National Guardsmen nabbed as coyotes
posted at 11:05 am on June 12, 2007 by Bryan
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Doing the job that some Americans will do.
A trio of National Guard soldiers assigned to help stop illegal immigration in South Texas instead ran an immigrant smuggling operation using cell phone text messages, according to court records filed Monday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Laredo.
In a series of text messages uncovered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after Pfc. Jose Rodrigo Torres was arrested on Thursday, the three soldiers allegedly negotiated the details, price and number of people who would be smuggled north, the complaint said.
“tell them ill only do 1 run @ no more than 20 people @ $150 a person and i want 2 leave @ 1930 hrs and ill go 2 San Anto if they want,” Torres typed to Sgt. Clarence Hodge Jr. hours before Torres was arrested along Interstate 35 near Cotulla, Texas, about 68 miles north of the border, according to the complaint.
A message later that day from Sgt. Julio Cesar Pacheco instructed Torres that a trip was a go, with a promised payment of $3,500 for the delivery of 24 illegal immigrants.
“24 will b tuff 2 fit but ill try,” Torres wrote in response, the complaint said.
The 24 immigrants, at least five of whom were Mexican nationals, did fit in the van that was waved through a Border Patrol checkpoint before later being stopped along the highway.
Peachy.
Investigators say Hodge pointed to Pacheco, 26, of Laredo, as the man who recruited and paid him. Hodge told investigators he had been paid for helping smuggle a load of immigrants in May but the men had not worked out payment for the most recent load.
Pacheco, in an interview a year ago with The Associated Press when he was first deployed to the border, said he was eager for the assignment in his hometown of Laredo.
“That’s why we’re here, to help them out,” said Pacheco, who has served in Iraq and Europe. “I’m very lucky because they’re (fellow soldiers in Europe) going back to Iraq and I get to serve here in my hometown.”
Evidently they were there to help themselves out with a little side action.
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Lets do a swap – Torres, Hodge, and Pacheco for Campean and Ramos.
RushBaby on June 12, 2007 at 11:11 AM
The full weight of the law must be brought down upon these two.
JayHaw Phrenzie on June 12, 2007 at 11:11 AM
The soldiers be punished worse than any of the illegals, who will get a house in palm springs, a free Prius, and a reserved spot outside Home Depot for 1 year.
Mindcrime on June 12, 2007 at 11:14 AM
I’m sure the Presidential Unit Citations are already on the way.
ReubenJCogburn on June 12, 2007 at 11:17 AM
Johnny Sutton will give these guys immunity so that he can prosecute some border patrol agent for giving one of the illegals a dirty look.
This is not the kind of publicity W. needs for getting his pet project passed into law.
thirteen28 on June 12, 2007 at 11:18 AM
I’m sorry. Am I missing something?
Exactly what crime did they commit? Driving undocumented Americans across the border?
The coyote ate their papers and they were obviously coming across to beat the January deadline for Z Visa’s. (Wait, that was January of this past year, wasn’t it?)
HarryStar on June 12, 2007 at 11:19 AM
At least they’re not irrational bigots like us.
profitsbeard on June 12, 2007 at 11:19 AM
But, nobody’s illegal! They’re just undocumented Americans! They just want a better life!
amerpundit on June 12, 2007 at 11:21 AM
I say we swap them for the two border patrol agents in the slammer.
Limerick on June 12, 2007 at 11:24 AM
Heh!
Theworldisnotenough on June 12, 2007 at 11:29 AM
What, did these guys graduate with Rosie?
RushBaby on June 12, 2007 at 11:31 AM
UCMJ for these two. This could be seen as treason under the code.
robman27 on June 12, 2007 at 11:44 AM
Fences don’t take bribes.
Dusty on June 12, 2007 at 11:47 AM
The Irony: this schmuck will serve time for doing the same job Bush does, and Bush gets all his press, and money, and secret service protection.
No Justice.
Jaibones on June 12, 2007 at 11:50 AM
WHOA RUSH BABY
WELL DONE
ZING–BANG-BOING-DIRECT HIT! ! ! !
auspatriotman on June 12, 2007 at 11:54 AM
This is the really scary part, only 5 of the 24 were Mexicans.
pat on June 12, 2007 at 12:27 PM
The president might just give these guys a pardon.
Yakko77 on June 12, 2007 at 12:35 PM
They also make good neighbors.
Exit Question: Should Arnold and Google team up together and have the border patrolled by robots?
Darnell Clayton on June 12, 2007 at 12:45 PM
And mines can’t be accused of being racist.
James on June 12, 2007 at 12:49 PM
Very scary. What were the other 19? Refugees from the middle east no doubt. We’ll probably never know.
IrishEi on June 12, 2007 at 1:05 PM
[James on June 12, 2007 at 12:49 PM]
James, I’m 110% behind passing an amendment to the POS bill removing the provision for mining the border just in case the bill passes.
Dusty on June 12, 2007 at 1:11 PM
This is why we need a wall and a very strict entrance policy.
csdeven on June 12, 2007 at 1:17 PM
They featured one of those Hispanderers (NYC councilman or something) on O’Reilly last night, and he claimed he was for a secure border but a fence/wall wasn’t the solution. However, every time O’Reilly asked him why he was against building a fence or wall, instead of actually answering the question he kept saying that we should use technology to secure the border…infrared, UAVs, satellites, etc.
I may be way behind the times here, but what struck me was that each of those technologies could be spoofed or defeated by someone armed with knowledge of those systems (knowledge perhaps learned via a Mexican government pamphlet) but a simple physical barrier can’t be fooled…it must be surmounted. So why not do both? Is there some strange voodoo-like interference that I’m not aware of, beyond preventing them from crossing the border in the first place in order to be detected, that building a wall or fence will inject into a technological solution for border security?
And if we just REALLY can’t have a fence, let’s space the posts for the super-infrared/motion detection system about 2″ apart along the entire border.
James on June 12, 2007 at 1:37 PM
If the primary modus operandi is to be surveillance, then it should include live web broadcast of all camera operations as a means for establishing effectiveness, transparency and accountability. In fact, now that I think of it, that should be included in the bill for all those types of operations, no matter what degree to which it is employed.
Dusty on June 12, 2007 at 2:06 PM
Treason! Hang em. Set an example unlike that of the fate of Ramos and Compean.
voiceofreason on June 12, 2007 at 2:17 PM
I thought these guys were just doing jobs that Americans won’t do….
Also, weren’t they just expediting the immigration process?
They should get a Presidential Unit Citation…
Tim Burton on June 12, 2007 at 2:29 PM
Not to be nit picky but the Presidential Unit Citation, A.K.A as a PUC, is a unit award and is not awarded for individal “achievements”. Maybe a Meritorious Service Medal or Army Commendation Medal.
Personally I think a swift kick in the butt and a little jail time is more along the right lines.
SPIFF1669 on June 12, 2007 at 2:45 PM
These are just the ones they caught.
What makes me laugh is crooks who are dumb enough to send text messages, emails, make phone calls, etc…. Don’t they realize by now that law enforcement can trace virtually all forms of public communication?
But, ya, jail time is a must, just to set an example. There is a lot of money floating around the border for all kinds of smuggling – humans, drugs…
reaganaut on June 12, 2007 at 3:23 PM
Yeah, and that tool wouldn’t answer Bills question as to what would he do when these electronic devices detected an illegal coming across the border. Send border patrol? Nat Guard? WHAT?!
Ok guys, I emailed both my senators (Idaho). I called their local and DC offices. I paid grassfire $15 to fax my displeasure to 14 key senators and the President and key admin officials.
My senators aides said they are completely inundated with complaints.
I LOVE IT!!!!
csdeven on June 12, 2007 at 3:23 PM
Everybody is getting in on human smuggling! Even the drug smugglers I thought one of Bush’s world focuses was to stop Human smuggling! Start at home!
Drtuddle on June 12, 2007 at 4:47 PM
BCD Special for the lot of ‘em. Some time at the US Correctional Barracks would be in order too.
major john on June 12, 2007 at 5:33 PM
These guys were on active while doing this duty. UCMJ applies.
Fry ‘em.
Militant Bibliophile on June 12, 2007 at 8:19 PM
The UCMJ never sleeps…it applies whether they’re on Title 10 or Title 32 status.
James on June 13, 2007 at 7:21 AM
Certainly the BCD applies, but being Guardsmen, the military is not their primary occupation, so simply removing them from the service isn’t half enough. These scum must do hard time for their anti-American crimes.
Freelancer on June 13, 2007 at 10:49 AM
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