6 Iraqis detained near California border

"Mexican officials detained six Iraqis at checkpoints near the California border over the past week as they apparently were preparing to enter the United States, Mexico's attorney general's office said yesterday.

There was no evidence that the detained Iraqis had ties to any terrorist groups, Mexican officials said. Still, the arrests spotlighted fears that terrorists might try to enter the United States from Mexico. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently raised that concern with U.S. lawmakers and Mexican officials.

Four Iraqis were apprehended at the Mexicali airport Saturday, said Abraham Sarabia, a spokesman for the attorney general's office in nearby Tijuana. Traveling with the four Iraqis was a U.S. woman whom Sarabia identified as Alya Kiryakous Dawood Sako. The four Iraqis now are in the custody of Mexico."

seattletimes.nwsource.com...

Osama himself could be coming across the border and some brilliant judge would just set a court date and tell him to come back in 6 months. I am amazed that these iraqi's were caught. They must not have paid off the local's.

Doc:
Good post...I've been following this myself and this is not the first time they have stopped Middle easterners trying to enter the US. However it IS the first time I've heard about the Mexican Government being the catalyst behind it!

Probably they were trying to get caught by the Mexicans now. I'm sure they would prefer that to getting caught by the Minutemen.

maybe they got lost in the desert in iraq

I'm not sure if this all demonstrates that there are terrorists trying ot get into the country, or merely shows that there is a lot of illegal immigration from the middle east over the mexican border.

Originally posted by Nygdan
I'm not sure if this all demonstrates that there are terrorists trying ot get into the country, or merely shows that there is a lot of illegal immigration from the middle east over the mexican border.

I'm not sure there's exactly a difference between those two things you mentioned.

Originally posted by centurion1211
I'm not sure there's exactly a difference between those two things you mentioned.

Wow, how incredibly stupid and racist.

Its not racist just that the chance that these people would come all the way from the middle east to Mexico then try and sneak in the U.S. just to live happily ever after sound a little to dry for me.
And since it is report that Zarqawi is trying to plan things inside the U.S. it makes more sense that these people were terrorist. I'm just amazed why bush does not send the National Guard to the border to defend it.

Well, well, well, they are the people we liberated so as citizens of a free country they probably want a piece of the land of plenty, after all their country is in chaos and employment is only for foreigners working for haliburton.

They want to work.

this shows the just how vulnerable our southern boarder are, I'm of hispanic decent my grandparents came here legally from the carribean in the late sixties and I feel most hispanic here understand the need for secure boarders, they've just have learn to be careful of the boarder iniciatives because a certain percentage of the people who are behind the movements use it with a broad brush, legal or illegal. If they can show the hispanic community that this isn't just a way to go after all of them you would be highly surprise by how much support you would get. Cases like these 6 iraqis show the need for safer borders. These six people may or may not have tried to cross over with terrorist intentions but the same way these guys came accross it could have been some Zarqawi linked iraqi's coming over to start something. In this day and age can we really take a chance like this?

I live in San Diego, just west of where these desert nomads were caught. It is no great feat to cross the border around here, as the 4-6 million illegal immigrants already here can testify to. I believe that that number is a conservative estimate and can be verified with a quick google search, no matter.
What is significant is that the mexicans stood up to the plate and caught these guys. It wouldn't due to let these guys get in here, it might jeopordize the delicate talks between our 2 governments right now concerning the status of the current illegals already in the states.
This border in very porous and in need of more stringent and active patrolling, but I don't believe it is wise or even possibly legal to get the National Guard involved in patrolling (reference, Posse Comitatus Laws, circa mid -1800's). Also if I remember correctly these guys and gals are already holding a full plate called Iraq.
I have a good neighbor who is a Border Patrol supervisor and we have discussed this very thing pretty often and my understanding from him is that they are not allowed to be more agressive in their patrolling and enforcement activities in the surrounding counties outside of the immediate border area. It seems that there is some political motivation behind these policies and they aren't allowed or encouraged to be more aggresive. This has been a problem in my part of the country for many, many years. There is currently a legal battle going on right now in this county over a deportation case that has the ACLU and the Mexican Consulate involved and trying to dismiss a National City policeman from the police force because he detained some family members accused of shoplifting in a local store. He determined that they were not citizens and he contacted the Border Patrol to have them detained and possibly processed for deportation. This case has set off a fire storm around here because even his own police chief and city fathers will not back him up. The whole illegal iimigration enforcement policy in this country is in serious need of true leadership. Local and federal law enforcement officials have to walk a very delicate and blurry line while the policy makers and mid-level bureaucrats tinker with our futures and our safety.
If you truely are interested in making a change, then get informed and involved. Contact your local state representatives and your local congressmen/women and senators. Tell them you want to see a more pro-active and Protective border enforcement policy applied in this country. I doesn't require more legislation, it requires active enforcement of the existing laws.

END OF RANT !!!!

[edit on 1-4-2005 by sharkman]

Originally posted by WestPoint23
Its not racist just that the chance that these people would come all the way from the middle east to Mexico

It most certainly is racist to say that there is no differencebetween middle easterners and terrorists, that all of them are terrorists.

And what's it got to do with chance? They go to mexico because its easy to get into mexico and easy to cross the border to get into the US. Lots of people illegally enter the US. To say that they're a terrorist if they are middle eastern is racist.

Originally posted by Nygdan

And what's it got to do with chance? They go to mexico because its easy to get into mexico and easy to cross the border to get into the US. Lots of people illegally enter the US. To say that they're a terrorist if they are middle eastern is racist.

It is not racist to regonize that the US I under attack from people of middle eastern origin. The fact that they are 12,000 miles from home and entering the US "illegally" is a point of fact. It isn't "economic" to travel half way around the world to find work. There must be another reason.......

[edit on 4-4-2005 by DrHoracid]

Originally posted by DrHoracid


It is not racist to regonize that the US I under attack from people of middle eastern origin. The fact that they are 12,000 miles from home and entering the US "illegally" is a point of fact. It isn't "economic" to travel half way around the world to find work. There must be another reason.......

Doc, I think this is an issue that we see eye to eye on. Our boarders are wide open and the only protection we have is a group of 1000+ volunteers calling themselves 'The Minutemen' or somthing of the sort. I would be willing to bet that for every one person caught trying to enter the boarder, there are 10 more that make it through undetected.

These Iraqi men attempting to enter this country does raise an eybrow or two. There is no economic feasability for them to come here illegally and risk getting caught. Im not saying they definatly came here to blow something up, but there is some serious inquiries that need to be made about there intentions.

Originally posted by Kidfinger
These Iraqi men attempting to enter this country does raise an eybrow or two. There is no economic feasability for them to come here illegally and risk getting caught. Im not saying they definatly came here to blow something up, but there is some serious inquiries that need to be made about there intentions.

Keep following the light back to the good side there Kid, I'll get you a seat next to Rummy at the next dinner in Lexington.

There is much economic activity in Iraq at the moment, billion of dollars being spent, why come to the US?

There is no economic feasability for them to come here illegally

I would say it's a bit strange for them to go all that way but when you consider how far other illegal immigrants have travelled its not unreasonable...

Originally posted by DrHoracid
It is not racist to regonize that the US I under attack from people of middle eastern origin.

It is racist to say that all middle easterners are terrorists. Period.

Are there terrorists trying to cross the mexican border? Almost certainly, considering that they've been caught crossing the canadian border. Are all middle easterners who enter the country illegally terrorists? Certainly not. It doesn't seem economically feasible to sail in a makeshift boat from cuba to central america and then walk and hitchhike to the mexican border, but people have done it. Thats how attractive america is. People are more than capable of flying air india to mexico city and then hopping a bus to the border and crossing on foot.

Illegals should be thrown out. Middle Easterners illegally entering the country should be checked for terrorist connections, and if none are found, thrown out. Hell, everyone captured crossing the border should be checked as such, considering mousassoui looks black, not middle eastern, and padilla is hispanic, not middle eastern. Hell, Reid was black and white, not middle eastern, so its patently obvious that the terrorists are actively recruiting people who aren't obviously middle eastern.
I'm not arguing that an illegal should be let go. I'm not arguing that a middle easterner crossing the border is more likely to be a terrorist than a middle easterner not crossing the border. I'm not arguing that there are no terrorists. I am stating, and it should be obvious, that its racist to say that every member of a race is an evil terrorist.

Originally posted by DrHoracid
I'll get you a seat next to Rummy at the next dinner in Lexington.

:lolLEASE DO! By all means! I would relish an opportunity to tell someone in this administration how I feel about the job they are doing

Some months ago ther e was a thread here that poked fun at how incompetent and easily bribed the Mexican authorities were (to a certain extent true), but now they catch "suspects" and again come the whining about illegals....
Then come along the more violent ones saying to shoot any illegal alien, then the they take my taxes and my job..bal bla bla, all crying like kids....

ACCEPT IT TH E US HAS BEEN INVADED AND YOUR GOVERMENT HAS ALLOWED IT...go and shout and cry at the government......

Originally posted by kix


ACCEPT IT TH E US HAS BEEN INVADED AND YOUR GOVERMENT HAS ALLOWED IT...go and shout and cry at the government......

So you are from Mexico City? Are you a Mexican Naional? If so, can YOU accept that YOUR government is whining to our government because we dont want to let illegal immigrants in the States? Can you accept that illegal immigrants are forcing some Americans on economic hard times? Can you accept that it is NOT MY OR MY GOVERNMENTS responsibility to take care of your poor people? Hell man, we can barely take care of our own! Flame away all you like, but consider this first. You can afford a computer to check out ATS. If you can do it in Mexico, then why cant the rest of your citizens try and get ahead there instead of mooching off America?