Mexican Military Incursion In U.S. Neighborhood

In one of the most disturbing Mexican government incursions into the U.S., three members of Mexico’s army conducted a home invasion and assassination operation in Arizona this week that killed one person and littered a neighborhood with gunfire.

Phoenix police say the Mexican military officers were hired by one of that country’s renowned drug cartels to carry out the deadly operation. The three invaders were dressed in military tactical gear and were armed with AR-15 assault rifles. They clearly had military training and the one Mexican soldier who was captured said the gang was completely prepared to ambush Phoenix police.

Official police memorandums documenting the violent incident have been posted on a local news web site and the information is unbelievable. The reports provide details of the “drug rip,” which officials describe as a tactical assault in which approximately 100 rounds were fired. Windows were raked and doors were breached as the heavily armed Mexican soldiers entered the residence clad in body armor, black combat boots, ballistic helmets and thigh holsters.

One of the police documents specifically says that all the suspects are Mexican military coming into the United States with full tactical gear and police raid shirts to conduct home invasions. Another memo points out that Mexican drug cartels are increasingly moving north of the border to protect themselves from rival cartels. The sophisticated operations have for years used military tactics and personnel and now the violence has shifted to Phoenix.

The problem is severe and will only get worst, leaving one local law enforcement expert to recommend that police enlist present and past military personnel to assist with training and response to such sophisticated and potentially lethal military tactics.

Mexican military incursions are more common than most Americans might think. Judicial Watch has made public the astounding amount of incidents that occur regularly yet go unpunished by the U.S. government. Mexican military incursion reports obtained from the Department of Homeland Security through the Freedom of Information Act reveal that 226 incursions by Mexican government personnel into the U.S. occurred between 1996 and 2005. In 2007 alone, 25 incursions occurred along the U.S.-Mexico border involving Mexican military and/or law enforcement.