Frugal Café Blog Zone

Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on August 22, 2010

El Paso, Texas is becoming more dangerous for citizens because of spillover violence and gunfire from Mexico... where is the National Guard, Mr. President?

Drug cartels’ violence and bloodshed at the US-Mexican border is escalating and entering the United States, endangering American lives.

El Paso, Texas is close to the Mexican war zone — on Saturday, a street was shut down to protect residents from gun fire coming from across the border from Mexico. Shots from semi-automatic rifles were heard in El Paso coming from the other side of the border.

A Border Patrol spokesman said, to the best of his knowledge, it was the first time a street in El Paso has ever been shut down because of a shooting spree in Mexico.

Fortunately, no injuries of Americans were reported.

This time.

From KFOX News, Gun Battle Breaks Out in Juarez Near Border:

EL PASO, Texas — Border Patrol officials said there was major gun fire in Juarez near the Old Fort Bliss around 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Customs and Border Protection officers, Border Patrol agents and El Paso police officers all responded to the scene, near Paisano Drive in West El Paso.

Border Patrol spokesman Ramiro Cordero said Paisano Drive was closed off, and agents were prepared to handle any spillover violence.

Residents told KFOX crews on the scene they heard a lot of gunfire, including semi-automatic rifles. One resident said Border Patrol agents came by and told him to stay inside.

“I saw a bunch of [Mexican police] just running around. I saw a lot of troops walking around and running with rifles and I could see gun shots coming from up in the hills,” said Ray Campos, a nearby resident.

There were unconfirmed reports of between 15 and 20 shots that did land on the U.S. side of the border. There have been no reports so far of any injuries to anyone in the U.S.

KFOX media partner CNN.com was reporting that three police officers in Juarez were injured and one armed suspect was killed, according to federal police spokesman Ramon Salinas.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this. It’s kind of shocking,” Camos said. “No one can do anything about it.”

From Gateway Pundit, For the First Time Mexican Border Gunbattle Closes Street in El Paso:

The El Paso Times has video:

Raw video: Police respond to shooting near border

Breitbart reported:

A gunbattle erupted between Mexican police and gunmen near the Rio Grande on Saturday, killing one person and prompting U.S. authorities to close a highway that runs along the border in El Paso, Texas.

There were no reports of bullets crossing into the U.S. side, El Paso police Detective Mike Baranyay said.

The gunmen attacked a municipal police patrol on a boulevard in Ciudad Juarez next to the border river, said Ramon Salinas, a spokesman for Mexico’s federal police.

The fighting escalated when federal police rushed to help, he said. One gunman was killed and three municipal police officers were wounded.

El Paso police closed that city’s border highway for about 30 minutes because of the shooting. City police said the U.S. Border Patrol asked for the shutdown.

Doug Mosier, a spokesman for the Border Patrol, said Paisano Street was closed “in the interest of public safety.” He said that to his knowledge, it was the first time a street in El Paso has been shut down because of a shooting in Mexico.

Traffic was halted on a stretch running from downtown El Paso to the city’s northwest, passing the University of Texas-El Paso, which overlooks the border.

This wasn’t the first time a gun battle in Mexico spilled over into El Paso, although it was the first time a street was closed down. This news story was reported in July by Jim Kouri at Right Side News, Mexican Gun Battle Spills Over Into El Paso:

A gun battle between Mexican suspects and Mexican police left seven bullet holes in El Paso City Hall. This latest incursion of Mexico’s deadly crime war has intensified calls for tighter border security. The State Attorney General Greg Abbott wrote an official letter to President Barack Obama to say Tuesday’s “cross-border gunfire” was more proof that the state “is under constant assault from illegal activity threatening a porous border.”

The gun battle between police and armed suspects in Ciudad Juarez – a city plagued by drug violence just across the Rio Grande from El Paso – occurred as police officers were trying to investigate a vehicle with no license plates in a border-area parking lot within view of El Paso City Hall.

Police and the armed Mexicans exchanged at least 40 shots, according to police officials. The El Paso Police commanders said they believe at least seven of those rounds crossed the border and hit El Paso’s city hall. An Americans were wounded, but a Mexican cop and an innocent bystander in Juarez were reported killed as a result of the shootout.

This latest incident, while being played down by most members of the new media, has increased calls for the Obama White House to do more than just pontificate about the benefits of having illegal aliens continuing their lawbreaking in the U.S.

“Border security and national security are inextricably linked. A porous border is an open invitation to those who wish to harm America, and for too long our borders have been an especially inviting access point for drug smugglers, human traffickers, and potential terrorists,” said Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ).

Where is the National Guard, Mr. President? Our national security is at risk every day and nothing is being done about it by our federal government.

Additional related reading:
CNS News: EXCLUSIVE: Arizona Sheriff: Border Patrol Has Retreated from Parts of Border Because It’s ‘Too Dangerous’
Frugal Café Blog Zone: Still No National Guard at Borders, Illegal Immigration Dangers Increase, Border Control Suicides Rise (video) and Illegal Immigration: Obama Claims Crime Is Down at Mexico Border… WRONG, Mr. President and Deep in the Heart of Texas: Obama Attacks Bush in Bush’s Home State, Dems Avoid POTUS, Gov. Perry Greets President with Letter on TX Border Security Problems (video) and Latino Indignation: Dr. Alvarez Fires Back at Sen. Reid for His Insult to Hispanics, Suggesting That Latinos Are Stupid (video) and Harry Reid, Keepin’ It Classy, Keepin’ It Racist: Now Dingy Harry’s Denigrating Hispanic Republicans, Rubio Slams Him (video) and Palin Lands It: “Jan Brewer Has the Cajones the President Doesn’t Have to Secure Our Borders,” Plus Contradictions in Judge Bolton’s SB 1070 Ruling (video) and AZ SB1070 Update: Most Illegal Alien Protesters Yesterday Were Out-of-State Union Members, 68% of Americans Want Mexico Border Fence (video) and As Promised, Illegal Aliens & Supporters Storm Downtown Phoenix Jail, Dozens Arrested — Illegal Alien Protests Across Country and Rancher Krentz’ Widow Speaks Out on Her Husband’s Murder & Illegal Immigration… Left-wing Media Bias Against Arizona, 10-to-1 Slant Pro-Illegal Aliens (video) and In AZ, Sheriff Arpaio Raids Phoenix Cleaning Company, Busts Illegal Aliens for Identity Theft, Fake IDs, Fraud and Obama’s Blind Eye: Hezbollah Terrorist Group Poses Major Threat at Unsecured US-Mexican Border
FOX News: Border Patrol Sees Rise In Suicides
Thoughts of a Conservative Christian: Deadly Border Shootout Leaves Bullet Holes In El Paso City Hall
NewsMax: ICE Agents Vote ‘No Confidence’ in Leaders, Say Amnesty Coming
Doug Powers, Michelle Malkin: Napolitano: It’ll Be a Couple of Months Before We Make Our August 1st Deadline for Border Troops
Miami Herald: Texas Gov. Perry asks Obama for more troops, drones along border
Michelle Malkin: HSINO: The $600 million Homeland Security In Name Only bill and Another deadly catch-and-release nightmare and Who’s the immigration demagogue, President Obama?
Gateway Pundit: The Drug Culture In Mexico Spawns Its Own Language Called Narco-Speak and Retired Border Security Agents Join ICE and Border Agents In No Confidence Vote of Obama Administration and Unreal. Obama Hauls Arizona in Front of Sham UN Human Rights Council and Arizona Sheriff: Border Patrol Abandoning Border Because It’s Too Dangerous (Video) and Harry Reid Busted: Attacks Sharron Angle Over Her Birthright Stand – Something He Proposed in 1993 and Border Agents Vote “No Confidence” In ICE Leadership! and Despite Media Assistance… Obama Approval Number Slips to New Low and Obama Travels to Texas for Fundraisers… Democrats Flee and Border Crime Is Down? Don’t You Believe It! and No Help In Sight: Texas Ranchers Forced To Hire “Gate Keepers” and Awful. Obama Attacks Americans – Says Those Who Support AZ Law Are “Anti-Immigrant” (Video)
Diggers Realm: BREAKING: Multiple Ranches In Laredo, TX Taken Over By Los Zetas [Update 4]
Diary of a Mad Conservative: Border Sheriff’s website – they need our support
Mcnorman’s Weblog: Looks Like Sheriff Joe Is Bad For Business
Nice Deb: ICE Draft Memo Directs Local Police To Stop Enforcing Immigration Laws and AZ Sheriff: “Our own government has become our enemy”
On My Watch – The Writings of SamHenry: Obama – HELP! We’re Losing Jobs, Yes but Hell, We’re Losing Arizona to Cartels
The Texas Tribune: Perry Calls Troops to Border a “Fraud” After Visit With Obama

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Tags: America's borders, border, border control, border laws, border security, border violence, drug cartel, El Paso, Illegal Immigration, Mexican border, Mexican drug cartel, Mexico, Mexico border, Texas, Texas-Mexico border, US Borders, video