Border Patrol Union Says Agent Is Being Railroaded for Fatal Shooting of Mexican Immigrant

Tuesday , January 30, 2007

Cold-blooded murder.

That's what Mexico claims happened along the Arizona border after an argument between a 22-year-old illegal immigrant and the Border Patrol agent who tried to arrest him.

The local border patrol union claims self-defense and fears the agent is about to be railroaded after Mexican officials were given unrestricted access to the witnesses before U.S. investigators. Union officials claim that access allowed the Mexican officials to frame the agent using false testimony.

"The Mexican consulate was allowed to coach the witnesses," said Brandon Judd, president of Local 2544, which represents 90 percent of the 2,900 Customs and Border Protection agents in Southern Arizona. "Now the agent is in jeopardy because these witnesses were allowed to solidify their stories as the Mexican consulate coached them to do."

The incident happened two weeks ago, when a 39-year-old border agent tried to arrest seven illegal aliens near Naco, Ariz. The agent had three immigrants inside a vehicle and three on the ground, but Francisco Rivera, age 22 refused to comply, the agent said.