The Mexican Border

Is our Sourtern border secure?

A friend of mine has wintered in Tucson AZ for many years and during the winter he became associatedd with the Minutemen; a group of volunteers who hoined in monitoring the ilegal crossings at the border. Recently thing have changed drastically there and our security is threatened. Some time ago I dug from a remote news source that our military intelligence were worried about the possibiliity of drug wars causing the colapse of the Mexican Government.

The following letter from my friend will present an observers view, from one who is in the thick of it.

Hello Everyone:

You will notice that this email’s subject matter has changed to “Illegal Border Issues”.  This
change is because the founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps in
Green Valley and I have resigned our positions with the organization.  We’ve done this for two reasons.  First, the rules of the MCDC prohibit volunteers, for liability purposes, from venturing into unsafe areas.  This, as you know, is something I’ve been involved in for several years.  Second, we both felt that we needed more time informing the public about the conditions on the border.  I’ve been doing more speaking engagements than before, have several more lined up and will possibly develop something online.  Next
Friday we’re both going down to a ranch in S.E. Arizona and meet with a
newly elected U.S. Congressman from an adjoining state.  He want’s us to provide documentation and photos of the situation close to the border.  March 1^st I’ll be the guest on a ½ hour radio show on KVOI in Tucson.  It’s heartening for us to have gained the trust and credibility of community leaders.  We also have a very close relationship with a ranking officer of the Border Patrol that now numbers 3,400 in this sector. 

The drug wars have heightened in Mexico with their President announcing that 6,112 people were killed there in the past year.  Over 5,000 were killed in the Mexican state of Sonora, directly south of the Arizona border.  Nogales, where we used to feel safe in visiting, is now virtually off limits.  The soldiers of Fort Huachuca have been ordered not to cross the border because of the danger. Many of the shops and businesses have closed and the streets are almost empty of “gringos”.  Last
week the US National Security agencies put out a report that stated
that two countries in the world are in eminent danger of being taken
over by lawless organizations, Pakistan and Mexico.

Yesterday my partner and I spent nine hours in the desert.  You might want to look on an Arizona map and look for the small town of Arivaca.  It’s southwest of Tucson and Green Valley.  We took Arivaca Rd, known as the Khyber Pass of Arizona, to Arivaca.  From there we took desert and mountain trails all the way to the border.  We
wanted photos of the vehicle barriers that the National Guard put up a
few years ago and also evidence of the drug trafficking.  In seven hours we saw only border patrol agents.  It’s very mountainous and the trails could only be traveled with a jeep and then with difficulty.  We
stopped and talked to a team of border agents and I mentioned the
latest figures that 1,138 bodies had been found in the past seven years
in the sector.  He laughed and said “those are only the ones they stumbled on”.  That number could easily be doubled.  It’s the heaviest drug trafficking area in the U.S.  The other agent joked, “They say they  died from suspicious causes….a bullet in the head”.  Curious sense of humor!

Mid
afternoon we drove down a trail that was terribly rough to navigate due
to prehistoric lava flows crossing the trail. About half way into the
box canyon a Mexican walked out right next to my open window, from
behind some trees.  We kept going and tried unsuccessfully to gain speed because of the terrain.  Since we were headed into a box canyon we had to go out the same way.  That was the first time I’ve had to take my pistol out of my holster.  As we approached the area, the Mexican came out and ran behind us on foot.  We’ll never know if he wanted our jeep or just a ride.  We were told he was probably a “scout” for the drug smugglers but we can’t say that with any certainty. 

Due
to the drug war going on in Mexico the immigrants who went back to
Mexico as our economy worsened, are beginning to return in large
numbers.  Those apprehended tell the border agents that things are terrible in Mexico, but they can get welfare from the Americans.  Nice to know, isn’t it?

As usual, if any of you wish to be taken off the list for these informal updates just let me know. 

Be well,    Gary