Three Witnesses To Border Patrolman's Murder To Be Deported

Phoenix - The U.S. Attorney will deport 3 men who were arrested at the scene of the murder of Border Patrolman Brian Terry in mid-December in exchange for guilty pleas to the charge of illegal entry.

According to a statement issued by the Department of Justice, “Jesus Soria-Ruiz, Jose Angel-Camacho have entered, and tomorrow Francisco Rosario Camacho-Alameda is expected to enter, guilty pleas to illegal entry charges, and as a result, will be deported back to Mexico.

"Based upon an extensive investigation conducted to date, there is no evidence tying these three individuals to the shooting of Border Patrol (BP) Agent Brian Terry. The goal of the ongoing FBI-led Joint Investigation into that shooting is to achieve justice for BP Agent Terry, and bring criminal charges against those responsible for this murder. We continue to devote significant resources and manpower to this investigation. This investigation is extremely active and progressing."

Knowledgeable observers are surprised by the unusual move by prosecutors to rid themselves of potential witnesses or co-defendants to the offense of murdering a federal officer because persons who were present at the scene of serious crimes such as murder are usually charged as a party to the offense, whether they pulled the trigger, built the bomb, or lit the match.

Witnesses to murders of police officers and federal agents are often held as material witnesses for their testimony.

Many journalists at odds with the BATFE and the Justice Department find themselves questioning the motives of federal prosecutors in this maneuver. They have called for interested citizens to contact their Senators and Congressmen to apply pressure to have the deportations rescinded, or at least postponed, until Senator Charles Grassley's Senate Judiciary Committee has a chance to investigate the circumstances of the killing.

Many, including fed-up ATF agents, allege that the two weapons confiscated at the scene of the murder were at one time under the control of the ATF and were smuggled across the border to “pad” the record of American arms turning up in Mexico in the hands of cartel smugglers and enforcers.

Agent Terry was killed in a firefight inside the border near Nogal3es with bandits who prey on illegal immigrants, robbing them of their valuables and money after they have crossed the border in the dark. He and others had staked out the bandits and became involved in a fight for their lives when they were discovered.