Who's Illegal? Shooting to Kill on the Border

Border Patrol agents told reporters that they began following Garcia-Barrios' black Dodge Durango after receiving a "tip" from a San Diego "citizen" that his car had picked up four undocumented Mexicans.

As he headed back toward Mexico, the agents alerted U.S. Customs to close down its busy border crossing. Armed agents surrounded the vehicle as it stopped in the far right lane on orders to pull over, 100 feet north of the border.

Agents smashed the driver's side window with a baton when Garcia-Barrios refused orders to get out of the car. They opened fire when he then accelerated in the direction of the border.

Garcia-Barrios died at the scene of multiple gunshot wounds. The agents refuse to say how many rounds they fired. They had made no attempt to shoot at the vehicle's tires. Although Chris Bauder, president of National Border Patrol Council Local 1613, claimed an agent's "life was in danger," none of the agents reported even minor injuries. And no weapons were found in the Dodge Durango.

In response to critics, Bauer defended the agents shoot-to-kill policy, arguing that their "job is to apprehend people who are here illegally."

Expect to hear more stories like this one in the future. Both sides involved in the Congressional furor over immigration reform are jostling for red-state votes-and are mirroring the level of xenophobia and racism long associated with organizations of the far right.

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