U.S. Soldier held in Mexico on Weapons charge

[csmkersh]

Yes-he a least made one hell of a stupid mistake-but we can't leave him behind in Mexico anymore than we would in Iraq.

Sure we can leave him there. We weren't on a fire mission and he didn't get cut off from the platoon. He just got a "NO GO" in land nav and paid the price.
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[csmkersh]

But word to the wise for the rest of you folks who are human: if you get within a mile of the Mexican border, you CAN be swept past "the point of no return." There will be no last chance U-turn.

Go back and read both the news reports. The Federales had him turned around and headed to the US. He stopped and attempted to park a second time in Mexico then stinky stuff started to roll down hill. Once was an error; twice was plain F-ing stupidity.
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[mek42]

Is the US-Mexico border unregulated? Driving into Canada there are always border crossings where you need to stop before actually entering Canada.

I would like to think that if someone did actually have a traffic mishap and explained the situation to the Customs Officer stating that they have a prohibited item in their vehicle and would like to be directed to get back to the US that at worst you'd lose a half day due to an interrogation / vehicle search. I could be wrong about this though.

At any rate, do you just drive into Mexico like crossing a state line in the US?

 

[The Tourist]

This guy broke their laws. He needs to sort it out with them himself

Let's take this down to the bottom line.

An American soldier, who clearly would fight and die for the freedoms of others, sits in a jail while Mexican felons creep into our country like cockroaches, suck up benefits, and can legally possess a drivers license while technically still being illegal. Have I got that right?

I don't care how it looks, what it costs or who loses politcal hay over it. We need to get our citizen. And if an entire platoon of Mexican soldiers dies over it, who really cares. We can strip the California highways by tabulating these same drivers licenses and repatriate new recruits for their boot camp.

I don't care what Mexico thinks. It's about time they care what I think. I vote. And frankly, I'll be voting for my fellow 'boomers to get COLAs before I vote for any programs underlining Mexican nationals.

And in the spirit of Guernica, this might be a good time to test those new weapons I see on FutureWeapons.

You are an American. Picture yourself in a Guadalajara prison.

 

[Limeyfellow]

Even if he hadn't gone to Mexico, wouldn't he have broke the law bringing an AR15 into California and isn't that a felony? Sounds like either the guy is a moron or was gun smuggling. Just because he was in the US military, doesn't mean he has a free pass to break laws in another country. If it was the other way around and they caught a foreign national sneaking an AR15 across the border, even if it was an accident they would throw the book at him with up to 5 years in prison.

 

[hankdatank1362]

We need to go get him. Do whatever it takes... diplomatically or not.. and bring him back home.

Kick his butt when he does get home for being so effing stupid, but bring him home nonetheless.

 

[Thernlund]

So go ahead and dump on this guy, all you perfect humans, who NEVER made a mistake.

Not one like that.

As I said, I go to Mexico now and then for some goof off time, and I ALWAYS spend a good 20 to 30 mintes the night before going through the truck looking for stray rounds or spent brass that may have fallen out of the range bag.

Also, if I found I was on the bridge with no turn out to turn around and I knew I had guns and/or ammunition in the vehicle, I'd stop traffic for a month if I had to before I'd cross.


-T.

 

[FourTeeFive]

There's probably plenty of places to get a Mexican breakfast in El Paso as there is in Nogales, Calexico, Laredo, etc.

Indeed:

Dos Nidos Mexican Cafe
6560 Montana Ave
El Paso, TX 79925

 

[Thernlund]

Let's take this down to the bottom line.

An American soldier, who clearly would fight and die for the freedoms of others, sits in a jail while Mexican felons creep into our country like cockroaches, suck up benefits, and can legally possess a drivers license while technically still being illegal. Have I got that right?

I don't care how it looks, what it costs or who loses politcal hay over it. We need to get our citizen. And if an entire platoon of Mexican soldiers dies over it, who really cares. We can strip the California highways by tabulating these same drivers licenses and repatriate new recruits for their boot camp.

I don't care what Mexico thinks. It's about time they care what I think. I vote. And frankly, I'll be voting for my fellow 'boomers to get COLAs before I vote for any programs underlining Mexican nationals.

And in the spirit of Guernica, this might be a good time to test those new weapons I see on FutureWeapons.

You are an American. Picture yourself in a Guadalajara prison.

-T.

 

[Prince Yamato]

I don't care what Mexico thinks. It's about time they care what I think. I vote.

They don't care what you think either and your vote means nothing to them, because you're not voting in Mexico. You know, we violate their laws too. They're probably more than generous catering to our drunken spring-breakers. Like I said before and Thernlund restated: If I have a gun in my car and I'm in danger of going into Mexico, I'm stopping cold on the freeway, and putting my flashers on. Hell, I'll even make a scene if I need to attract cops. I'll stand on top of my car and sing Stephen Foster tunes till my voice gets hoarse if I have to. The point is, I'll be in an American prison WAY before I'm in a Mexican one. Also, the border guards I've seen in Mexico are really laid back, as are most Mexicans in general. I think this guy really had to screw up to get arrested in Mexico.

 

[OFT]

It comes down to the fact that he had three choices:

1. Comply with their law.
2. Don't go across if you don't want to comply with the law.
3. Take your chances on going to the caracel.

He took option number three.

 

[308win]

Give 'em a chance to sit, read the warnings, and think about it a bit first.

As long as the signs are english only.

 

[riverdog]

csmkersh,
I must have missed the other report, never belioeve the first one.

According to the El Paso Times, Mexican border police stopped him as he attempted a U-turn, and Medina Torres was arrested when they found an AR-15 rifle and handgun in his trunk.

the other report has more info:

Mexican authorities said Tuesday that Torres stopped at the border to ask where he could park his car and was directed to make a U-turn to go back to the U.S. When he stopped again to ask federal authorities working nearby where to park, the agents started questioning him.

Torres said that when he was asked if he had drugs or guns, he immediately told Mexican officials he was traveling with an AR-15 assault rifle and a .45-caliber handgun. Both are his personal weapons; he said he intended to leave them and his car at his mother's house before deploying to Honduras for a year.

After searching his car, Mexican authorities took Torres into custody and began questioning him, he said. He has not been charged with a crime.

So they pointed him at the US and he was so intent on having breakfast in Mexico that he stopped again in Mexico. In the new Websters unabridged next to the definition of stupid will be the mug shot of a certain E-4. . . boggles the mind, total lack of SA.

 

[FourTeeFive]

So: word to the wise: if you are anywhere near Mexico with guns or ammo, TAKE THAT EXIT a mile back, before you get ANYWHERE NEAR the actual border frontier. Once you are about 1/4 mile from the actual border line, IT'S TOO LATE.

Same with Canada in most places. If you are heading north on I-5 you will eventually enter Canada. Lots of signs to tell you that, but if you don't take an exit you will be leaving the USA and entering Canada.

Driving into Canada there are always border crossings where you need to stop before actually entering Canada.

By the time you are at the place where you stop and talk to a border officer, you are already in Canada and have been for a quite a few yards (meters?).

 

[The Tourist]

They don't care what you think either and your vote means nothing to them, because you're not voting in Mexico.

They will if we flush NAFTA, tax their products as they tax ours, make sure students pay a hefty tax for visiting their tourist spots on spring break, curtailing foreign aid to a trinkle and make sure not one drop of tequila comes north. Ship illegal aliens back by the trainload.

In other words, treat Mexico like Cuba.

I'm getting tired of being jerked around by foreign nationals who do not have my best interests at heart and imprison our citizens.

SEALs. Guernica. Get our citizen.

Edit: However, for turn-about, in the spirit of being fair to you (disclaimer, the editorial "you") and your beliefs, I'll be more than happy to let you rot in a Mexican prison should the need arise.

 

[Justin]

Plainly this thread is generating much more heat than light.