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Mexico Tag

FINALLY. After seven long years, authorities have arrested the man suspected of pulling the trigger and murdering Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in December 2010. The gun he used belonged to Operation Fast and Furious, the gun running scheme set up under then-Attorney General Eric Holder. Fox News reported:
The suspect, Heraclio Osorio-Arellanes, was apprehended by a joint U.S.-Mexico law enforcement task force that included the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals and the Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC).

Journalists have faced escalating danger in recent months due to the cartels. Numerous murders have forced one news outlet to shut down production entirely. El Norte De Cd. Juarez's director, Oscar Cantu Murgia, announced the shut down on Sunday after the murder of Miroslava Breach, a collaborator for the paper, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua:
“On this day, esteemed reader, I address you to report that I have made the decision to close this newspaper due to the fact that, among other things, there are neither the guarantees nor the security to exercise critical, counterbalance journalism,” wrote Norte’s owner, Oscar A. Cantú Murguía.

The House Oversight Committee held a hearing today over the Department of Justice Inspector General's report that showed the ATF missed numerous opportunities to arrest the two men linked to the guns used to murder ICE Agent Jaime Zapata in February 2011. However, Ronald Turk, ATF associate deputy director and chief operating officer, and William Temple, ATF's special agent in charge of the Dallas Field Division, refused to show up and testify. This left Chairman Jason Chaffetz fuming.

In a live interview on today's Morning Joe, Vicente Fox, the former president of Mexico, explicitly compared President Trump to "Hitler," and the Republican part to the "Nazi party." He did so in response to a request for clarification from Willie Geist, who noted that yesterday Fox had said: "when I saw [the] gathering of the Republican party retreat, Trump being there reminded me of Hitler addressing the Nazi party."

Earlier today, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto canceled a visit to America after President Donald Trump told him to do so if Mexico refuses to pay for the border wall. Despite the cancellation, Trump and his administration has not backed down on making Mexico pay for the wall. Today, Press Secretary Sean Spicer released details how Trump plans to make it happen:
In remarks to reporters, press secretary Sean Spicer said a plan was “taking shape now” to institute a 20% tax on imports from countries with which the U.S. runs a trade deficit, “like Mexico.” Mr. Spicer later told reporters that this was one of several ideas being considered by the White House to “demonstrate that paying for the wall can be done.” Mr. Trump’s chief of staff, Reince Priebus, said the administration was considering “a buffet of options.”

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has canceled a trip to the United States after President Donald Trump told him to if Mexico refuses to pay for the border wall. Translation: This morning we have informed the White House that I will not attend the meeting scheduled for next Tuesday with the @POTUS.

At the White House, President Donald Trump announced meetings with Canadian Ptime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto to discuss the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). He said:
"We're going to start some negotiations having to do with NAFTA," Trump said. "Anybody ever hear of NAFTA?" he said. "I ran a campaign somewhat based on NAFTA. But we're going to start renegotiating on NAFTA, on immigration, on security at the border."

Around this time last year, notorious drug kingpin, "El Chapo" was taken into custody after months galavanting as a fugitive. Less than 24 hours before Donald Trump will be sworn in as the forty-fifth president, El Chapo is on a plane to New York. From the NYT:
A federal court in Mexico denied an appeal by Mr. Guzmán’s lawyers to block the extradition, clearing the way for his transfer to the American authorities in New York, where he faces numerous charges for his role as the chieftain of the Sinaloa cartel.

Following the news that Ford had cancelled its planned $1.6 billion auto assembly plant in Mexico, Mexican officials are concerned about the impact this will have on their economy. The Wall Street Journal reports:
Ford Motor Co.’s decision to cancel a planned $1.6 billion assembly plant in the Mexican industrial city of San Luis Potosí caught the nation’s elected officials off guard and represents a major blow to one of the main engines of Mexico’s economy.

Wrapping up its session in Paris that began several weeks ago, yesterday the United Nation’s cultural agency adopted a Palestinian and Arab state-sponsored resolution on Jerusalem that ignores both Jewish and Christian attachments to Jerusalem’s sacred sites. As we noted in a recent post, the resolution had already passed on October 13 at the committee stage when 24 UNESCO member states supported the measure (6 states, including the U.S., voted against; 26 abstained; and 2 state missions were absent for last week’s vote).

While everyone focuses on the presidential election, Judicial Watch reports that the number of "family units' entering the U. S. via Mexico has doubled, and unaccompanied minors entering are up by 52%. Judicial Watch reports:
While the nation is absorbed with presidential election theatrics, the Obama administration continues letting huge amounts of illegal immigrants to pour in through the southern border and the latest figures released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are incredibly chilling. The number of family units apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2016 nearly doubled from the previous year, according to updated information released by the agency. The majority of these illegal border crossers will remain in the country under Obama’s special refugee and family reunification programs.

I lived and worked in Mexico at the beginning of my career. Loved the country, the people, the culture. Was offered a permanent position. Tempting, but couldn't do it for one key reason: the absolutely endemic corruption. From the "policeman" on the corner shaking you down for an illusory infraction right up to the president, corruption and deceit were ingrained. A person would have to be dangerously naive to take as gospel the word of the Mexican president. Enter Hillary Clinton. Morning Joe today aired her latest ad in which she claims that Donald Trump was caught "lying" when he said he didn't discuss payment for the wall during his meeting with Mexican President Peña Nieto. Hillary's proof? A subsequent statement by the Mex prez that he was "clear and emphatic" that Mexico won't pay for the wall. What other statements by what other Third World leaders will Hillary—naively and uncritically—take at face value?

In March of this year, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto compared Donald Trump to Hitler and Mussolini. At the time, Peña Nieto said that Trump's rhetoric was "the way that Mussolini arrived and the way Hitler arrived." At a press conference today with President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, Peña Nieto, asked if he stood by those remarks, the Mexican president doubled down. He wordily replied that over decades, the world has made tremendous economic progress, but that "some" want to destroy what has been built. That is what Hitler and Mussolini did, said Peña Nieto. In concluding,  Peña Nieto said "that was my message" in March. Far from repudiating his attack on Trump, Peña Nieto repeated the Hitler/Mussolini comparison. Note also that although it is not in the transcript available to this Legal Insurrectionist, the MSNBC screen graphic has Peña Nieto saying, that some "demagogues" want to destroy what has been built over decades. Sounds like a clear allusion to Trump.

Mexico's former president had some words for The Donald. And not very nice words either. Fox claims Trump owes American workers an apology for, "all the imports from China and Mexico." "Please apologize to them," Fox implored.

Like both Ted Cruz (who campaigned for his Senate seat on the building of the border wall in 2012) and Marco Rubio, Donald Trump has stated that the wall that has already been approved by Congress will be built during his presidency should he be elected. Trump, however, takes his stance to another level in declaring that Mexico will pay for the wall. Earlier this month, former Mexican president Felipe Calderón said that Mexico would "not pay one cent" toward the wall. Just yesterday, a second former Mexican president, Vicente Fox, stated, in very explicit terms, that Mexico will not pay for "that "f*'ing wall."

Newly released documents from the State Department indicate the U.S. government has known Islamic extremists have been entering the country via Mexico for over ten years.

A cable obtained by Judicial Watch under the Freedom of Information Act shows the U.S. was aware of "smuggling networks" that specialize in the trafficking of suspected Islamic extremists across the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2004 cable was sent to the State Department by the American Consulate in Juarez, Mexico.

Perhaps most alarming was the mention of a top Al Qaeda operative by the name of Adnan el Shukrijumah. The 2004 cable indicates the U.S. had human intelligence leading to his "exact whereabouts." It was not until December of 2014 - ten years later - that Shukrijumah would be captured (or in this case, killed in Pakistan).

Shukrijumah was described by FBI as "a grave danger to the security of the United States" and had ties to 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed as well as to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Among other acts domestic and abroad, he helped plot the 2009 foiled bombing of Oprah Winfrey's Chicago studios and the Sears Tower.

Using Twitter, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto announced Friday that fugitive Drug Lord, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was captured and in federal custody again.