U.S., Mexican Police Probe Threat of Reprisal Shootings of U.S. Visitors

U.S. and Mexican authorities Wednesday were investigating a threat to shoot U.S. visitors to Mexico unless disciplinary action is taken against the Border Patrol agent who shot a 12-year-old Mexican across the border fence last month.

San Diego police said a single flyer was given to a U.S. citizen Tuesday as he walked from Mexico across the border at San Ysidro.

Police said they do not know if more leaflets were passed out, or who passed out the only flyer that was turned over to U.S. authorities.

“With only one note in the possession of authorities, we don’t know the extent of the threat. But any threat against Americans is taken seriously. We want to know who the group is,” said San Diego police Capt. Dave Johnson, who is heading the investigation.

Although the threat is being investigated by local police, the matter also has been referred to the State Department. On Wednesday, State Department officials said they deplored the threat, and added that they were working with Mexican authorities to try to determine whether the threat was real and who was behind it.

State Department spokesman Mike Sister also made it clear that U.S. officials have not issued a warning about traveling to Mexico as a result of the threats.

“We are cooperating closely with Mexican authorities to determine the nature of any threats to Americans in that area. Unless we learn different, Americans traveling in Mexico can be assured of a reasonable measure of safety,” said Sister.

Johnson said the threatening flyer was handed to an unidentified American man in Mexico as he waited in line at the border pedestrian crossing. Once on the U.S. side, the man gave the flyer to a U.S. Customs inspector.

The typed flyer refers to “the aggressions and crimes of the North American gobernment (sic) towards the Mexican people” since 1847, when the Mexican-American War ended, and lists two demands.

The first demand is that agent Edward (Ned) Cole be punished for wounding Humberto Carrillo Estrada on April 18. Cole fired his .357 magnum service revolver into Mexico, hitting the boy once, after a crowd of people allegedly pelted Cole and two other agents with rocks and bottles. The agents were in the process of arresting Humberto’s brother for entering the United States illegally.

Dist. Atty. Edwin Miller decided on May 1 not to prosecute Cole.

The second demand is that the U.S. government compensate the youth’s family for the shooting. The note says that if these demands are not met by Friday, U.S. men visiting Mexico will be singled out for violence.

“Any North American male found in Mexican territory will be in the same situation to undergo what happened to our boy, Humberto Carrillo,” says the note, which is signed by the First Group Pro Dignity Mexico 1985. The flyer ends with the admonition, “Stop yanqui crimes for ever.”

U.S. and Mexican lawmen said they had never heard of the group, and Mexican law enforcement officials said they were not convinced the threat was real.

“I don’t think there is any validity to the threats,” said Miguel Angel Martinez, of the Baja California State Judicial Police. “It appears to me that it’s just one person or group trying to scare people. It’s a shame this had to happen. The shooting itself was bad enough.”

However, by Wednesday morning the threat had been widely reported locally, and U.S. and Mexican officials said they had received inquiries from many Americans wanting to know if it is safe to travel to Mexico.

“We’ve had people calling already asking if they should go into Mexico,” said Rick Carlson, another police spokesman.

Alfonso Bustamante, president of the Tijuana Tourism and Convention Bureau, said, “We have also been receiving calls (at the group’s San Diego office) from U.S. citizens who wonder if it is safe to travel to Tijuana. We want to reassure all U.S. citizens and tourists who come to Tijuana that they will be protected, and we want them to feel secure. The (Baja California state) government is worried about the impact the threats may have on tourism.

“Our authorities are investigating these threats. We believe that the flyer may be a prank pulled in bad taste. It is meant to hurt our economy and the friendship between both countries,” said Bustamante.

Bustamante said Mexican officials believe the flyer originated on the U.S. side.