Will our Border Patrol Agents be more prepared and ready when they are fighting against the drug wars ?

Question

Should our Agents been given these automatic rifles years ago to protect themselves from drug dealers and illegals? Do you believe this will help with all the illegals sneaking in, the drugs being transported to the States, and all the murders happening now with in the drug communities?
Should all Border Patrol Agents be given the authority to shoot when violence is evident?


South Texas to increase Border Patrol presence, use fully automatic rifles
By Christopher Sherman / Associated Press Writer
Article Launched: 10/17/2008 10:38:15 AM MDT


EDINBURG, Texas - Authorities in South Texas said Friday that they won't be intimidated by increasingly violent drug smugglers, announcing a larger Border Patrol presence and that more heavily armed deputies will be authorized to return fire across the Mexican border.
Operation "River Freedom Denial" will target areas along the Rio Grande in the southern tip of Texas where violence has risen lately with more ground and air resources, said Border Patrol sector chief Ronald Vitiello.

Standing with a Texas Department of Public Safety captain and the Hidalgo County Sheriff, Vitiello cited an exchange of gunfire between his agents and drug smugglers Monday and another incident this week of a smuggler ramming an agent's truck in making his escape.

Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino said the deputies he will assign to the operation along the river will all be issued fully automatic rifles and authorized to return fire.

"We are not going to be intimidated by the increased aggression," Trevino said.

He recalled an incident in 2006 when more than 300 shots were fired across the river at his deputies and Border Patrol agents. At that time he decided to pull his deputies back from the river for their safety.

Not this time.

"If fired upon we will respond in kind," he said.

Tension along the border has increased this week with a shootout in downtown Matamoros, Mexico across the river from Brownsville, Thursday afternoon and shots fired at or near the U.S.


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Consulate in Monterrey, Mexico twice this week. In the first incident, a grenade was lobbed at the consulate that did not explode.
Vitiello and Trevino declined to offer more details about the operation, content with sending a message that law enforcement at all levels along the border is cooperating and will not tolerate violence.

Vitiello attributed the uptick in aggression in part to frustration of drug cartels who are facing a Border Patrol with more manpower and resources.

Cases of violence against Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley sector have increased for three consecutive years. This year there have been more than 130 incidents including assaults and people throwing rocks at agents, said Border Patrol spokesman Dan Doty.

Violence at this end of the Rio Grande pales in comparison to West Texas where more than 1,100 people have been killed in drug cartel violence this year in Juarez, Mexico, across the river from El Paso.

Answer 1

Will our Border Patrol Agents be more prepared and ready when they are fighting against the drug wars?



Only if there are well trained in commando techniques like the U.S. military, increased in numbers, and are well equipped with the latest weapons (automatic weapons, rifles, rocket grenade launchers, etc.) and support systems (latest day/night sensor technologies, armored vehicles, helicopters with cannons and air to surface missiles, etc.).



The border patrol agents and local police should be prepared to kill once the illegal immigrants initiate gun fire or any hostile action.



If Mexico or any other country does not like our country defending our borders then they can go to Hell!



They are legal ways to come into this country and this country has the right to let or not let people in. The country comes first and not the immigrants.



But we also have to be fair about this too, illegal immigrants are not the only ones we have to punish; we have to punish American big business, criminal organizations, special interest groups, and corrupted government officials.



And one more thing, a lot of Americans do not realize this but the Berlin Wall did work. Not to our favor but to the then East Germans. But it did work. And it can work for the northern and southern borders.

Answer 2

Yes they should be given rifles and our National guard needs to be taken out of Iraq and put on our borders. How many US citizens do Mexican drug dealers need to kidnap take back to Mexico and kill with the latest victim being this poor 6 year old boy in Nevada, before our government realizes we have a real terrorism problem in our own country with a neighboring country.

Answer 3

They should be backed up by the National Guard, Air force, and Army. Mexican military force protect smugglers and they are packing automatic weapons, grenades, and more! We should have predator drones with missiles patrolling the border and they should fire at any military incursion by Mexican forces.

Answer 4

We currently have 2 border patrol agents in prison for shooting a drug smuggler coming in from Mexico.

Another one is on trial. They have weapons, but when they use them they are arrested and imprisoned.

Answer 5

By and large, Border Patrol agents have been issued automatic rifles for decades. As to their authority to fire, agents of the U.S. Border Patrol are held to the same standard as all other law enforcement officers. There must be the same perceived threat of death or serious bodily harm present before any law enforcement officer can utilize deadly force. This is not to be construed to mean that they must be fired upon first. All law enforcement officers in the United States have the right to fire first if they perceive what a reasonable officer (not a reasonable person - the courts recognize officers have more training and experience than the layman) a threat of death or severe bodily harm.



The problem lies in the jungle and mountain like terrain in which Border Patrol agents must operate. It's not a question of waiting to be shot at before returning fire. Rather, it's a matter of seeing the threat before you are being fired upon. Essentially, they are being ambushed.



To provide a deeper understanding of the force a law enforcement officer (local, state or federal) can apply to a given situation, you must understand the Use of Force Continuum. This is a non-progressive response system based upon U.S. Supreme Court rulings. Basically, it works like this:



There are several potential responses an officer may apply to any given situation based upon the level of resistance or force he/she faces. These responses range from officer presence, merely being there, to deadly force, application of deadly force IS NOT restricted to only the use of a firearm. These force options are applied to situations where the person is passively resistive (just won't acknowledge the officer or won't comply) through actively resistive, combative and up to the subject trying to seriously injure or kill an officer.



The force option the officer chooses must comply with the amount of force he/she faces and does allow for the officer to go one step beyond the force he/she faces. In other words, if a person tries to punch an officer, he/she is not held to only punching back thereby creating an equal force to force situation. The officer is authorized to escalate one level and utilize an intermediate force option such as less than lethal force (such as a baton).



Additionally, the officer does not have to wait for the force to be applied towards him/her before the officer can defend his or herself. An example of this is what is commonly referred to as a deadly force movement; the totality of the circumstances justifies a higher threat assessment and then the suspect suddenly reaches for the front of his waistband. It is common for people to place a gun in the front of their waistband but it is not common for people to blace innoculous objects in that area. In such a case, dependent upon the reasonable officer rule, a law enforcement officer can use deadly force first. The courts recognize this need to prevent a firearm to firearm exchange. If the officer had to wait for the subject to pull a gun then the officer would be at extreme risk of death or serious bodily harm.



The information I've given you is standards based upon Supreme Court decisions derived from decades of cases.

Answer 6

They have every right to defend the borders

Answer 7

I certainly hope so. If it were up to me I would triple the Border Patrol and ICE.

Answer 8

They are already armed. Those two murderers are where they belong, in prison. Shoot someone in the back and lie about it and that's what happens. What happens in Mexico is none of our business and I agree, what does this have to do with immigration?

Answer 9

I hope so but If not we always have tanks.