FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: T.Q.
Houlton
October 29, 2008
202.226.6997
Tancredo Questions Mexico’s Role in
Border Agent Trial
Criticizes Mexican foreign ministry for intervening in U.S.
courts
(WASHINGTON, D.C.)
– U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Littleton) today sent the following
letter to Mexican President Felipe Calderon. The Mexican foreign
ministry has come under increasing scrutiny for interfering in
domestic U.S. politics and the criminal justice system.
# # # #
October 29, 2008
President Felipe Calderon
1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington,
DC 20006
Dear President Calderon,
Border security and immigration enforcement are crucial issues to
our nation’s joint security. The commonplace danger and rampant
violence that characterize daily life in our shared border area are
known to all – and I applaud you for your steadfast efforts to fight
the drug cartels and restore the rule of law in Mexico.
Unfortunately, in recent years your consular offices located here in
the United States have repeatedly overstepped their diplomatic
authority. They have gone far past the legitimate function of
issuing temporary identification, lobbying at every level of
government for acceptance of the so-called matricula consular
– which has been used as to undermine our national efforts to get a
handle on illegal immigration.
It also seems that Mexico’s foreign ministry and consular apparatus
has begun to view itself less as a diplomatic arm of Mexico, and
more as a part of the U.S. criminal justice system. I have serious
concerns about the degree to which your officials are interfering in
America’s internal judicial proceedings.
Mexico’s
interference in the outrageous and unprecedented prosecution of
former Border Patrol agents Ramos and Compean is well known. Your
government has also interfered substantially in the investigation
and trial of another Border Patrol agent facing criminal charges for
doing his job, Nicholas Corbett.
As you know, Mr. Corbett has been accused of second-degree murder of
an illegal alien border-crosser named Francisco Javier Dominguez.
The first trial of Mr. Corbett resulted in a “hung jury,” but the
Mexican foreign ministry has continued to exert a great deal of
pressure on local officials of Cochise County in Arizona to
prosecute the case again. In addition, the Mexican foreign ministry
appears to have successfully pressured the U.S. Department of
Justice to stay out of the case rather than discharging its
traditional role of defending Mr. Corbett, a federal law enforcement
agent.
It is also my understanding that Mexican consular officials have
been caught on tape speaking to their deep desire to punish Mr.
Corbett. Reportedly, your government has gone so far as to pay
three witnesses (Dominguez’s two brothers and girlfriend) who seek
to corroborate the murder tale, and shielding three other witnesses
that Border Patrol Union officials claim exonerate Corbett.
What your foreign ministry is doing is an unacceptable abuse of
diplomatic courtesy, and could seriously damage U.S.-Mexico
relations if it is allowed to continue. I would ask that you direct
your foreign ministry personnel to immediately stop tampering with
witnesses and interfering with the internal workings of our domestic
criminal justice system.
Thank you in advance for your
consideration, and I look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Tom
Tancredo, M.C.
