Burning Atlanta

DAMNIT!!! I'm so pissed about this. It slams every officer who bust their asses and risk their lives trying to keep every kind of slime in the world out of this country. All these good men and women who love this nation, who work in sometimes horrible conditions and go over and beyond not only to keep the criminals out but to render aid to those in distress. And then we have a few dirtbags that sell-out any sense of loyalty to their fellow officers or this nation for a few bucks.

TRAITORS

Jose Magana, 44, of Yuma, Ariz.; Jesus Gastelum-Rodriguez, 41, of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico; and Guadalupe Milan de Gastelum, 38, of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico, were arrested in Yuma on Monday, May 12, 2008 by officials of the United States Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Magana, an officer with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Yuma, and the others were charged with Conspiracy to Bring Illegal Aliens to the U.S.

All three made an initial appearance in Yuma federal court this morning in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Jay R. Irwin and were detained pending a detention hearing. They are all set for detention and preliminary hearings in Phoenix on Friday, May 16, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge David K. Duncan.

Brenda Covarrubias, 39, of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico, and Ana Calderon, 28, of San Luis, Ariz., were also named as defendants in the same complaint. Warrants were issued for their arrest.

"The arrests and charges in this complaint demonstrate our commitment to confront allegations of corruption at all levels of government," said Diane J. Humetewa, U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona. "We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to root out public corruption and prosecute those who put personal greed ahead of public service."

Phil Wrona, Acting Special Agent in Charge, DHS OIG said, "Officer Magana was entrusted with the responsibility of securing our Nation's borders and enforcing our immigration laws. As in this case, the DHS OIG will continue to work with our internal and external law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate any allegations of criminal or corrupt conduct on the part of DHS employees."

"All of our public officials, and particularly those serving in sensitive positions along our border, are entrusted to uphold the laws which serve to protect our families, our communities, and our nation," stated John Lewis, FBI Special Agent in Charge. "To those that would violate this public trust often times for self-serving reasons, the FBI and our law enforcement partners remain wholly committed to expeditiously bringing such corrupt individuals to justice."