify security forces in Sonora,
which will begin in Guaymas and Empalme
09/02/2019 13:52 WITH NOTIMEX INFORMATION // PHOTO: CUARTOSCURO
https://www.excelsior.com.mx/nacional/marinos-reemplazaran-a-policias-coludidos-advierte-durazo/1333968
Sailors will replace colluded police, Durazo warns
On Monday, a pilot program to clean up the security forces began in the state of Sonora,
after there is evidence that there are elements linked to organized crime,
said the head of the Ministry of Public Security (SSP), Alfonso Durazo Montaño .
We have to do a national purification of the security forces, the National Guard still in its effectiveness
and in its growing dimension will be insufficient if the state and municipal bodies do not do the same,
both to grow and to improve in every way, in training, professionalization,
improvement of the socioeconomic status of its members and of course an ethical performance,
that is one of the fundamental problems at the national level, "he said.
In an interview, after the morning conference, he stressed that it is a pilot program that starts in Sonora,
particularly in Guaymas and Empalme.
We are starting the pilot program particularly with Guaymas and Empalme,
there the Navy replenishes all the elements that do not pass the confidence exams ...
those elements that do not pass the exams will be liquidated,
and the personnel that do meet the requirements will be trained or retrained, that is,
to bring them to appropriate professionalization standards to provide professional security services, "he said.
Antros, with more control: Alfonso Durazo
"Intelligence works indicate that there are complicities or penetration of the organized crime of some security forces,
and the work to prevent Sonora from losing the security levels it had, must begin with the purification of the police bodies,
some, not all, some of whose elements we have enough data to talk about a link with organized crime, "he said.
Durazo Montaño added that there is a clear diagnosis of where this problem is presented that is not only in Sonora,
but throughout the country, and will work through the so-called National Police Model,
which has already been approved by municipal and state governments .
asc
Sonora news.
Sailors ( Marines? ) will replace compromised police, Durazo warns
The head of the SSP, Alfonso Durazo, detailed the pilot program to purify security forces in Sonora,
which will begin in Guaymas and Empalme
09/02/2019 13:52 WITH NOTIMEX INFORMATION // PHOTO: CUARTOSCURO
https://www.excelsior.com.mx/nacional/marinos-reemplazaran-a-policias-coludidos-advierte-durazo/1333968
Sailors will replace colluded police, Durazo warns
On Monday, a pilot program to clean up the security forces began in the state of Sonora,
after there is evidence that there are elements linked to organized crime,
said the head of the Ministry of Public Security (SSP), Alfonso Durazo Montaño .
We have to do a national purification of the security forces, the National Guard still in its effectiveness
and in its growing dimension will be insufficient if the state and municipal bodies do not do the same,
both to grow and to improve in every way, in training, professionalization,
improvement of the socioeconomic status of its members and of course an ethical performance,
that is one of the fundamental problems at the national level, "he said.
In an interview, after the morning conference, he stressed that it is a pilot program that starts in Sonora,
particularly in Guaymas and Empalme.
We are starting the pilot program particularly with Guaymas and Empalme,
there the Navy replenishes all the elements that do not pass the confidence exams ...
those elements that do not pass the exams will be liquidated,
and the personnel that do meet the requirements will be trained or retrained, that is,
to bring them to appropriate professionalization standards to provide professional security services, "he said.
Antros, with more control: Alfonso Durazo
"Intelligence works indicate that there are complicities or penetration of the organized crime of some security forces,
and the work to prevent Sonora from losing the security levels it had, must begin with the purification of the police bodies,
some, not all, some of whose elements we have enough data to talk about a link with organized crime, "he said.
Durazo Montaño added that there is a clear diagnosis of where this problem is presented that is not only in Sonora,
but throughout the country, and will work through the so-called National Police Model,
which has already been approved by municipal and state governments .
asc
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