WASHINGTON, June 18, 2009
U.S. Agencies Faulted In Mexico Gunrunning
Government Accountability Office Criticizes ATF, Border Agency For Not Coordinating Against Arms Smugglers
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In this Nov. 7, 2008 file photo, soldiers stand guard during a presentation of weapons seized during an operation against the Gulf cartel in Mexico City. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
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Play CBS Video Video U.S. Security Push In Mexico The continuing violence in Mexico has forced the U.S. to bolster security on the border. As Seth Doane reports, 500 additional agents have been sent to help in the war on drugs.
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Photo Essay Mexico Border Violence U.S. struggles to keep Mexican drug cartel violence from spilling across border.
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Interactive Guns In America State-by-state gun laws and death rates, maps of recent school and workplace shootings and facts on who's at risk.
The Government Accountability Office criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for not working together to stop the flow of guns into Mexico.
In testimony prepared for a House subcommittee hearing Thursday, the GAO noted that the two agencies only recently stepped up their coordination with each other and with their Mexican counterparts to stop gunrunning along the border.
Rep. Eliot Engel, who chairs the subcommittee, said there should have been an anti-gunrunning strategy in place since October 2007, when the U.S. and Mexico agreed to the joint cartel-fighting Merida initiative.
"It is mind-boggling that for a year and a half, we have had no interagency strategy to address this major problem, but instead have relied on uncoordinated efforts by a variety of agencies," Engel, D-N.Y., said in a statement issued ahead of Thursday's hearing.
Engel said the firearms flowing illegally from the U.S. into Mexico have made the drug cartels' jobs easier.
Citing ATF data, investigator Jess T. Ford said that over the past three years, more than 90 percent of the firearms traced after being seized in Mexico have come from the U.S. The figure is slightly less over a five-year period.
"While it is impossible to know how many firearms are illegally trafficked into Mexico in a given year, over 20,000, or around 87 percent, of firearms seized by Mexican authorities and traced over the past five years originated in the United States," the GAO's Ford said in testimony prepared for Thursday's hearing.
The GAO is the investigative arm of Congress.
In a draft of the GAO report, investigators cited several examples of miscommunication between ICE and ATF, including:
The two agencies were working under a 1978 agreement about dual investigations, which the GAO cited as a major obstacle to coordination. An updated agreement to address the coordination problem is in the works, the report said.
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- From above article, Rep. Eliot Engel, "It is mind-boggling that for a year and a half, we have had no interagency strategy to address this major problem, but instead have relied on uncoordinated efforts by a variety of agencies,"
It is also mind boggling how we have allowed decades worth of illegal aliens to cross our borders without seemingly a care in the world from those sworn to defend our borders. Oh but WAIT, NOW they have a gun problem or are creating one themselves, something government is great at making more problems. So now we have to act to do something even if we're not sure what that might be. Heres an idea for you brain trust babies in DC. Make drugs legal, problem solved. Keep them illegal and deal with this and more from now till the end of time. Simple really for anyone that can think clearly and has some sense of logic. Since making drugs illegal has worked out so splendidly and drugs are no longer available we should do the same with guns as well. Oh wait a second the drug war has failed and even though illegal criminals by virtue of having drugs still possess drugs. Just like they will continue to possess guns even if they are outlawed as well. Has there ever been so much time, money and decay of personal freedoms to and end which can not even be measured for success spent on anything else? How much failure does one need before they change course? We have 40 years of the same failing politicians who have brought us all the problems we have today and yet we think, hey lets re-elect them they are so smart, NOT. But we send them anyway again and again thinking and hoping this time they will do the right things. Have they ever? Get rid of ALL POLITICIANS currently in office top to bottom both sides of the isle. Time to shake out the vermin once and for all. - Reply to this comment
- You have to keep in mind that the ATF is not telling the entire story. A lot of guns that are picked up in Mexico are not tracable. A large amount that they can trace are from the US as here we have strict tracking on new gun sales vs guns from china and other places.
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- "..around 87 percent, of firearms seized by Mexican authorities and traced over the past five years originated in the United States," the GAO's Ford said in testimony prepared for Thursday's hearing."
This number is false. We are being lied to in an attempt to get more public support for new gun bans.
It's obvious they don't trace the guns that are not likely from America, you know, like all those countless guns that come from the Guatemalan military, and other armed forced in central and south America, and don't forget the international black market.
Many of Mexico's illegal guns do not have serial numbers and are certainly not being traced by the ATF or FBI. - Reply to this comment
- I am a avid gun owner. The law will never ever get my weapon while im breathing and able. How ever I am for putting a freeze on the sale of guns say for ninety days.Then look at the gun traficking during and after the ninety days.If there is money for the dung they call corp. executives then there should be money to cushion the arms dealers until the ninety days has expired.Most all of our ATF agents want to stand around and TRY to look cool until it is time to shoot someone then they point at everyone else. For a a gency of educated people they operate like a third rate tiajuana *****-house.
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- Why do so many people want to make new gun laws when the gun laws we already have are not even being enforced?
And when drug cartles are buying grenades and rocket launchers, how can anyone think they will obey any laws for rifles and pistols?
The "War on Drugs" kills cops and kids!
www.LEAP.cc - Reply to this comment
- Lock down the borders and find away to make people buying guns prove they are American citizens and if you can't then they can not be sold to that person and those full auto and rocket launchers of all the gun shows I've been to I have yet to see those Items being for sale at the gun shows If they had been I would own a couple of them myself.This is all being fabricated to prove the anti gun right activist point and to push for the ultimate ban on all gun ownership. Flush out your head these weapons are being supplied to these people and you can buy anything on the Black Market.
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- Our government fails the most basic and primary task & duty of government, to protect this Nation and its Citizens from invasion and enforce its laws.
They refuse to abide by our Constitution, refuse to enforce our Immigration Laws and refuse to honor their Oath of Office!
Our Government, past & present, Republican & Democrat, have allowed the invasion of 20 to 30 million criminals and uneducated peons which is the largest invasion of any Nation, at any time, by any means & in direct violation of Article IV, Section IV of our Constitution.
This refusal to abide by our Constitution or enforce our Immigration Laws should be classified as Treason of the most foul kind, & as grounds for impeachment & trials for Treason!
Not only have they allowed the invasion, they force American tax payers to pay Billions on Billions of dollars to provide Welfare, Prison cells, Educate the invaders numerous children, and free medical care, at the same time the invading horde break numerous laws and massive document fraud, & are destroying our schools, hospitals, communities, culture and standard of living while Robbing, Raping, Killing & Assaulting American Citizens at an rate the terrorist can only dream about.
Recent statements in Mexico from both President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary something needs to be done. "Our inability to prevent weapons from being illegally smuggled across the border to arm these criminals causes the deaths of police officers, soldiers, and civilians," she said.
But no mention, concern or care that their refusal to stop the Massive Invasion of Illegal Aliens pouring across our borders or enforce our immigration laws that causes an estimated 25 Americans deaths per day and 10,s of thousands victims of Assault, Robberies, Rapes, Identify thief, and other assorted crimes committed by the invading horde of Illegal Aliens from Mexico on American citizens each year!
It is a telling indictment & shows their Empathy & Compassion of our Politicians & their priorities when they express 100,s of time more concern over three Terrorist being water broader than the havoc & crimes of Illegal Aliens against American Citizens!
Most of our Politicians in Wash. DC are wading knee deep in innocent American blood and suffering because they put Self Interest ahead of the interest of American Citizens & the future of this Nation!
The Welfare vote for the Democrats to further their Socialist Agenda and the Slave Labor for their Pay Masters in the Chamber of Commerce & Business for the Republicans is more important to our Corrupt power mad Politicians than the lives and safety of Americans citizens!
The Citizens of this Nation have not sacrificed with blood, sweat & tears for over 200 years & obeyed the Laws of the land, paid the taxes, and fought the wars & built this Nation to see Corrupt politicians turn this Nation into the United States of Mexico without a shot being fired, to serve their demented, nefarious goals and lust for power! - Reply to this comment
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- Where do you get your numbers from? A quick google search revealed a first page list of entries written by anti-immigration groups or publications. The most reliable source on the first page was Wiki and that stated that it is impossinble to judge the effect illiegal aliens have on crime in this country.
- 87 percent, of firearms seized by Mexican authorities and traced over the past five years originated in the United States," the GAO's Ford said in testimony prepared for Thursday's hearing.
This is a slight bit of misinformation. When the Mexican authorities seaze weapons they do their initial investigation to try to determine where they came from. When they determine that a weapon came from the U.S. they send it to U.S. authorities to be traced and of those 87% are determined to have come from the U.S. The actual number of all guns seazed in Mexico that actually came from the U.S. is soemthing in the neighborhood of 20%. I don't recall the actual number. - Reply to this comment
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- That's interesting - considering that 56% of all guns manufactured in the world end up in the US, I can believe the 87% number much more than 20%. The US has 90 guns per 100 people - the highest concentration in the world. Second on the list? One of the "You really don't want to go there because of the violence" countries - Yemen with 60 per 100.
- From above article, Rep. Eliot Engel, "It is mind-boggling that for a year and a half, we have had no interagency strategy to address this major problem, but instead have relied on uncoordinated efforts by a variety of agencies,"
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Why is that "mind-boggling"? It is the same type of law enforcement attitude that allowed 9-11. Each US govt. law enforcement agency (USM, FBI, ATF, SS, etc.) wants to, and does, hold their cards way too close to themselves so that when the bust does go down they can show they were on top of thier job. None of these agencies work with or cooperates with eachother. Never have, probably never will. - Reply to this comment
- How many firearms did the ATF deliver across the border?
Five? Five hundred? What were their serial numbers? Were they some of the guns traced?
In light of the U.S.government using the Mexican drug violence as a lynchpin for new gun control measures,I find the ATF delivering guns to Mexico very suspicous. - Reply to this comment
- Citing ATF data, investigator Jess T. Ford said that over the past three years, more than 90 percent of the firearms traced after being seized in Mexico have come from the U.S. The figure is slightly less over a five-year period.
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The above cannot possibly be true. For months, right wing talk show hosts like Rush, Hannity, Gibson, etc have been saying that only about 10% of these weapons come from the US. They have cited the ATF as their source. - Reply to this comment
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