| Chief Fisher's Letter to the Editor of San Diego Union Tribune Newspaper "The deliberate, unmitigated violence against my agents is going to stop." With these few words, I directed my command staff to find a way to make this directive become reality and to establish a new way of doing business. Today, we stand resolute and committed to this objective. Many of you may be aware of our operational deployments along the border with Mexico as the increase of violence against Border Patrol Agents continues at unprecedented levels. Last year, one out of every four assaults against agents along the 2,000 miles of border with Mexico occurred in San Diego . Not only is this trend continuing, but it is dramatically increasing; since October 2007 we have recorded over 100 assaults thus far. Nearly twice a day, the men and women of the San Diego Sector Border Patrol, who have unselfishly taken an oath to protect this great Nation, are subjected to violent assaults from criminals operating in Mexico . These assaults include smugglers throwing large rocks at the agents (at times after the rocks have been wrapped in cloth, doused in kerosene and lit on fire), launching glass bottles, large pieces of wood, steel ball bearings fired from sling shots, to name a few. To those who would argue that this violence is perpetrated by juvenile delinquents and that we should expect this as a "cost of doing business", I offer the following: criminal organizations (alien smugglers and drug smugglers) are hiring known criminals to cross into the United States illegally, create a diversion, and lure our agents into an ambush. When our agents respond, the criminals use military style tactics and "triangulate" their offensive, pinning down the agents in a violent assault. While the agents seek cover, the smugglers move people and contraband over the fence into our neighborhoods. In response to this criminal activity, I have deployed the Special Response Team to these dangerous border areas. Border Patrol Agents are authorized to deploy less-lethal munitions as necessary to protect and defend themselves and other agents against life-threatening assaults being perpetrated by criminals in Mexico . We will continue to use reasonable force in self-defense as necessary to protect our front-line agents from imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm. My primary responsibility as the Chief Patrol Agent in San Diego is to the border security mission and to ensure, to the extent that I can within the law and consistent with agency policy, a safe and secure border for our men and women. To do less would be at the very least irresponsible and at worst, malfeasance. We will not relinquish ground under operational control nor will we retreat from our front-line deployments; the threat is real, our border security mission critical, and failure is clearly not an option. Michael J. Fisher Chief Patrol Agent United States Border Patrol San Diego Sector |
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