SAN MIGUEL, AZ - The United States government announced that it has launched an investigation in the wake of an incident early on Thrusday morning between U.S. Border Patrol and a Mexican Law Enforcement helicopter in which shots were fired on the U.S agents. Luckily no Americans were harmed in the skirmish.
"A Mexican law enforcement helicopter crossed approximately 100 yards (100 meters) north into Arizona nearly 8 miles (13 km) southwest of the Village of San Miguel," U.S. Border Officials in Tucson said. "The incident is currently under investigation."
According to KVOA News, U.S. Border Patrol Spokesperson Andy Adame said that the Mexican helicopter was on American territory during the course of a “drug interdiction operation.” During the course of the operation, Mexican police mistakenly fired two shots on Boarder Patrol Agents, according to Reuters.
"One of the helicopters apparently crossed the line and fired on a marked border patrol vehicle," said Shawn Moran, Vice President of the National Border Patrol Council. "They missed all the agents...It is my understanding that they [the Mexican military] went back across the border and contacted the U.S. and apologized for the incident," he said.
Thursdays incident comes at a time of heightened tension on topics of border security and immigration control in the United States. Early Friday morning, The Hill reported on plans by immigration activist group United We Dream to occupy office buildings in the House of Representatives in protest of Republican opposition to immigration reform and for "harsh anti-immigrant rhetoric."
United We Dream also wants Congress to do more for undocumented minors. Over 52,000 unaccompanied children have been smuggled into the U.S. from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras alone this year. United We Dream is fighting for an expansion of the 2012 program the Obama administration passed, which deprioritized undocumented children for deportation, to include their family members.
Republicans however stand firm in their commitment to table immigration reform until the Obama administration improves security on the southern boarder.
U.S. Representative Duncan Hunter told Reuters reporters that the Department of Homeland Security informed him that there had been 300 documented incursions onto U.S. soil by the Mexican military since 2004. 152 of these incidents had involved armed subjects.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for developments in this ongoing situation.
