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U.S. NEWS Friday 26 July 2019

16 Marines arrested in migrant smuggling investigation

By JULIE WATSON porting three Mexicans on wire on top of existing bar-
Associated Press the promise of money after riers, among other things.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — An in- they crossed illegally into Troops are barred from ar-
vestigation into Marines ac- the United States. resting migrants.
cused of helping smuggle The military said the inves- Border Patrol agents over
migrants into the United tigation helped authorities the years have routinely
States led to the arrest identify the 16 Marines ar- caught migrants in the
Thursday of 16 of their fel- rested at the largest Ma- country illegally walking
low Marines at California’s rine Corps’ base on the onto Camp Pendleton
Camp Pendleton, just north West Coast, about 55 miles or floating in skiffs off the
of the U.S.-Mexico border. (90 kilometers) from San Di- coast nearby. Authorities
In a dramatic move aimed ego’s border with Mexico. said the base, cut by In-
at sending a message, au- Retired Marine Lt. Col. Gary terstate 5 leading to Los
thorities made the arrests Barthel called it a “kind of Angeles, sits along a well-
as the Marines gathered in black eye for the Marine traversed route used by mi- This Nov. 13, 2013 file photo shows the main gate of Camp
formation with their battal- Corps” and said it was im- grant smugglers. Pendleton Marine Base at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
ion. portant the military show Officials from 1st Marine Associated Press
None of the 16 Marines criminal behavior will not Division worked alongside der after being alerted by Law told the agent that
were involved in helping be tolerated. the Naval Criminal Investi- other agents that a vehicle Salazar asked if he was in-
enforce border security, “Obviously I think it looks gative Service in the inves- similar to theirs was suspect- terested in earning $1,000
the Marine Corps said in a bad whenever you have tigation that started after ed of picking up migrants picking up an “illegal
news release. They are ac- the military that is helping the July 3 arrests of two Ma- who came into the country alien.”
cused of crimes ranging protect the border and rines, who were charged in illegally, according to the Salazar told authorities
from migrant smuggling to then you’ve got military federal court with migrant federal complaint. that Law introduced him
drug-related offenses. people smuggling,” said smuggling. Both pleaded Three migrants were found to a man who “recruited”
Officials could not immedi- Barthel, an attorney at the not guilty to the charges. in the backseat of a black him to help smuggle in mi-
ately be reached for addi- Military Law Center in Carls- A U.S. Border Patrol agent BMW driven by Law, inves- grants, according to court
tional details. bad, north of San Diego. stopped Lance Cpl. Byron tigators say. Both Marines documents. Salazar said he
The arrests came weeks Marines and other U.S. Darnell Law II and Lance are riflemen assigned to 1st had gone out to pick up
after two Marines were ar- troops were brought in last Cpl. David Javier Salazar- Battalion, 5th Marine Regi- migrants on four separate
rested by a Border Patrol year to help reinforce the Quintero about 7 miles (11 ment, 1st Marine Division at occasions but was never
agent on suspicion of trans- border by installing razor kilometers) north of the bor- Camp Pendleton. paid.q