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BORDER PATROL
FEDERAL COURTS
Testing body cams
Man faces federal charges
Agency: Devices could protect agents from accusations By ELLIOT SPAGAT
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN DIEGO — The U.S. Border Patrol purchased body cameras and will begin testing them
this year at its training academy, two people briefed on the move said last week, as new leadership moves to blunt criticism about agents’ use of force.
R. Gil Kerlikowske, who has led the Border Patrol’s parent agency since March, announced the plans Tuesday to a small group of activists who have pressed for
cameras, according to a person who attended the briefing and spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussion
was intended to be private. Testing will occur at the Border Patrol academy in Artesia, New Mexico.
Feds say man was with 15 immigrants
See BODY CAMERAS PAGE 14A
By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ
BORDER SECURITY
EYES OVER THE BORDER
Photo by Gabe Hernandez/The Monitor | AP
Assistant patrol agent in charge Lee Allbee, left, talks about the aerostat used by Border Patrol to look for smugglers and illegal crossings in the Rio Grande Valley on Friday, at Peñitas. Since last November, the Border Patrol has stationed five surveillance sky cameras in the Rio Grande Valley area.
Border Patrol considers more balloons for the future By FERNANDO DEL VALLE VALLEY MORNING STAR
PEÑITAS — Near the banks of the Rio Grande, U.S. Border Patrol agents monitor a tethered balloon that carries a camera that can zoom in on a license plate miles away. On a ranch off Peñitas’ South Main Street, the 55foot-long surveillance balloon, called an aerostat, arrived as Army surplus from America’s conflicts in the
Middle East. It rises like a blimp from this tiny farm town less than a mile from the U.S.-Mexico border. “We’re primarily an eye in the sky for everyone,” Assistant Patrol Agent-inCharge Lee Allbee told the Valley Morning Star of Harlingen, referring to the region’s law enforcement agencies. “In the last few years we’ve made great advances in bringing technology to the border.” Since last November, the
Border Patrol has stationed five surveillance sky cameras in the Rio Grande Valley area — one in Peñitas, two near Rio Grande City and two near Falfurrias, said agency spokesman Joe Gutierrez Jr. “It’s definitely been a game changer since it got deployed,” Gutierrez said. Allbee, who helps oversee the aerostat program, said the agency stationed its lat-
See BALLOONS
PAGE 14A
Photo by Gabe Hernandez/The Monitor | AP
A high-tech camera is used with an aerostat. Authorities use it to look for smugglers and illegal crossings.
THE ZAPATA TIMES
A man allegedly caught smuggling 15 illegal immigrants in early August in Zapata has been indicted in a Laredo Federal court, records show. Enrique Carrillo-Narvaez was formally charged Sept. 3 with conspiracy to transport undocumented migrants within the United States, and transport and attempt to transport undocumented migrants for money, the indictment reads. Carrillo-Narvaez pleaded not guilty at his arraignment hearing Sept. 11. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in federal prison. His allegations stemmed from Aug. 6 when U.S. Border Patrol agents said they saw a Ford F-350 parked in front of the Falcon motel in Zapata at about 8:30 a.m. Agents lost sight temporarily of the F-350 when it turned on Las Palmas Road. A federal unmarked unit spotted the F-350. But this time the suspected vehicle had a tarp covering the pickup’s bed, a criminal complaint states. An agent said he saw a silhouette of a person moving around underneath the tarp. The pickup sped off and drove through a property, causing damage, according to court documents. Several people abandoned the vehicle but were apprehended shortly after. Authorities identified the driver as Carrillo-Narvaez and detained 15 illegal immigrants. Homeland Security Investigations special agents spoke to Carrillo-Narvaez after he allegedly waived his rights. Carrillo-Narvaez told agents he expected money for driving the group to San Antonio, records state. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
TEXAS’ ECONOMY
State’s jobless rate is up for first time this year ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — The Texas unemployment rate rose slightly last month, representing the first increase in
the rate this year, state officials said Friday. The Texas Workforce Commission announced the state unemployment rate was 5.3 percent, up from
the 5.1 percent recorded in July. The national unemployment rate stands is 6.1 percent. The McAllen-EdinburgMission area in the Rio
Grande Valley had the highest statewide unemployment at 9.8 percent, according to TWC figures. Nearby Brownsville and Harlingen had an 8.9 per-
cent rate. Major industries across the board in Texas continued to show growth, with the workforce commission saying the state added
20,100 jobs last month. Commission spokeswoman Lisa Givens said total job growth and unemployment
See JOBS PAGE 14A