Cancun INM Agents Detained

[RiverGirl]

Mexico migration officials suspected of trafficking Chinese | Herald Sun

Looks like they swept in and busted everyone working in T2 during yesterday's day-shift. Pax were left waiting while the agents were led off in handcuffs.

The fact that they arrested everyone means they didn't do much of an investigation beforehand. If they actually want to bust the mafia they will have to do undercover work and phone tapping.

[T.J.]

Didn't we find 50 or 60 Chinese a few years ago hinding out in the airport? And didn't some bad guy INM guy end up dead as a result? Someone will take the fall for this as it is not a one shot deal gone wrong.

500,000 illegal immigrants annually into Mexico. Now isn't that some irony.

[Life_N_Cancun]

Originally Posted by T.J.

500,000 illegal immigrants annually into Mexico. Now isn't that some irony.

Well.. 99% are on their way to the US I'd imagine...

[RiverGirl]

A few years ago AFI busted some INM agents at the Cancun Airport. It was a sweep also, they took everyone working in T2 that shift. I think there were 80 or so Chinese immigrants there who were, apparently, about to be allowed into Mexico without proper inspection.

In that case AFI busted INM before a crime was committed, if they'd waited until the Chinese WERE in without inspection there would have been a crime. But they busted everyone before there was a crime. They held those people for 3 months before they sorted out that there was no crime. It was a huge waste of taxpayer money. Lots of show, lots of inconvenience, big hassle, and no net positive for the country in the end.

The difference between this time and last time is that this time it looks like there actually was a crime. These Chinese were, apparently, allowed into Mexico without inspection (with false docs) here in Cancun and were caught in Guadalajara.

This time authorities were more thorough from what, I gather. I understand that this time they even took the janitors who were there cleaning. And it sounds like they took some other folks who could not possibly have been involved in allowing those Chinese in. I'm sure the authorities will sort out who was where when, and who knew what. But how long will they hold them this time?

The policy seems to be to arrest everyone in sight and figure out which ones are guilty later. That's instead of actual investigative work which could have actually identified those guilty before an arrest.

I'm all for the Mexican government cleaning up the corruption. But it would be nice to see some common sense go into the process. These brute force tactics do not work, obviously.

[mixz1]

Originally Posted by RiverGirl

...The policy seems to be to arrest everyone in sight and figure out which ones are guilty later. That's instead of actual investigative work which could have actually identified those guilty before an arrest...

Sometimes, particularly where you are operating under a system of laws that does not provide the kind of personal guarantees that we gringos expect as our rights, or under a military or quasi-military code of justice, a sweep can be an attractive choice because at some point in an investigation you may ask the wrong person the wrong question and reveal your interest to the enterprise at large, thereby blowing yourself out of the water.

Provided that a mechanism is in place to rapidly sort the goodies from the baddies, there's not a lot to criticize, at least from the investigative side. Being detained for three months, on the other hand, is not a desirable consequence for either side.

[RiverGirl]

Mixz1 - You know that I respect your insight. The fact that think a sweep could make sense in this situation gives me even less faith in the system than I had before. Without a real investigation that gathers strong evidence against the ringleaders there's zero possibility that arrests will root out the real corruption.

Meanwhile the janitors, who make pennies a day, can't feed their kids from jail. This is pathetic.

[Life_N_Cancun]

Originally Posted by RiverGirl

Without a real investigation that gathers strong evidence against the ringleaders there's zero possibility that arrests will root out the real corruption.

I imagine that the real "ringleaders" are much higher on the food chain than the agents stationed at the airport. While I applaud the (appearance of) attempts to combat official corruption, I can understand Rivergirl's point that the "arrest everybody" technique has its draw backs and can be a real hardship for the families who have loved ones caught up in it unjustly.

I think that more attention should be paid to the police forces and elected officials who are involved in the more violent and larger scale criminal activities.

[RiverGirl]

Well I don't know how much larger scale you can get than a worldwide network of human smugglers.

And from what I've read in the papers there are strong ties between the human traffickers and the drug smugglers in Mexico. There is a lot of money in moving people, obviously.

[mixz1]

Originally Posted by RiverGirl

Mixz1 - You know that I respect your insight. The fact that think a sweep could make sense in this situation gives me even less faith in the system than I had before. Without a real investigation that gathers strong evidence against the ringleaders there's zero possibility that arrests will root out the real corruption.

Meanwhile the janitors, who make pennies a day, can't feed their kids from jail. This is pathetic.

Don't get me wrong. It is pathetic, particularly when the absolute innocents like the janitors get swept up (no pun intended). Nevertheless, did the janitors provide a dumpster for people to hide in? Did they wheel it by the security people? Can you plant surveillance without it being discovered? Can you interview Party A with out it leaking to Party B?

Yes, the system here is pitiful. I'm just trying to demonstrate what a system with limited resources, and that includes intellectual and moral resources, may resort to. You and I have no argument here.

[RiverGirl]

I'm pretty sure there's no hiding needed. The agents either check a passport or they don't. But who's to know some guy walking around in the airport was just allowed into Mexico without inspection? Only those who let him in. Or someone who checks his docs, like an INM agent. Once someone being smuggled walks out of the passport control area they look just like everyone else.

I do understand your point about investigations. Still I think a lot could be done, though I don't think it will be done.

It's too bad, there's so much political posturing here about cleaning up corruption and yet there's virtually no chance that the Gov't's methods will clean up anything.

[v8eyedoc]

A while back....here in the USA....a town in Massachusetts... Immigration Agents (I.N.S.) raided a company whose owner had a federal contract to manufacture..."something" for the U.S. Govt..... and found over 300 illegal undocumented aliens working there..... The INS agents handcuffed all 300 men and women...placed them on buses and started the process of deporting all of them....!!! Without regard for the other family members possibly being left behind.

The owner of the factory claimed that he had "contracted" with some individual for the labor of these "criminals".....AND....that they were all "properly documented".....!!!! So the owner was NOT held "at fault"...!!

The situation was resolved....when an uproar from "liberal" factions was lodged with the INS and the stories were all over the local TV news stations and liberally accosted by our liberal press...!!!! And all of the people were finally processed to allow them to stay in the USA.....

Good....resolution..???? Bad....resolution..???? Not sure..

Oh! By the way......these illegal aliens were all from Guatemala...and NOT Mexico... Same difference! STILL ILLEGAL ALIENS....!!

But.....when I have seen how some similar poor wretched souls live...on the outskirts of the city of Cancun....in the jungles.... IE: "EL MILAGRO"....
It is no wonder...that all human beings want to make a better life for themselves and their families........!!! Just 2 weeks after Hurricane Wilma had struck Cancun........I flew down....and was, to say the least, appalled at the living conditions these people endure, on a daily basis... It is no wonder that the INS has it's hands full in the US border states with illegals desperately trying to get across the Mexican-US border......

Just picture yourself and your family....."living" in a palapa-roofed hut with wood stick walls and a dirt floor...... NO RUNNING WATER - NO ELECTRICITY - NO PAVED ROADS.... Your water delivered by a truck and piped into open barrels and buckets for flies and mosquitos to lay eggs and the dogs to drink from...

I do not know which approach is better......."SHOOT FIRST AND SORT OUT THE GOOD GUYS FROM THE BAD GUYS, AFTERWARD..?" OR....."SORT FIRST AND SHOOT THE BAD GUYS, SECOND.....??"

[T.J.]

RG,

But back when the 80 Chinese were found in an area of the airport where they should not have been, didn't a high ranking INM or a high ranking airport official, turn up shot within a week or two?

Please don't be naive enough to think that there is NOT a Kingpin running this deal. I certainly is not some INM agent checking passports in the terminal. This is a big time business.

And Mix - Come on. "No pun intended". That made me laugh.

[RiverGirl]

I won't comment here on what I think I know about the power structure. I'll just say don't underestimate the power of the people at the airport, they are Federal agents, their power cuts across the political strata. Even Presidents have to go through immigration when they enter a foreign country.

If you read the local papers you will find names of those detained and you will notice that several of them were named in a certain famous confession video posted on Youtube, a video in which big guns were named.

Some good news is that a number of the very obviously innocent (among them the cleaning staff) were released from custody. They endured a horrific ordeal but are now safely home with their families. So this is a comfort at least.

[RiverGirl]

They've released the names:
:::Procuraduría General de la República:::

[T.J.]

I guess I am still not going to get an answer as to whether an INM or Airport high ranking person ended up shot dead after the 80 or so Chinese were found in the airport 3 or 4 years ago.

Hello RG, where are you?

[mixz1]

Originally Posted by T.J.

I guess I am still not going to get an answer as to whether an INM or Airport high ranking person ended up shot dead after the 80 or so Chinese were found in the airport 3 or 4 years ago.

Hello RG, where are you?

Not RG, but "CANCUN, Mexico (AP) -- Federal police detained 81 Chinese immigrants and 22 immigration agents on Friday after the Chinese were discovered hiding in the Cancun airport terminal, possibly with the protection of Mexican immigration officers.

The 53 Chinese men and 28 women arrived on a flight from Europe late Thursday. Because of a lack of interpreters, police were unable to glean more details. - Associated Press, March 17, 2007

I seem to remember a shooting in Plaza Caracol shortly after that was tied to this, but I've been unable to find any details.

[Jim in Cancun]

I remember someone from Customs disappearing on Yaxchilan Ave. and never being seen again but that was at the time lots of meth-makings were arriving and it seems he wasn't on the take.

[RiverGirl]

TJ - There have been several agents killed. There have been shootings that newspapers say are related. A shooting in Plaza Hong Kong was connected by the newspapers to people in human smuggling, as was a shootout with cops. I can't answer your question because there have been too many incidents. Nobody has the full story and if they do they are in danger.

Take a look at this link:
Mata Zetas on YouTube: Zetas’ Cuban/Chinese Smuggling « NarcoGuerra Times

In the second link you'll see a YouTube video called Matando Zetas 2. One of those guys was an INM agent. The car with their 3 bodies in it was found behind CityClub in Cancun.

Let's hope this newest round of arrests doesn't result in more violence.