Mistrial declared in border agent's trial

A mistrial was declared Tuesday in the retrial of a Border Patrol agent accused of gunning down an illegal immigrant without provocation.

Defense attorney Sean Chapman said he was disappointed the jury didn't acquit U.S Border Patrol Agent Nicholas Corbett of the charges against him, which included second-degree murder, manslaughter and negligent homicide. Prosecutors had asked jurors to convict Corbett on one of the charges.

``It's our understanding in the jury note that was sent out it was actually 11 to 1 in favor of acquittal in this case, with one holdout,'' Chapman said.

An earlier trial in March also ended with a deadlocked jury.

The incident caused an international uproar, with Mexican President Felipe Calderon condemning the shooting and calling for a complete investigation.

The case was unusual because it involved state criminal charges filed by the Cochise County Attorney, but was tried in U.S. District Court in Tucson because Corbett is a federal law enforcement agent.

Special prosecutor Grant Woods said the county attorney's office showed courage in bringing the case.

``In our state of Arizona, we stood up for the basic human rights of the victim and his family here and the justice system performed as well as it could,'' Woods said.

Woods said he's not sure whether Cochise County prosecutors will choose to retry Corbett.

Corbett, 40, was charged in the death of Francisco Javier Dominguez Rivera of Puebla, Mexico. Jurors could convict on only one charge.

Dominguez was three other Mexican citizens were crossing the southern Arizona desert near Naco in January 2007 when Corbett drove up in his Border Patrol truck, got out and ended up firing the fatal shot.

Dominguez's two brothers, Jorge and Rene, and Jorge's girlfriend, Sandra Guzman. had crossed the Mexican border with him. All testified that he was going to his knees to surrender when Corbett shot Dominguez without provocation.

Corbett's lawyer contended that the agent was innocent of wrongdoing. He said the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Corbett shot in self-defense after Dominguez tried to smash his head with a rock. He also told jurors that the victim's three companions had been kept together for several hours after the shooting, giving them time to concoct a story, and that they had been under pressure from Mexican government officials eager to see Corbett punished, receiving money, clothing and housing in return for their testimony.

Dominguez, 22, was headed to New York, where he worked for more than four years until returning home to Mexico briefly in December 2006.

65 Arrested by Sheriffs in Chandler Business Raid

One of the employees arrested was allegedly using the Social Security Number of a White House staffer.

Authorities raided a Gold Canyon Candle Company, a manufacturing plant near Phoenix on Wednesday, in an investigation into whether the business hired illegal immigrants. While no employer sanction allegations were filed against the Gold Canyon Candle Company in Chandler, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the investigation will continue into whether the business knowingly hired illegal workers.

65 people – most of whom were in the country illegally – were arrested in the raid. Twenty-three people were booked on identity theft allegations. Another 37 were taken into custody simply for being in the country illegally. Five U.S. citizens were arrested on outstanding criminal warrants.

The company said it conducts background checks on all hires and cooperated with investigators. "Gold Canyon is in compliance with state and federal requirements for hiring co-workers and proactively verifies the work status of every co-worker prior to hiring,'' CEO Curt Waisath said in a statement.

Sheriff Arpaio said a woman who has worked at the plant for seven years was using the Social Security number of a man who works in the White House. The sheriff declined to name the White House employee, citing security reasons.

No business operators have been formally accused of civil employer sanction violations in the eight months since Arizona has prohibited employers from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants. Maricopa County deputies had previously raided two other businesses in similar cases, but none have yet been accused in court of committing such a violation, though employees of the firms were arrested on ID theft charges.

Curt Waisath has some explaining to do. How could this being going on under his nose? I think saying that he had no idea isn't going to cut it with the residents of Arizona, especially those who care about border control.

Van full of illegals involved in wreck on U.S. 60, Arizona

There was a heavy police presence on the westbound on ramps of U.S. 60 near McClintock starting around 8 a.m. today.

According to the Department of Public Safety, a van carrying as many as 15 illeagal immigrants was involved in some kind of car wreck.

Some people sustained minor injuries. There's no word if anybody was taken to the hospital as of yet.

The van was the only vehicle still on the scene, so investigators believe this might be a hit-and-run type situation.

This is a sad, almost everyday occurance in Arizona now

Border agent killed in Arizona

YUMA, Ariz., Jan. 20 Mexican authorities Sunday sought the killers of a U.S. Border Patrol agent at the Imperial Sand Dunes near Yuma, Ariz.

The agent was intentionally run down by a Hummer Saturday while laying spike strips about a mile from the Mexican border, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Sunday.

"The Hummer sped up and swerved toward our agent, killing him," Eric Anderson, a spokesman for the agency's Yuma sector, told the newspaper.

The incident began when agents saw a brown Hummer and a red Ford F-250 pickup crossing from Mexico into the United States about 20 miles west of Yuma.

"We don't know if they were smuggling people or drugs," Anderson said.

After the agent was struck, both vehicles escaped into Mexico. Mexican authorities are cooperating in the search for the suspects, Anderson said.