Federal Daily - January 25, 2008

Lawmakers Urged to Rethink Diplomatic Policy

American Foreign Service Association President John Naland urged lawmakers to reconsider the current U.S. overseas diplomatic mission and address the understaffing he said is hampering the work of Foreign Service Officers (FSOs). Naland testified Jan. 23 at a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee hearing on the future of U.S. embassies. Among its aims, the panel was examining the efficacy of an embassy construction program that locates well-fortified embassies on the outskirts of cities, rather than at city centers. “No matter how well trained U.S. diplomats are,” Naland said, “their effectiveness will be limited if they are unable or unwilling to get out beyond embassy walls to conduct face-to-face diplomacy.” Naland also emphasized to panel members that they should not ignore the human component, and urged them to reemphasize their support for the FSOs who do the bulk of overseas diplomatic work. “This under-investment in Foreign Service funding, staffing and training is undermining U.S. diplomacy,” he said. “The situation will only worsen in the coming years unless these human capital deficits are addressed.” To see more, go to: http://nationalsecurity.oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1699.  

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Border Patrol Records 25 Mexican Border Incursions Last Year

The government recorded 25 incidents last year when Mexican police or military officials illegally crossed into the United States, according to Border Patrol (BP) documents released Jan. 23 by Judicial Watch, a watchdog group. Of the 25 incidents, agents said four involved Mexican military personnel and 21 involved Mexican police officials. In one armed incursion, a number of armed Mexican military in Humvees were observed by BP agents about 150 yards north of the border. The agents, who were watching through night-vision goggles, backed away when a Mexican soldier with a flashlight called out into the dark and chambered a round into his rifle. Judicial Watch obtained the BP report, Mexican Government Incidents—2007 Fiscal Year Report, under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Overall, between 1996 and Sept. 30, 2007, there have been 278 confirmed incursions into the United States by Mexican government personnel, according to data collected by the Border Patrol Field Intelligence Center. Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton called the report “downright frightening.” To see more, go to: http://judicialwatch.org/mexican-government-incursion-reports.

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Brothers Sentenced for Assaulting USPS Supervisor

A federal judge sentenced two brothers last week to prison after they were convicted for assaulting a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) supervisor in a 2006 fight at the USPS Incoming Mail Facility (IMF) in Linthicum, Md. John Bermudez, Jr., 31, of Brooklyn, Md., was sentenced to 10 months in prison and his brother, Gregory Bermudez, 28, of Millersville, Md. received eight months in prison following their convictions for assault of a government official. According to court documents, both brothers worked at the facility and got into a heated argument with a supervisor and floor manager on Feb. 8, 2006, when the supervisor told John Bermudez to stop playing cards and return to work. When the floor manager left to call police, the brothers attacked him and knocked him to the ground, punching and kicking him, court documents said. They then fled through the loading dock area, documents said. To see more, go to: www.usdoj.gov/usao/md/Public-Affairs/press_releases/press08/BrothersSenttoPrisonforAssaultingAU.S.PostalServiceSupervisor.html.

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Suspect Arrested in Border Agent Killing

Department of Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff on Jan. 24 announced that Mexican authorities have arrested a suspect in the murder of Senior Patrol Agent Luis Aguilar, who was killed last weekend as he attempted to stop the vehicle of a suspected smuggler fleeing into Mexico along the border near Yuma, Ariz. “I applaud the Government of Mexico for their investigative work and assistance,” said Chertoff. “We will continue to work with Mexican authorities to investigate this heinous act, and pursue swift justice.”

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