DHS: DENY, HEDGE, SPIN

DHS: DENY, HEDGE, SPIN
By Michelle Malkin · May 10, 2006 01:29 AM
The Customs and Border Protection agency at DHS has issued a statement, much-ballyhooed by blind Bush supporters, which calls the Inland Valley Bulletin's story on the Border Patrol/Minutemen/Mexican government "inaccurate." Let's examine the full bluster:

Today’s report by the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, “U.S. tipping Mexico to Minuteman patrols,” is inaccurate. Border Patrol does not report activity by civilian, non-law enforcement groups to the Government of Mexico. During a detention of a legal or illegal immigrant that produces an allegation of improper treatment, Border Patrol reports the allegation and allows the appropriate consulate to interview the individual in custody.

This is consistent with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963 that provides consular access to foreign nationals being detained by a foreign government. This is the same agreement that protects United States citizens when they travel to foreign countries.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol continues to appreciate the efforts of civilians who contact law enforcement authorities regarding suspicious activity.

The "Vienna Convention" reference is a red herring. CBP claims categorically that "Border Patrol does not report activity by civilian, non-law enforcement groups to the Government of Mexico." But Border Patrol spokesman Mario Martinez confirmed the notification process for Daily Bulletin reporter Sara Carter in plain, unequivocal terms:
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."

Moreover, the Mexican Government's Secretary of Foreign Relations website contradicts the CBP statement:

El Consulado General de México en Phoenix se ha mantenido en contacto con la Patrulla Fronteriza para ratificar la petición de ser notificados en caso de que algún voluntario detenga a indocumentados, así como la solicitud de entrevistar a los inmigrantes mientras se encuentren bajo custodia de la Patrulla Fronteriza.

Translation via Babelfish:
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.
I asked Carter if she stands by her story. She e-mailed late tonight:
I stand by my story. I interviewed Mario Martinez yesterday and he confirmed that the consulates receive the information from field reports when they interview detained illegal immigrants. That is what I reported. I have also interviewed numerous Border Patrol agents out in the field who have told me the Mexican consulate has more power than their own Border Patrol Chiefs.

More @ http://tinyurl.com/k8xyt michellemalkin.com

This is reference to the article from yestserday http://tinyurl.com/fdarp posted on dailybulletin. Dailybulletin has not retracted their story and are standing behind it.

As I said on a forum I belong to. "This smells like to me and I believe the original article." The Fed's will lie to you when the truth is in their favor, never mind that they will be caught, they'll just tell another lie to cover the first lies!