By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com In a dramatic shift, more migrants from countries outside of Mexico were captured crossing into the U.S., which hasn’t been seen for at least two decades, the New York Times reports. The annual figures published by Homeland Security show a 15% rise in total apprehensions in the 2014 fiscal year, with a…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A 38-year-old Customs and Border Protection Officer is accused of helping drug smugglers cross into the U.S., Fox News reports. Jose Luis Zavala, who works in Brownsville, Texas, was arrested on charges of drug smuggling and corruption. He was arrested Dec. 12 and placed on administrative leave. An initial story incorrectly…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A Border Patrol agent came under fire Sunday morning while pulling over a car during a routine traffic stop, KFOX14 reports. The incident happened around 7:25 a.m. when the suspect opened fire on the agent as he approached the car in Hudspeth County, which borders Mexico in Texas. The agent returned…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A drug smuggler mauled by a Border Patrol dog while trying to bring drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border is suing the federal government, The Week reports. Jose Manual Marino-Najera, 31, said he crossed the border into Arizona and fell asleep under a tree when the dog mauled him. The lawsuit claims…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Drug smugglers have tried all kinds of clever – and not so clever – ways to get their products across the Mexican border and into the U.S. On Tuesday morning, Border Patrol agents in the Tucson Sector seized nearly $100,000 worth of marijuana dropped from an ultralight aircraft Tuesday, AZ Family reports….
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Mike Vigil knows a thing or two about the secret world of anti-drug agents. The DEA’s former chief of international operations, Vigil spent 18 years abroad as an agent, Global Post reports. Now he’s sharing that experience in a new memoir called “Deal.” The book is packed with thrilling observations and…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Border Patrol is considering using futuristic dog collars to improve security at the border, Nextgov.com reports. “The U.S. government is exploring the possibility of outfitting its border-protecting canines with futuristic collars that can, for example, translate a dog’s stress level through its bark and relay that data in real-time to a…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said fewer immigrants are crossing the border because of increased security efforts, but he emphasized that other threats require a strong law enforcement presence, the Arizona Capitol Times reports. The good news is that illegal immigration is falling. “Put simply, it’s now much harder to cross…
