Sheriff Larry Dever of Cochise County, Ariz., one of four Arizona counties contiguous with the U.S-Mexico border, said Friday that the U.S. Border Patrol has pulled back from parts of the border in his and neighboring counties because manning those areas has become too dangerous.
They've been saying this for a while, but other reports say that the counties aren't necessarily more dangerous. I'd want more proof before I buy all this.
"And you frankly have Border Patrolmen--and I know this from talking to Border Patrol agents--who will not allow their agents to work on the border because it is too dangerous," Dever said in a videotaped interview. "Now what kind of message is that for crying out loud?"
Dever stressed that the Border Patrolmen are ready and willing to perform their mission of securing the border, but that Border Patrol managers had determined that in "some places" the danger was too great and they wanted to avoid the risk of an international incident such as a cross-border firefight.
Cochise County is home to Tombstone and Bisbee. It also hosts Fort Huachuca. |