U.S. Asks Mexico To Investigate Border Incident

May 23, 2002

WASHINGTON - The United States asked the Mexican government to undertake an in-depth investigation of an incident in which Mexican troops allegedly shot at a U.S. Border Patrol vehicle, officials said Wednesday.
The seriousness of the incident has prompted the U.S. government to look into possible steps to avoid similar cases in the future, according to a statement from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
The incident occurred May 17 at a spot south of Ajo, Arizona, and some 16 kilometers (10 miles) north of the border with Mexico, when one of three Mexican soldiers allegedly shot at a vehicle in which a Border Patrol agent was riding, the INS said. The U.S. agent decided to flee the area "to avoid a showdown," but said his vehicle's rear window was pierced by the bullet.
"Our agents risk their lives every day to make the border a safe place," said an INS spokesman, who stressed the need for cooperation from the Mexican government in investigating the incident.
The Mexican government is "practically convinced" that the gunman and his accomplices were mistakenly taken for Mexican soldiers, "since there's no record of any military operation taking place in the area," according to Roberto Rodriguez Hernandez, director of consular affairs in the Mexican Foreign Secretariat.
"We're afraid it could be a case of drug traffickers dressed up as soldiers," said Rodriguez Hernandez in a telephone interview with EFE from Mexico City.
The official, who formerly served as Mexican consul general in Nogales, Arizona, said there have been several cases in which drug traffickers have been discovered wearing Mexican army uniforms or carrying military identification cards.
U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo (Rep.-CO) said he sent Mexican President Vicente Fox a letter in early May in which he decried alleged illegal incursions by Mexican officials. Tancredo referred to the incident as "an act of war" and called for a federal investigation.
Friday's incident took place in an area notorious as a route for drug traffickers, said Roger Mayer, spokesman for the U.S. Customs Service.
"The case is under investigation," said Dulce Mascareño, a spokeswoman at the Mexican Consulate in Tucson, Arizona.
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