Judicial Watch Uncovers New Report Detailing Sharp Increase in Violence on Mexican Border

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - April 21, 2009) - Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released a U.S. Customs and Border Protection report titled, BorderStat Violence, FY 2008 Year in Review, which documents a sharp increase in violence on the U.S. border with Mexico. Judicial Watch forced the Obama administration to release this document through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed against the Department of Homeland Security on January 27, 2009. Among the highlights from the report:

--  There were a total of 147 incursions at and between the Ports of Entry
    for all Customs and Border Protection (CBP) components for FY 2008 when
    compared to 32 incursions for FY 2007, an increase of 359%.
    
--  There were 1,325 incidents of violence occurring at or between the
    Ports of Entry against CBP Agents and Officers, resulting in a 23 percent
    increase from 1,073 in FY 2007.
    
--  97 percent of all incidents of violence against CBP Agents and
    Officers occurred on the southwest border.
    
--  The San Diego sector sustained the largest increase in assaults, 48
    percent, for FY 2008 when compared to FY 2007.  The Yuma sector experienced
    the largest decrease, 56 percent.
    
--  There were 227 assaults against CBP Officers at the Ports of Entry in
    FY 2008 as compared to 85 in FY 2007, an increase of 167 percent.
    

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano recently turned down an offer for increased funding from the Senate Committee on Homeland Defense to address the problem of violence on the southern border. The Obama administration also rejected an appeal from Texas Governor Rick Perry and Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to deploy 1,000 National Guard troops to help quell border violence. Instead, the Obama administration announced a plan to temporarily send 360 federal agents to the border.

Judicial Watch has previously obtained Border Patrol reports detailing Mexican government incursions into the United States.

"These new Homeland Security documents indisputably show there is a crisis on our border with Mexico. Our agents are being attacked and our sovereignty violated at alarming rates. The Obama administration's symbolic gestures are virtually meaningless in light of these numbers. When will the Mexican government be held to account for its purposeful incursions into our sovereign territory?" said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

Please visit www.judicialwatch.org for more information and to access the latest U.S. Customs and Border Protection report obtained by Judicial Watch.

Contact Information: Contact: Jill Farrell 202-646-5188