Mexico bans U.S. law enforcement officials from carrying guns

Talk about a stupid, outdated agreement. Mexico has a 'law' on the books that prohibits those who are in U.S. Law enforcement from carrying weapons while down in Mexico. This absurdity of this policy in today's war like environment, where the cartels outgun the Mexican government in almost every battle is really pathetic. Now we have one deaf agent and another one seriously wounded. The obama folks have 'promised' to look into this matter and I am sure we can all breath easier now.

We must seal our border with Mexico and do so now, not yesterday as that is too late.

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Mexico bans U.S. law enforcement officials from carrying guns

By Jim Kouri

The attackers of two American federal agents while traveling in Mexico on Tuesday are believed to be members or associates of the Mexican crime gang Los Zetas, a confidential source told the Law Enforcement Examiner last Tuesday.

The two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents were assigned to the ICE Attaché office in Mexico City. They were shot in the line-of-duty while driving between Mexico City and Monterrey, Mexico, by unknown assailants.

Sadly, the two U.S law enforcement agents were prevented from protecting themselves by an antiquated U.S.-Mexican agreement that prohibits American cops from carrying firearms in Mexico even when visiting that crime-ridden country on official business.

According to Homeland Security officials, one agent - Jaime Zapata -- was critically wounded in the attack and died from his injuries. The second agent, who remains unidentified, was shot in the arm and leg and remains in stable condition.

Now that a federal agent has been murdered by a drug gang in Mexico, the Obama Administration promises to “look into” the crime-infested nation’s policy banning U.S. law enforcement officers from carrying weapons during official missions.

That, of course, means that the U.S. government deploys federal agents into Mexico’s most violent regions unarmed. This may seem inconceivable considering that heavily armed drug cartels have taken over chunks of the country and Uncle Sam must send its overwhelmed government help to combat the growing crisis.

In the last few years more than 34,000 murders have been associated with drug cartels and in 2010 serious crime connected to illicit narcotics operations hit record levels in scale and brutality.

More than 13,000 people were murdered across Mexico in disturbing and cruel ways not commonly seen in previous years, according to a report by a major newspaper in a border state. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton actually compared the drug-related violence in Mexico to a Colombia-style insurgency that devastated that South American nation a few decades ago.

In the aftermath of the vicious attack on the two ICE agents, Attorney General Erick Holder vowed to look into perhaps changing the policy forbidding American law enforcement officers from carrying guns in Mexico.

"We will look at this and we'll do . . . an analysis of what it is that we need to do to make sure that everybody is as safe down there as we can make them," Holder said during a news conference this week.

"Reading between the lines it’s probably best not to hold your breathe," said a statement from Judicial Watch, a public-interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption.

"Besides having around 30 ICE agents in Mexico, the U.S. has showered the country with more than $1 billion in the last few years to combat drug violence. The American tax dollars will keep pouring in under a multi-year program that also helps Central American nations, the Dominican Republic and Haiti fight crime. A disproportionate chunk of the cash goes to Mexico, however," said Judicial Watch officials on Thursday.

Jim Kouri, CPP, formerly Fifth Vice-President, is currently a Board Member of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a columnist for Examiner.com and New Media Alliance (thenma.org). In addition, he's a blogger for the Cheyenne, Wyoming Fox News Radio affiliate KGAB (www.kgab.com). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.

He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer and columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. Kouri appears regularly as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Fox News Channel, Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, etc.

Original article is here.