Tel-Chai Nation: US Border Patrol is under Mexican jurisdiction

Jaw-dropping, but true. The Daily Bulletin of California (via Michelle Malkin) received scathing information on how the Mexican government has been giving orders to US Border Patrol on how to do its business, by tipping off illegal alien smugglers to the presence of the Minutemen, and to ignore reports of infiltrators spotted crossing in, and even to deny all credit to the Minutemen for any jobs that they've done in keeping the clowns out:

While Minuteman civilian patrols are keeping an eye out for illegal border crossers, the U.S. Border Patrol is keeping an eye out for Minutemen -- and telling the Mexican government where they are.

According to three documents on the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Web site, the U.S. Border Patrol is to notify the Mexican government as to the location of Minutemen and other civilian border patrol groups when they participate in apprehending illegal immigrants -- and if and when violence is used against border crossers.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman confirmed the notification process, describing it as a standard procedure meant to reassure the Mexican government that migrants' rights are being observed.

"It's not a secret where the Minuteman volunteers are going to be," Mario Martinez said Monday.

"This ... simply makes two basic statements -- that we will not allow any lawlessness of any type, and that if an alien is encountered by a Minuteman or arrested by the Minuteman, then we will allow that government to interview the person."

Minuteman members were not so sanguine about the arrangement, however, saying that reporting their location to Mexican officials nullifies their effectiveness along the border and could endanger their lives.

"Now we know why it seemed like Mexican officials knew where we were all the time," said Chris Simcox, founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. "It's unbelievable that our own government agency is sending intelligence to another country. They are sending intelligence to a nation where corruption runs rampant, and that could be getting into the hands of criminal cartels.

"They just basically endangered the lives of American people."

Officials with the Mexican consulate in Washington, D.C., could not be reached for comment Monday.

[...]

TJ Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, a union representing more than 10,000 Border Patrol agents, said agents have complained for years about the Mexican consulate's influence over the agency.

"It worries me (that the Mexican government) seems to be unduly influencing our enforcement policies. That's not a legitimate role for any foreign nation," Bonner said, though he added, "It doesn't surprise me."

Border Patrol agents interviewed by the Daily Bulletin said they have been asked to report to sector headquarters the location of all civilian volunteer groups, but to not file the groups' names in reports if they spot illegal immigrants.

"Last year an internal memo notified all agents not to give credit to Minuteman volunteers or others who call in sightings of illegal aliens," said one agent, who spoke on the condition he not be identified. "We were told to list it as a citizen call and leave it at that. Many times, we were told not to go out to Minuteman calls."

Dubya was once quoted calling the Minutemen "vigilantes", and I'm sad to say, but I think he meant that in a negative sense. That aside, this can indicate that the Mexican government is, simply put, an enemy of the United States, if what they're going to do is foist tons of people with no legal status upon their neighboring country. And a country that's going to dictate the policies of another is decidedly not one worth maintaining diplomatic relations with. Perhaps it is time for some sanctioning.

Michelle also translated the following from the Mexican embassy's website:

The General Consulate of Mexico in Phoenix has stayed in contact with the Border Patrol to ratify the request of being notified in case that some volunteer stops undocumented people, as well as the request to interview the immigrants while they are under safekeeping of the Border Patrol.