Mexicans urged to respect America's right to protect its borders

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza on Friday asked Mexicans to respect America's right to protect its borders and said there has been widespread misinformation about a proposal to extend to border walls and tighten immigration enforcement.

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Few here set to vote in Mexican election
BY BLAKE SCHMIDT, SUN STAFF WRITER
Jan 13, 2006

Apparently, not many Mexican citizens in Yuma County will be voting by mail in the country's upcoming presidential elections.

As the deadline to register for the absentee vote for the July elections arrives, the Federal Electoral Institute in Mexico reports that it had received registration materials from only three Mexican citizens from Yuma as of Friday. The last day to send out registration materials is today, as post offices are closed Sunday, which is the official deadline.

So far, less than 1 percent of Mexicans living abroad have signed up to vote, said Daniel Olvera at the Federal Electoral Institute in Mexico.

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Man can stand trial in murder of Yuman
BY JAMES GILBERT, SUN STAFF WRITER
Jan 13, 2006

A Mexican national accused of killing a Yuma man in the parking lot of a convenience store a little more than a year ago faces trial now that two mental health experts have determined he is capable of understanding the proceedings against him.

Yuma County Superior Court Judge Richard Donato said Friday during a 2-hour mental competency hearing that the psychiatrists' reports clear the way for a trial date to be set at Wednesday's hearing for 30-year-old Rafael Haros Saldana.

Saldana is suspected of shooting 33-year-old Jerry Brown Jr. in the parking lot of the Circle K at 2398 S. Avenue B in November 2004. He has been charged with first-degree murder, premeditated first-degree murder, armed robbery and theft of means of transportation.

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Mexican Police Officer Going to Jail after Smuggling an Illegal Immigrant
By Thomas Demane
KYMA-TV

Yuma - A Mexican police officer from San Luis Rio Colorado will spend a year in jail after being sentenced for helping smuggle an illegal immigrant into the United States. The U.S. Department of Justice says Ramon Chavez-Rodriguez was caught at the San Luis Port of Entry with an illegal immigrant in his car.

Authorities say Chavez-Rodriguez later admitted he knew the passenger was an illegal immigrant, and expected to be paid once he crossed into the United States.

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