Authorities outraged by Zapata killing

Local and federal officials on Wednesday expressed sorrow and outrage over the death of ICE Special Agent Jaime Jorge Zapata, 32, who was gunned down Tuesday afternoon in an attack by suspected Zeta gunmen in Mexico.

Most believe the U.S. federal government needs to do more to assist Mexico with ongoing drug violence.

“Members of Congress need to realize that we’ve got to do more to help Mexico. ... Some of my colleagues still believe that all you have to do is put up a fence and that is going to solve all the problems,” said U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo.

“Yes, we have to have border security on this side, but at the same time you have to go into Mexico and see what is happening across the river. ... If anyone is looking for a magical solution it is not going to happen,” he said.

Zapata, 32, was a Brownsville native who attended Homer Hanna High School and graduated in 2005 from the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College. He joined U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2006 and was assigned to

the ICE attaché office in Mexico City.

“Our prayers go to the family and friends of Jaime Zapata, a courageous and noble young man whose devoted service and love for his country inspires us all,” UTB-TSC President Dr. Juliet Garcia said in a

statement.

Authorities said Zapata and fellow agent Victor Avila were driving in the state of San Luis Potosí along Highway 57, the main artery that leads to Monterrey, and came upon a cartel checkpoint.

Zapata, who was driving the armored Chevrolet Suburban, displayed his U.S. identification. The gunman fired several shots of his assault rifle into Zapata’s abdomen. Avila was shot in the leg. He was transfered to a Houston hospital and reportedly has been released.

Cuellar said federal agents are investigating the attack.

“We got some facts, but we did not get all of them down to see exactly what happened here,” he said.

Brownsville Police Chief Carlos Garcia said his department will help the Zapata family in any way needed. Members of the department were at the Zapata home on Wednesday, making sure the family had its privacy.

“We are offering our services to ICE officials and the family to do whatever we can do to make it easier on the family – whatever we can do as a city to support the family in this very difficult situation,” he said.

Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos called for swift action from the Mexican government and the U.S. government, but “throwing money at the problem is not the answer.”

It is going to require a strong presence of law enforcement at the request of the Mexican government, he said.

This most recent incidence of violence “demonstrates that these drug cartels, these Zetas, have no remorse at all. They are willing to kill anyone, including our law enforcement,” Cascos said.

Brownsville Mayor Pat M. Ahumada Jr. said his son is a friend of the slain agent’s family.

“I am angered by this and frustrated that the Mexican government is not providing security to our agents while we are trying to help them,” Ahumada said. “Criminals have the firepower in Mexico.”

He said the U.S. government should provide Mexico with helicopters so that rural areas and roadways can be monitored.

“What I’m asking is that Mexico do a better job of patrolling,” he said.

However, before that can happen, Mexico has to ask the United States for help or intervention.

Although the United States currently does have federal agents working in Mexico, involving the American military in the drug cartel war would be entirely up to the Mexican government.

“Mexico has been different from Colombia,” Cuellar said. “The Colombians wanted our military advisers there,” he said. He was referencing Colombia during the 1980s and its battle with drug families like the Escobar organization. “But Mexico, because of their history, is just very different.”

It is not known whether the attack on Zapata and Avila was because they were law enforcement or because the assailants wanted the agents’ coveted blue Suburban.

“It looks like they did have diplomatic plates (on their vehicle), which means that they knew or I would assume they knew these people were Americans,” Cuellar said.

Police said a checkpoint was unlikely on such a high-speed stretch of highway and that the bullet-riddled Suburban was found off to the side of the road.

Zapata’s death brings the total of Americans killed in Mexican drug violence over the past two years to more than 140, said U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. The number of Mexicans killed is more than 34,000 since 2006.

Cornyn said the attack on the agents shows that whatever plan the Obama Administration has in place to help Mexico

combat violence is not working.

“The momentum seems to be mainly in the direction of the cartels and we need to turn that around,” Cornyn said. “It is so important that we have a plan from President Obama’s administration for what we need to be doing different, rather than just doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome.”

U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold described the slaying as “horrible,” adding that he extended his condolences to the victim’s family through the victim’s brother, Amador Zapata, who also is a federal law enforcement officer.

Farenthold said he has been talking to fellow legislators from the Rio Grande Valley delegation who believe that the slaying is an “escalation” of violence and that it could result in repercussions. Farenthold said he was waiting to hear recommendations from various federal agencies on how to address the problem of safeguarding U.S. citizens in Mexico.

“I am committed to making sure that it doesn’t happen again,” Farenthold said.

U.S. Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, said he and other members of Congress are waiting for updates from federal officials on the investigation. The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice have formed a joint task force to help Mexico find the people responsible for the attack.

“They, as we all do, want to bring these criminals to justice,” Hinojosa said. “It is evident that our U.S. federal agents have been working in Mexico to help stop the shared threat we face. We must do what we can, but we cannot let this undermine our relationship with Mexico. In fact, we must keep working together to end this crime wave.”