by James Fritz
U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agents arrested three men on Monday suspected of smuggling weapons from Texas to Mexico in relation to a firearm that was allegedly used by cartel members in an attack on two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents which left one agent injured and one dead.
ICE agents Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila where driving down a Mexican highway on Feb 15 when two SUVs carrying armed gun-men ran them off the road. According to an article in the Houston Chronicle, several gun-men then approached Zapata and Ruiz and fired weapons through the rolled down windows of the agents’ vehicle. Zapata was left dead after the incident and Ruiz was injured. [more]
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Republican led House approved a bill on Saturday, Feb. 19, with $60 billion in overall cuts to the 2012 budget. Democratic leaders in the Senate have labeled the bill draconian and said one reason they will not support it is because of the bills’ huge cuts to border security.
Tougher border security is an important issue for both Democrats and Republicans this year with both sides arguing on what budget measures should take place. One of the main disagreements between the two parties is a section on page 245 of the 319-page spending bill that states, “For fiscal year 2011, the Border Patrol shall maintain an active duty presence of not fewer than 20,500 full-time equivalent agents.” According to statistics from the Department of Homeland Security, the number of agents currently employed is already 20,500, and the agency is currently in the process of hiring 870 more agents. This has Democrats worried that these new hires could be lost when supplemental funding runs out on Oct. 1rst. [more]
