#03 – Arizona

Poem based on a news story from Douglas, Arizona

He fell in love on his 27th birthday
last year at a Tucson dance
he met Claudia every Friday night with dos rosas

Worked construction
always ate tired
sometimes slept hungry

Hugged his nieces with numb, worn-out arms
wore snakeskin boots to their birthday parties
danced Claudia ragged at the wedding de su hermana

His calluses veiled Claudia’s skin
memories filled in details
of curves of suavidad

He chewed on the left side of his mouth
bad teeth, from his mother’s side
but still had a weakness for obleas con cajeta

He always fidgeted at the barber
until Camilo at the funeral home
trimmed his hair

He left behind su madre y padre
dos hermanas, uno hermano, su mejor amigo Raul
y Claudia

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REAL NEWS STORIES used as inspiration for the poem above

Border shooting draws Mexico’s concern

By Derek Jordan
Wick News Service

The Mexican government has expressed concern about Monday’s shooting death of a Mexican man by a U.S. Border Patrol agent east of Douglas.

Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department identified the victim as Jorge Alfredo Solis Palma, 28. He was shot by a Border Patrol agent after reportedly throwing rocks at agents while trying to elude apprehension, according to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.

The day after the incident, the Consulate of Mexico in Douglas released a statement saying it is “deeply concerned regarding the incident in which a potential compatriot lost his life, as we are with any case in which the life and rights of Mexican citizens anywhere are involved.”

In a statement, Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department said it awaits results of an investigation of the incident, which is said to have occurred about half a mile north of the border.

“The Consulate of Mexico in Douglas maintains communication with all relevant local authorities to monitor this process. Also, the procedure was initiated to locate the relatives of Mr. Solis Palma and provide them with appropriate assistance, including steps to repatriate the body to Mexico,” the news release states.

About 8:30 a.m. Monday, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a shooting by a Border Patrol agent in the area of “D” Hill east of Douglas. Agents reported a shooting had occurred and one man was receiving medical attention, according to Carol Capas, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.

According to Capas, the initial investigation shows Border Patrol agents were in the area of Bay Acres, northeast of Douglas, tracking several suspected illegal immigrants. The agents followed three of the individuals south toward “D” Hill when agents lost sight of the suspected immigrants, Capas said.

Someone then notified the agents of a Hispanic male, possibly an illegal immigrant, walking south from the area.

A Border Patrol canine tracked the man to where he hid under a tree, Capas said.

The man refused to come out and began throwing rocks at both a Border Patrol agent and the canine.

The man then fled the area with several agents in pursuit on foot before, Capas said, the man then began “aggressively throwing more rocks while refusing commands to stop.”

It was then that “a Border Patrol agent fired two shots at the subject when he attempted to further assault the agent,” Capas said.

The agents applied first aid to the man before he died while being taken to the Tucson hospital via helicopter.

“One Border Patrol agent was transported to a local hospital for treatment of injuries sustained during this incident and the canine was treated by a local veterinarian, also for treatment for injuries from being struck with a rock,” Capas said.

A Border Patrol report of the incident gives no indication that nearby surveillance cameras recorded the incident, said Omar Candelaria, special operations supervisor for the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector. However, there’s at least one video camera tower in the area.

An investigation into the incident is being conducted by both the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with assistance from the U.S.

Before fatal shooting by agent, immigrant had a criminal record

By JONATHAN SHACAT
Herald/Review

BISBEE — An illegal immigrant from Mexico shot dead by a Border Patrol agent near Douglas had been sentenced in 2006 for a felony drug offense in federal court in Tucson.

Jorge Alfredo Solis-Palma, 28, was killed by an agent east of Douglas on Jan. 4 after reportedly throwing rocks at agents while trying to elude apprehension.

In 2005, Solis-Palma was charged with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute about 49 kilograms of marijuana and possessing the drug with intent to distribute it, according to online court records.

“On Sept. 8, 2005, at approximately 2:20 a.m., United States Border Patrol agents, with the assistance of an infrared camera, observed two subjects walking near Douglas, Arizona, carrying large bundles. Agents responded to the area and attempted to locate the individuals on foot,” states a court document.

“The agents found four large bags containing marijuana and a pair of binoculars. The agents followed the foot sign from the bags of marijuana and located two individuals attempting to conceal themselves in the brush,” it continues.

The men were identified as Solis-Palma and Edgar Daniel Romero-Leyva. They admitted they were hired in Mexico to get the marijuana into the United States in exchange for transportation to Phoenix.

In December 2005, Solis-Palma pleaded guilty in a plea agreement to the conspiracy count, while the remaining count was dismissed. On March 15, 2006, Judge Marvin Aspen sentenced him to serve 13 months and one day in prison.

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