White House Fails Again to Enforce the Law

Written by Chuck Floyd on 2008-07-15T08:09:43+00:00

The White House will jail American Border Patrol agents for enforcing our immigration laws against illegal aliens, but will not seek justice for the family of a murdered Border Patrol agent's family.

Mexican law-enforcement authorities released from jail a man suspected of running over and killing a U.S. Border Patrol agent during an aborted drug-smuggling attempt because U.S. officials never asked that he be held or sought his extradition during the five months he was in custody, the Mexican Embassy in Washington said Monday.

Jesus Navarro Montes, 22, was detained Jan. 22 by Mexican state and federal authorities in the town of El Yaqui in the northern state of Sonora in connection with the killing three days earlier of Border Patrol Agent Luis Aguilar Jr. He was released from custody on June 18, a week before the U.S. government presented Mexico with a "provisional arrest request" for his extradition.

Mexican Embassy spokesman Ricardo Alday said Mr. Navarro's release was ordered by Mexicali Federal Judge Laura Serrano Alderete after she ruled against pending and unrelated smuggling charges against Mr. Navarro, saying Mexican authorities who brought the case lacked jurisdiction. At the time, no U.S. request was on file to hold Mr. Navarro on any other charges, Mr. Alday said.

"Although we had asked the U.S. government a couple of times before his release to help us deal with the matter so we could hold Mr. Navarro, we got nothing whatsoever. The U.S. response never came," Mr. Alday said.

"No arrest warrant was presented, no evidence was offered and no one from the U.S. government contacted Mexican authorities concerning his extradition," he said. "We couldn't hold him with no evidence of a crime. We needed help, but we never got it."

Bothe The White House and the Justice Department have failed the American public.  

"We appreciate and understand the intense public interest this matter has generated. Since the day Border Patrol Agent Luis Aguilar was killed, the Justice Department has remained fully committed to the investigation of his death," said Mr. Carr. "As with all ongoing criminal investigations, however, we cannot provide details with respect to the nature and timing of possible charges against any possible defendant or defendants.

Why is it that US public safety officials MUST notify Mexico of any illegal Mexican picked up by police within 48 hours, but the US government cannot ensure that a murderer is held and convicted?  President Bush is AWOL on "illegal immigration" and sends clear signals to drug runners and terrorists that the southern border is open for business.