‘Fast and Furious’ Guns Still Showing Up at Murder Scenes in Mexico

Mediate.com:

A CNN report broadcast on Tuesday revealed that gun released to Mexican gangs as part of the Fast and Furious “gun-walking” operation are continuing to show up at scenes of violence sound of the American border. According to the CNN report, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives acknowledged that more weapons released into Mexico are likely to continue surfacing in the coming years.


The latest Fast and Furious weapon to be acquired by authorities was used in a December 18 shootout in Puerto Penasco, Mexico. 

CNN acquired video of the shootout, posted to YouTube, which featured audio of the violent gun battle between Mexican gangs and authorities. Five people were killed in the shootout, including a “senior member” of a Mexican drug cartel, CNN’s Evan Perez reported.

“The ATF has accepted responsibility for the mistakes made in the Fast and Furious investigation,” an ATF statement obtained by CNN read, “and, at the Attorney General’s direction, we have taken appropriate and decisive action to ensure that these errors will not be repeated.”

“And we acknowledge that, regrettably, firearms related to Fast and Furious investigation will likely continue to be recovered at future crime scenes,” the statement concluded. 

RELATED:  Rep. Issa Asked If He Is ‘Showboating’ With Fast And Furious On Face The Nation

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Eric Holder Grilled For Running Guns In Mexico

CNN.com:

Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday that the controversial tactic that allowed illegal guns to be smuggled to Mexico "should never have happened, and it must never happen again."


In testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Holder hit hard at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives practice that has tainted his tenure at the Justice Department and led to some Republican calls for him to resign.


"I want to be clear: Any instance of so-called 'gun walking' is unacceptable," Holder said of weapons smuggling, later adding: "This operation was flawed in its concept, and flawed in its execution."


Holder acknowledged what critics have been saying about the long-term consequences of "gun walking."


"Unfortunately we will feel its effects for years to come, as guns that were lost during this operation continue to show up at crime scenes both here and in Mexico," Holder said. "We are losing the battle to stop the flow of illegal guns to Mexico."


Holder defended his own actions, reminding the panel he called for the inspector general to examine the so-called Operation Fast and Furious and issued a directive that "gun-alking" was illegal and should never be repeated. The resulting report may be concluded before the end of the year.


However, Holder stopped short of laying blame for the flawed operation.


Last week, his assistant attorney general, Lanny Breuer, expressed "regret" for his failure to alert Holder about a similar earlier operation called "Wide Receiver" which had employed similar ATF "gun-walking" tactics during the Bush administration.


At the hearing Tuesday, Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa said, "It doesn't matter how many laws we pass if those responsible for enforcing them refuse to do their duty -- as was the case in Fast and Furious."

Obama Gives Part Of Arizona To Mexico

FOXNews.com:

About 3,500 acres of southern Arizona along the Mexican border is closed to U.S. citizens due to increased violence in the region.

The closed off area stretches 80 miles along the border and includes part of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. It was closed in October 2006 "due to human safety concerns," the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday in response to news reports on the closure.

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu told Fox News that violence against law enforcement officers and U.S. citizens has increased in the past four months, further underscoring the need to keep the 80 miles of border land off-limits to Americans.

The refuge had been adversely affected by the increase in drug smugglers, illegal activity and surveillance, which made it dangerous for Americans to visit.

"The situation in this zone has reached a point where continued public use of the area is not prudent," said refuge manager Mitch Ellis.

Wolf Blitzer Takes Down Hypocrite Mexican President Felipe Calderon's Stance On Arizona's SB1070 Law

Mediaite.com:

After appearing before Congress and attacking Arizona’s new illegal immigration law, Mexican president Felipe Calderón appeared on CNN to talk shop with Wolf Blitzer. Blitzer, rather surprisingly, turned the tables on the president, opting to ask him instead about his country’s immigration laws, and whether they were just as strict (if not stricter) than Arizona’s. Calderón admitted that laws were stringent in the past but clarified that it is currently not illegal to be undocumented in Mexico.

Citing a Washington Times article explaining Mexican immigration laws that incriminated those who willfully participated in illegal immigration or helped illegal immigrants, Blitzer asked President Calderón to contrast those laws with Arizona’s. Calderón replied that, while the Times assessment used to be true, it is no longer, and immigration cannot be illegal in Mexico. “Of course, on the border, we are asking people ‘Who are you?’” explained Calderón, and “Once they are inside the country, what the Mexican police do is, of course, enforce the law, but any means immigration is a crime anymore in Mexico… if someone does that, we find them and sending [sic] them back.”

In response to that, Blitzer noted that many in the US do not know that Mexico does not criminalize illegal immigration, and reference the older, harsher laws to argue that border states are only trying to do what Mexico does in its lower half, as well. Calderón accepted the criticism, and said he took it into account when discussing immigration laws:

Shocked to say the least. But then if Anderson Cooper (of late) and now Wolf Blitzer continue to yunno . . . do their jobs as credible journalists and present both sides of the story, CNN's ratings might actually go up.