By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

Oscar Hagelsieb has a unique perspective of life on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border.

A child of illegal immigrants, Hagelsieb became a Border Patrol official, a position that seemingly put him at odds with his father, who crossed the border several times.

Before taking the job, he talked to his father.

“My dad’s my biggest hero and I didn’t want to disappoint him or offend him. He had crossed illegally several times and I didn’t know what his opinion was of border control,” Hagelsieb tells Quartz. “My parents didn’t want better lives for themselves—for them it would have been more convenient for them to stay in Mexico with their home and family—but for their children, for us.”

To Hagelsieb’s surprise, his dad encouraged him to pursue his dreams of protecting the border.

“He said that the border patrol and federal law enforcement needed individuals like me to humanize the experience,”  Hagelsieb said of his father.

Hagelsieb’s unlikely story is featured in a recently released documentary, “Kingdom of Shadows.”

Hagelsieb began working as a border patrol agent in Fabens, Texas in 2000, which meant he had to stop people like his parents, who eventually legalized their immigration status.

Hagelsieb shied away from the debate over U.S. immigration laws.

I have no opinion one way or the other,” he says. “As a federal agent, I uphold the laws that lawmakers pass.”

Steve Neavling

More than 2,000 immigrants were released from jail because of budget concerns, but the Homeland Security secretary was never notified, according to a critical report from the inspector general.

The Associated Press reports that ICE also poorly planned for the influx of immigrant arrests at the Mexico border and failed to accurately track spending.

Information on the massive release was never shared in advance with political appointees or other White House officials of the implications of the budget cuts, according to the report.

The Obama administration initially denied an AP report about the release of more than 2,000 immigrants, but that’s because there was no knowledge of the situation, the report found.

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Steve Neavling

Tunnel systems that run between the U.S. and Mexico border are used to transport drugs, people, weapons and other illegal material.

Now, Border Patrol agents are using robot technology to detect tunnels, the Associated Press reports.

Agents in Tucson, Ariz., plan to demonstrate the “tunnel robots” Tuesday.

According to CBP, tunnels are becoming increasingly popular for criminal organizations.

More than 75 tunnels have been found between the border since 2008, the AP wrote.

Steve Neavling

 Border Patrol agents exchanged gunfire with a suspected smuggler on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande, the San Antonio Express-News reports.

“Our agents are not going to tolerate this,” Border Patrol spokesman Henry Mendiola said Tuesday. “They’re well-trained, they’re well equipped, and they will respond to neutralize these threats.”

The Friday shooting began when agents spotted smugglers loading more than a half-ton of marijuana into an SUV, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

Someone fired at agents who were pursuing the driver and smugglers,

Agents returned fire.

There were no reports of injuries.

The suspected smugglers, all Mexican nationals, were arrested on drug charges.

 The latest fatal shooting by the U.S. Border Patrol has raised questions about the agency’s use of force over the past two years, the Arizona Republic reports.

The ACLU and other human-rights advocates are questioning the frequency of the shootings, which have left 18 people dead since January 2010, according to the Arizona Republic.

On Oct. 10, Border Patrol caught criticism from numerous sources for shooting 16-year-old Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez 8 times to defend against rock-throwers at a Mexican border in Arizona.

The shooting has prompted the ACLU and some Congressional members to step up pressure for a comprehensive investigation of Border Patrol.

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By Allan Lengel

WASHINGTON — As the drug cartels spin out of control in Mexico, the Obama administration announced Monday that it intends to proceed with plans to deploy 1,200 National Guard troops, starting Aug. 1, to help protect the border, CNN reported.

Additionally, 300 Customs and Border Protection agents will be added along with an increase in technology and aircrafts, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin said Monday at a press conference, according to CNN.

CNN reported that that the authorities had previously announced the deployment of troops, but had not set a date.

“These troops will provide direct support to federal law enforcement officers and agents working in high-risk areas to disrupt criminal organizations seeking to move people and goods illegally across the Southwest border,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement.