U.S. Border Patrol Accused Of Telling Mexican Government Location Of Minutemen Volunteers
DOBBS: Tonight, the U.S. Border Patrol is being accused of cooperating with the government of Mexico to advise them of the location of minutemen border patrol volunteers. Border Patrol officials have reportedly tipped off Mexican government officials to the location of those volunteers along the border with Mexico. The Bush administration is obviously placing a much higher premium on cooperation with the Mexican government than enforcing border security or our immigration laws. Casey Wian reports.</s>CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Minuteman Project and other U.S. civilian volunteers have been monitoring the Mexican border for a year. Their mission, reporting groups of illegal aliens to the Border Patrol and winning public support for border security. But now there is evidence that Border Patrol officials provided intelligence to the Mexican government about the location of U.S. civilian patrols. Sara Carter of Ontario, California's "Inland Valley Daily Bulletin" broke the story.</s>SARA CARTER, "INLAND VALLEY DAILY BULLETIN": And I've been receiving so many e-mails and telephone calls because the public is shocked at the fact that our law enforcement officials would be giving locations of civilian groups within the United States to the Mexican government. I think the American people are saying, well, what else are we giving to Mexico?</s>WIAN: Andy Ramirez runs a border watch group operating east of San Diego. He says his location was known only to the U.S. law enforcement, but details of his operation appear on a Mexican government Web site.</s>ANDY RAMIREZ, FRIENDS OF THE BORDER PATROL: They are providing actionable intel that's stating what we're doing, where we're at. And if anything, it's endangering U.S. civilian lives. There's only one way the Mexican government could have gotten that, and that's through the Border Patrol.</s>WIAN: The Border Patrol would not agree to an on-camera interview that LOU DOBBS TONIGHT has learned the agency is investigating whether local officials disclosed the locations of border watch groups to Mexico. The Border Patrol says it does contact Mexican consulates when requested to do so by apprehended Mexican illegal aliens, and it shares information to reassure Mexico that the civil rights of illegal aliens are being protected. The official would not deny that it may have tipped off Mexico about civilian patrols, even when no illegal aliens were involved. Last year, Minuteman leaders often marveled at how the Mexican government directed illegal alien traffic away from their positions on the border. Now they believe they know how it happened. The U.S. Border Patrol told Mexico where the civilian volunteers were.</s>WIAN: The leader of the San Diego Minutemen tells me about three incidents within just the last 48 hours. On Sunday, a man with a machete approached two minutemen, and they chased him back to Mexico. Last night, a Border Patrol vehicle was assaulted by rock- throwers from Mexico. And just this morning, a man with assault rifle was seen approaching the border fence from the Mexican side. As the minuteman puts it, the southern border is far too dangerous for the U.S. government to providing Mexico with the locations of U.S. citizens -- Lou.</s>DOBBS: This is just outrageous that the Border Patrol, that any -- any official of the U.S. government, whether in law enforcement or simply a political attache in the Bush administration would be doing this. It's unconscionable. What is the reaction?</s>WIAN: Well, Border Patrol officials are saying that it's not intentional, that the intent is not to tip off the location of the minutemen. The intent is just to comply with the Mexican government's wishes and to show that Mexican illegal aliens are not being mistreated by either the Border Patrol or by civilian volunteers on the border.</s>DOBBS: And hat's their idea of a defense for this kind of conduct?</s>WIAN: Well, they are investigating, Lou. We'll see when -- when they come up with more answers to this. And we'll be following that.</s>DOBBS: Well, there is no question that this administration and its failure to secure our borders and its failure to enforce our immigration laws has to be held accountable. The fact that neither Congress is -- nor this administration seems to want to talk about anything but comprehensive immigration reform, when, in point of fact, we have tons of laws on the books that are simply being ignored by our law enforcement officials, by this administration, and by this Congress...</s>WIAN: You're starting to see more and more reaction from the American public and more and more indications that a lot of folks in Congress are going to be in trouble come this fall, election time.</s>DOBBS: Casey, thank you very much. Casey Wian. Tonight I would like to also clear up an outright lie that has been leveled against me by a "Miami Herald" columnist. He's an open borders, illegal alien advocate by the name of Andres Oppenheimer. He is neither particularly bright nor well-informed, and normally I ignore those kinds of columnists, but I just thought, maybe just for the record we ought to straighten it out, because he said in his column that I intentionally mispronounced the name of CNN En Espanol reporter Juan Carlos Lopez during this broadcast coverage of the May 1st illegal alien demonstrations and boycotts. Now, by the way, I don't deny that occasionally I mispronounce more than just a few words and names on this broadcast. I have throughout my career. But Oppenheimer says I introduced Juan Carlos Lopez "with such an exaggerated mispronunciation -- One Carlos Lopeeeez," as he put it in writing, "that it was hard not to perceive an intentional racial slur." I love that. Racial slur. This tells you in no uncertain terms the depths of those who are open borders advocates and advocates for amnesty and illegal immigration to the depths they will descend because they frankly have no facts and they have no arguments remaining. Tonight, I'd just like to replay for you, if I may, the videotape of that introduction to show you exactly how I pronounced his name.</s>DOBBS: Supporters of illegal immigration also rallying in the nation's capital. Juan Carlos Lopez of CNN En Espanol reports now from Washington -- Juan Carlos.</s>JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN EN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: Lou, hundreds of people came to Malcolm X Park in...</s>DOBBS: Now, I think I did pretty well, at least by my standards. And the fact of the matter is, judge for yourself. And as to Andres Oppenheimer, partner, you're a liar, and you ought to be ashamed. Still ahead, the U.S. alternative energy industry is using 20th century technology to brew 21st century fuels. New middle class jobs could be created in the process. We're talking about progress here. A special report coming up. Also, Rupert Murdoch's surprising new political overture to none other than Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. And the illegal alien crisis is jeopardizing this nation's bedrock notion of one person, one vote. We'll be debating tonight whether the United States needs a constitutional amendment to fix the threat to our democratic system. It is real, and it is present. All that, as well as my thoughts on what is nothing less than the shameful behavior of this nation's elective representatives in enforcing laws and assuring that they are enforced. Stay with us.