The Chronicle ran an interesting story by Dane Schiller today that got priority treatment by Drudge for much of the day. Here is an excerpt:
All told, Mexican officials in 2008 asked federal agents to trace the origins of more than 7,500 firearms recovered at crime scenes in Mexico. Most of them were traced back to Texas, California and Arizona.
Among other things, the agents are combing neighborhoods and asking people about suspicious purchases as well as seeking explanations as to how their guns ended up used in murders, kidnappings and other crimes in Mexico.
“Ever turning up the heat on cartels, our law enforcement and military partners in the government of Mexico have been working more closely with the ATF by sharing information and intelligence,” Melson said Tuesday during a firearms-trafficking summit in New Mexico.
The ATF recently dispatched 100 veteran agents to its Houston division, which reaches to the border.
So, let me make sure I understand this — federal officials have been dispatched to Houston at the request of Mexican officials to ask questions of American citizens about their gun ownership/purchasing. But MayorWhiteChiefHurtt insist that we must not have a discussion about a former police chief’s directive that HPD officers not inquire about immigration status. Does this make sense?
UPDATE (07/02/09): Commenter Rorschach reminds that he wrote about this issue two months ago (here). Advantage: Red Ink: Texas!
BLOGVERSATION: Lone Star Times.
