Rancher's Murder Exposes Deadly Gaps in Border Policing

[GoNRA 12]

Former Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, reacting to the murder of a well-known Arizona rancher by an assailant authorities believe was an illegal immigrant, said violence on the border has spiraled out of control and the federal government seems powerless to stop it.

 

In this Aug. 6, 2009, photo, a U.S. Border Patrol agent opens a barbed wire fence leading to a road lined with vehicle barriers marking the U.S-Mexico border near Hermanas, N.M. (AP Photo)

 

Former Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, reacting to the murder of a well-known Arizona rancher by an assailant authorities believe was an illegal immigrant, said violence on the border has spiraled out of control and the federal government seems powerless to stop it.

 

Tancredo, who has called on the Obama administration to deploy the National Guard in response, told FoxNews.com Tuesday that the killing shows how bad the situation has become for Americans living north of the Mexican border.

 

"The violence on the border is ... getting worse all the time," he said. "This is just a horrible manifestation of it."

 

Tancredo, a Republican who briefly ran for president in 2008, said gaps in the border fence -- and problems with the fencing that's already in place -- as well as ineffective border patrol are opening the door to the kind of violence that struck Robert Krentz.

 

The 58-year-old rancher, whose family has lived there for a century, was found slumped over his ATV on his ranch late Saturday. Footprints led back across the Mexican border, and local police say an illegal immigrant probably killed him.

 

related links

Lawmakers Demand Administration Deploy National Guard, Border Patrol After Killing

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03 ... l-killing/

 

 

A satellite photo from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows a gap in the border fence near Krentz's ranch in southeastern Arizona. Tancredo said a small gap in the fence could be manageable, because border agents could "funnel" illegal immigrants into a small area and arrest them. But he said the gap by Krentz's estate is too big and law enforcers aren't working hard enough to catch people crossing over.

 

"There is not going to be any effective barrier on that border because there is no desire to stop illegal immigration," he said. "They're not using any human resources effectively."

 

Plus, Tancredo said, most of the fencing that is in place is not strong enough. It's either a single fence or, as Tancredo's Rocky Mountain Foundation noted, a short barrier meant to stop vehicles.

 

"It doesn't stop people," said Charles Heatherley, executive director of the foundation.

 

Lawmakers are calling on the administration either to send in the National Guard or to increase the number of Border Patrol agents in the area.

 

A spokeswoman for Arizona Sen. John McCain said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has not yet responded to the senator's request for the National Guard to be deployed.

 

Asked about the requests, Department of Homeland Security spokesman Matt Chandler said the department would respond "directly" to the members of Congress and defended the work border security forces have done to try to stem the violence.

 

Napolitano "shares these members' concern about the safety of U.S. border communities and is committed to working with our state, local, tribal, and Mexican law enforcement partners to combat threats from violent cartels on both sides of the border," he said in a written statement.

 

Chandler said Napolitano has launched an "unprecedented" effort to target smuggled weapons, drugs and drug money and has already beefed up border security.

 

Tancredo, though, said officials like Napolitano and McCain, whom he accuses of being lax on the issue, are part of the problem in the first place.

 

"Each one of them is culpable in this man's death," Tancredo told FoxNews.com.

 

McCain's office did not respond to a request for comment.

 

Tancredo, who said he has known the Krentz family for 10 years, was set to meet with them and other ranchers in the area to discuss "violence on the border" when Robert Krentz was killed.

 

The former congressman said he held the meeting Sunday with the families anyway.

 

"It was really kind of a sad and ironic situation," Tancredo said.

[KpdPipes 388]

We have had Armed Mexican Army-marked vehciles Dozens of miles into Arizona, shooting up Border Patrol vehicles with .50 cal MG fire, and nothing was done.... the Border was the REAL failure of the Bush Administration, it should have been sealed THEN.

[GoNRA 12]

This pisses me off so much man, which is the reason I posted it. These scumbags are coming across the border killing Americans... just pisses me off to the point where I wanna join the border patrol and go kick some ass. Well I assume if I shot any of them i'd be arrested.. so it's probably better if I dont go.

[bbk 188]

Ugh, Tancredo. I met that guy when he was a Rep, and he's batsh-t crazy-- can't say I ever respected him much. With that said, I am glad he's making a strong push here. I think we, as the public, have to be careful about rushing to judgment until there is definitive proof in regards to the rancher case... however, kdp brings up the fact that there have been well documented cases of armed drug runners who have been gunning for federal US agents, and CBP not allowing to do much to counter.

When I was stationed at Huachuca (located in Cochise County as well), I remember eating chow with CBP and seeing their HMMWVs drive around post. I remember during morning runs, the DS' would point out the hills to the south, and sometimes we would see what looked like fires and flash bulbs flashing-- which were CBP chasing illegals and a few firefights on occasion.

[GoNRA 12]

How do you close down a border.... how does canada do it? maybe we can use that method.

 

[tony357 386]

well, i guess a whole lot'a canadians would have to move to mexico..

[GoNRA 12]

gotta love this prick.. he's got alot of these videos.. someone should punch this guy in the face.

He does have a good point though, they ask questions but you dont have to answer them I guess.

[GoNRA 12]

nevermind, still let him go without answering the question.

[Jon 264]

Wow...

[71ragtopgoat 23]

We have had Armed Mexican Army-marked vehciles Dozens of miles into Arizona, shooting up Border Patrol vehicles with .50 cal MG fire, and nothing was done.... the Border was the REAL failure of the Bush Administration, it should have been sealed THEN.

That was kept real quiet. They were escorting some drug lords families across the boarder. The very next time they were aggressive toward the US boarder patrol we had black-hawks all over them.

They surrendered to the Boarder patrol and were sent back with an armed US escort. They claimed there GPS failed.Then a great purge of Mexican top armed forces brass happened a month later.

[GoNRA 12]

well, i guess a whole lot'a canadians would have to move to mexico..

 

that may not be a bad idea, we just have to figure out a way to flock them there, like their geese flock here.