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Mexican Officials Coached Witnesses In Border Patrol Murder Case The key prosecution witnesses in the case of the Border Patrol agent charged with murder for shooting a confrontational illegal immigrant are themselves illegal aliens related to the shot man and coached by the Mexican government before U.S. authorities even spoke to them. When prosecutors in Arizona’s Cochise County proudly announced the first-degree murder charges against Border Patrol agent Nicholas Corbett this week, they failed to mention some important details that could prove damaging to their case. First is the fact that their key witnesses are the two brothers and a sister-in-law of the shot man, who incidentally joined him on his illegal border crossing journey. Secondly, is the fact that Mexican Consul officials were allowed to interview and coach the already biased witnesses before they gave statements to U.S. authorities. Mexican officials were granted unrestricted access to the apprehended illegal immigrants by the Border Patrol agent in charge of the Naco station where they were detained immediately after the January shooting. The senior agent, Darcy Olmos, has a long history of pandering to Mexico and Mexican aliens and refers to illegal immigrants as “my people.” In fact, when ranchers near the border complained of vandalism by illegal aliens, Olmos said that ancestors of the ranchers had stolen the land from her people....
Border sheriffs plead with lawmakers for funds Southwest sheriffs frustrated with federal efforts to secure the U.S.-Mexico border pleaded with Bush administration officials and lawmakers for funds to lessen the local burden of fighting drug trafficking and illegal immigration. “I think the sheriffs are frustrated that this is going kind of slow,” said Joe Pollock, president of the Sheriff's Association of Texas. “The local taxpayers don't have the money to afford it. The federal government does.” Pollock, sheriff of Burnet County, was joined by two dozen law enforcement officers representing 26 counties in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Tuesday's meeting with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and other Bush administration officials was arranged by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, who have worked with the Southwest Border Sheriff's Coalition to fight crime and improve border security without impeding trade. It was the first time the coalition of sheriffs met with Chertoff. He has made numerous trips to the border to hear complaints first hand about the lack of funds. “It's important to hear some of their front-line observations,” Chertoff said....
The Corridor of Killing The killers wrapped the cop's head in silver duct tape, using a knife to plant a message in his chest. As a final touch, they left a hand grenade by the corpse--a calling card, of sorts. Three hours north, another group of killers hunted drug mules and migrant smugglers in the hills of Santa Cruz County. There was a heavy U.S. response--armored agents and Blackhawk helicopters descended on them near Sonoita. A group of five killers was found three days later--but yet another hit went down close to Pima County. It was calm for a few weeks; cops started thinking they may have finished the group off. Then the hunters killed again, this time near Green Valley. Federal agents say the two theaters of murder, one in Sonora, another in Arizona, are not related; the narcos are staying on their side of the border, while opportunistic thugs wreak havoc on the well-worn illegal trails in the desert of the Tumacacori Mountains. Then again, maybe they are related--tied together by the fact that they exist at all, a corridor of killing stretching from Sinaloa to Sonora and into Arizona. People familiar with the situation reveal an uncomfortable truth: Years of federal neglect of the Arizona border have compromised the line. Killings are spilling out of control, hit men moving in to fill the gaps left by American law enforcement....