FBI investigates border wall shootout that hurt 2 in Calif.
A shootout at a border wall construction site near San Diego that wounded two Mexican security guards last summer is now under FBI investigation, according to private contractors and government documents obtained by The Washington Post.
The incident, which has not been publicly disclosed, occurred on the night of July 1 east of the San Ysidro border crossing, when Mexican security guards came under fire while protecting materials and equipment for Texasbased Ultimate Concrete, according to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report.
One of the guards was shot in the lower right buttock, and another suffered a light shoulder wound. The assailants were not identified, but security camera footage of the incident showed that a group of six or seven gunmen approached a job site where U.S. contractors had been installing steel barriers during the day.
“Three men in the vicinity of the border wall immediately opened fire” on the two security contractors, according to the Army Corps account. “Both men took immediate cover and began returning fire,” repelling the assailants.
For U.S. authorities, the episode raised questions about use-of-force rules for the Mexican companies hired to protect southern access to worksites where U.S. crews are building President Donald Trump’s wall. The report also describes concerns raised by U.S. Border Patrol agents who encountered Mexican security guards crossing back and forth across the international boundary without authorization.
SLS, the primary contractor that hired Ultimate Concrete, revised its security protocols after the incident to make sure its security personnel on both sides of the border have met U.S. screening standards, the report stated.
FBI agents made an unannounced visit to the San Diego area offices of SLS on Jan. 22, and executives from the company immediately sent a letter to the Army Corps expressing shock and concern that federal investigators had arrived to ask questions about the shooting.
SLS has been awarded contracts worth more than $1.5 billion for barrier construction at multiple locations, government records show.
Liz Rogers, a spokeswoman for SLS, said the company is cooperating with investigators. She declined to provide details because the investigation is ongoing.
“SLS fully complied with the FBI’s requests and voluntarily answered all questions,” said Ms. Rogers, who is the marketing director for the firm, which is based in Galveston, Texas. “The agents were very professional and the entirety of their visit was less than one hour.”
The FBI also issued a subpoena to Jesse Guzman, who owns Ultimate Concrete, documents show. Reached by telephone, Mr. Guzman referred questions to the FBI.
Officials with the Army Corps referred questions to the FBI. The FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not respond to requests for comment on the incident or the investigation.