Recently in Border Protection Category

is why the folks entrusted with enforcing our immigration laws didn't show up with a fleet of buses?

Via Michelle Malkin

Mexico was planning to give out maps to help its citizens cross illegally into the US. But no more (at least for now). And the reason why is gonna surprise you:

MEXICO CITY - Mexico will suspend its plan to distribute maps to migrants wanting to cross the U.S. border illegally, but an official said Thursday the decision was not made because of American pressure.

But why scuttle the plan if not because of US pressure? Because the maps, once in the hands of Americans who care, might use the maps to help illegals get caught:

Miguel Angel Paredes, spokesman for the federal Human Rights Commission, said the government wanted to "rethink" its plan because human rights officials in border states expressed concern that the maps would show anti-immigrant groups — like the Minutemen civilian patrols — where migrants likely would gather.

"This would be practically like telling the Minutemen where the migrants are going to be," Paredes said. "We are going to rethink this, so that we wouldn't almost be handing them over to groups that attack migrants."

In other words, we don't want illegals to get caught.

Now, the group will "seek other ways" to help migrants, Paredes said.

Maybe tunnel digging equipment...

And apparently lots of folks missed as well. Captain Ed has the details of an unsettling incident at our southern border:

"In a disturbing incident that has received little national attention, the US Border Patrol found itself in retreat on US soil after interdicting a dump truck full of marijuana on US Interstate 10 last week. The truck made a run for the border but got stuck on a riverbed. While the Border Patrol started to unload the estimated three tons of weed, a larger armed group apparently comprised at least in part by the Mexican military forced the Border Patrol away from the vehicle and bulldozed it back into Mexico..."

This seems to be stuck in the local news with little interest from the national media. I agree with Cap'n Ed's assessment:

"But by far the biggest problem shown in this incident is that no matter who the Mexicans were, our Border Patrol presents no match for the drug smugglers and bandits along the southern border of the US. To have a dump truck stolen while they stood by and watched, afraid to fire a shot in defense of the border, amply demonstrates the futility of our entire approach to security along the southwestern edge of the US."

I would add that asking the Border Patrol to face military weapons is unreasonable. The U.S. does, however, have access to folks that are more than equipped to deal with such a threat. The notion that our military shouldn't be used to protect our borders is naive and outdated in an age when there are potential dangers even more menacing than the drug runners mentioned above. President Bush, Congress, are you paying attention?