A member of the Los Angeles Police Department was arrested this week while attempting to smuggle illegal immigrants across the US-Mexico border; prompting local authorities to rethink immigration procedures for law enforcement throughout the region.
“Mambasse Koulabalo Patara has been charged with violating immigration laws, according to a federal complaint filed Wednesday,” writes CBS Los Angeles. “He was arrested early Tuesday morning at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in Pine Valley, located about 12 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border.”
According to the federal complaint, the officer showed border agents his LAPD badge and claimed the two individuals in the vehicle were legal US citizens.
The two men, identified as Herman Lopez and his nephew German Ramirez Gonzales, eventually admitted to federal agents they were in the country illegally.
The arrest comes just weeks after President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions toured the region, vowing to crackdown on illegal immigrants and drug smuggling across the US-Mexico border.
Read the full story at CBS Los Angeles.
BORDER CHAOS: 500 Pounds of Mexican METH Discovered in 'DISNEY' Figurines
The Drug Enforcement Agency discovered over $2 million worth of smuggled Mexican methamphetamines hidden inside Disney character figurines Wednesday; calling the haul the biggest “meth bust” in the Atlanta region.
According to DEA officials, the drugs were hidden inside over 500 figurines meant to look like beloved Disney characters such as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger.
“DEA Atlanta Division Special Agent in Charge Robert Murphy says the meth originated in Mexico and was destined for Atlanta,” writes a local CBS affiliate. “He says another load containing legitimate ceramic figurines was intercepted and is believed to have been intended as a decoy.”
The discovery comes as President Trump pledges to crackdown on human trafficking and drug smuggling at the United States’ southern border; vowing last week to deploy the National Guard to help secure the region.
BORDER CHAOS: California BANS TROOPS from Helping Border Patrol Agents
The government of California officially rebuked the Trump administration’s decision to deploy the National Guard to the southern border Monday; saying federal plans had their troops working “too closely” with immigration enforcement.
According to the Associated Press, state officials notified federal authorities that deployed soldiers will be prohibited from tackling duties seen as cracking down on illegal immigration: including fixing border patrol vehicles, operating surveillance cameras, and monitoring radio transmissions.
Last week, Governor Jerry Brown confirmed that he was willing to deploy upwards of 400 troops to the United States’ border with Mexico, but added the service members would be prohibited from aiding federal agents in stemming the flow of people across the border.
“This will not be a mission to build a new wall,” Brown wrote. “It will not be a mission to round up women and children or detain people escaping violence and seeking a better life. And the California National Guard will not be enforcing federal immigration laws.”