Other Newspapers' Opinions: Border tactics — Thinking about the other side
Wednesday, January 2, 2008 10:55 AM PST
How would we, as Americans, feel if our houses were damaged, our neighborhoods evacuated, our children endangered and innocent residents sent to the hospital because of aggressive, cross-border tactics of the Mexican police or military?
We would be outraged. American officials would likely demand that Mexico cease and desist such behavior. There would be talk of acts of war. The anger would be perfectly justified.
This is the light in which we should view the U.S. Border Patrol agents’ attack on the Colonia Libertad neighborhood of Tijuana. Mexicans have every right to be as angry as we would be.
In response to smugglers who are pelting Border Patrol agents with rocks in order to create a diversion, agents have saturated the neighborhood in which the smugglers are hiding. Agents have used pepper spray aimed at smugglers in the past, but the new tactic is to saturate large areas, sending some innocent people to the hospital. ...
The Mexican Consulate has complained, and rightly so. This tactic should cease immediately.
Border Patrol officials argued that the agents need to protect themselves, and that the smugglers should be blamed for hiding behind innocent people. Both are true, but since when is it OK to damage entire neighborhoods and harm innocent people for the actions of a few within them? ...
Yes, the issue of illegal immigration is extremely contentious. But it’s hard to make the argument that Mexicans are trampling on our sovereignty while we so blatantly trample on theirs.
—Jacksonville (Ill.) Journal-Courier
