BP sector chief: "The Border Patrol is not equipped to stop illegal immigrants"

While newspapers have been known to take things out of context, I'm having trouble seeing how that could have been done in this case:

Border Patrol agents dont have the responsibility of apprehending illegal immigrants, Carlos X. Carrillo, chief patrol agent for the Laredo sector, said at a town hall meeting Wednesday. "The Border Patrol is not equipped to stop illegal immigrants," Carrillo said, noting that illegal narcotics are also not on the agents priority list.

"The Border Patrol mission is not to do any of those things," he emphasized.

The Border Patrols mission is to keep the country safe from terrorist and terrorist weapons, he said. Carrillo added that when and if terrorists come into the country, the agents will be ready...

Carrillo said the Carrizo cane along the river is an environmental challenge. He said that before enforcing any type of fence, the Carrizo canes need to be addressed, allowing agents to patrol and spot traffic in the river...

8/28/07 UPDATE: He's "apologized":

"It's painfully obvious to me that I could have done a better job of articulating my talking points... As long as the resources are made available to the people who can make it happen, we will certainly do everything we can to ensure that a zero tolerance policy is brought forward. But to initiate a program like this, without the funding, would not be wise."

12/01/07 UPDATE: There's video and a transcript of his remarks here.

Immigration2007b · Thu, 08/16/2007 - 08:41 · · Importance: 1