In a bizarre twist to an already strange story, Mexico’s Foreign Secretary suggested Thursday the men in Mexican military uniforms who were involved in a face-off with Texas law enforcement officials along the Rio Grande may actually have been U.S. soldiers.

The comments by Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez came one day after U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza asked the Mexican government to "fully investigate" Monday's border incident.

Derbez said Garza's comments were out of line.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico had no immediate comment on the latest development Thursday.

Derbez also said that men photographed by Texas law officers as they helped marijuana traffickers flee to Mexico could have been Americans, but he offered no evidence.

He appeared to refer to a Fort Bliss case in which three soldiers have pleaded guilty to running a cocaine smuggling ring from a U.S. base in Colombia.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas said Thursday he plans to hold hearings on border incursion incidents and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, sent a letter Thursday to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff requesting a full investigation into a face-off.

“I do believe that any intrusion into American soil needs to be investigated, “ Cornyn said.

“Certainly the appearance of people wearing uniforms assisting drug dealers intruding into our borders is something that we ought to be very concerned about and that I am very concerned about,” he said.

Hutchison first called for an investigation Wednesday, saying she was “deeply concerned over this latest incident on the border.”

“According to Homeland Security reports, Mexican military units or imposters have crossed into U.S. territory 216 times since 1996, Hutchison said in the letter.

“On December 30, 2005, U.S. Border Patrol Agents near Brownsville, Texas, received gunfire from the Mexican side of the border; and in November the Hudspeth County Sheriff’s Department reported confronting more than six men dressed in Mexican military uniforms who were allegedly trying to bring in more than three tons of marijuana across the Rio Grande River,” she wrote.

“These incidents are of great alarm to our national security and must be addressed.”

Mexico says drug traffickers, not soldiers, were the uniform-clad men with a Humvee who reportedly protected a marijuana-smuggling foray into U.S. territory.

Law enforcement officials in Texas confronted the armed traffickers near the Rio Grande on Monday near Fort Hancock, about 50 miles southeast of El Paso.

They say what looked like a Mexican military patrol assisted the marijuana smugglers as they escaped back into Mexico.

The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin of Ontario, California, reports the incident happened near Neely's Crossing, about 50 miles east of El Paso.

The incident follows a story in the Bulletin on Jan. 15 that said the Mexican military had crossed into the United States more than 200 times since 1996.

Click Here For Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s Senate Web Site

Click Here For Sen. John Cornyn’s Senate Web Site

Text Of Hutchison’s Letter

January 26, 2006

The Honorable Michael Chertoff
Secretary
Department of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C. 20528

Dear Secretary Chertoff:

On Monday, January 23, 2006, Texas law enforcement officers encountered suspected drug smugglers who were dressed as Mexican Army soldiers on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande near Nelly’s Crossing, about 50 miles east of El Paso, TX. Of the three vehicles involved, one was abandoned, one was stuck in the Rio Grande and set ablaze, and the third escaped. The abandoned vehicle, a Cadillac Escalade that had been reported stolen from El Paso, was said to have contained 1,477 pounds of marijuana. Dressed in camouflage uniforms, the suspects appeared to be Mexican Army personnel with several mounted .50 caliber machine guns more than 200 yards inside the U.S. border.

I am deeply concerned over this incident as well as similar reported occurrences along the U.S.-Mexico border. According to Homeland Security reports, Mexican military units or imposters have crossed into U.S. territory 216 times since 1996. On December 30, 2005, U.S. Border Patrol Agents near Brownsville, TX, received gunfire from the Mexican side of the border; and in November the Hudspeth County Sheriff’s Department reported confronting more than six men dressed in Mexican military uniforms who were allegedly trying to bring in more than three tons of marijuana across the Rio Grande River. These incidents are of great alarm to our national security and must be addressed.

I request a full investigation into this latest matter, as well as the other incidents of suspected Mexican soldiers on U.S. soil, and report to Congress the details and confirmation of whether or not Mexican military officials have been involved in these cases. I also request you provide Congress a report with statistics on the frequency, amount, and volume of drugs crossing our northern and southern borders each day. Moreover, I urge a thorough analysis on what preventative measures should be addressed by Congress in securing our nation’s borders from suspected drug smugglers and terrorists, including a report on the effectiveness of virtual and physical fencing.

Make no mistake – this is only a symptom of a much larger problem. Even after 9/11, our nation’s borders remain porous. We must take bold action in securing our borders, and I look forward to working with you on this matter to ensure the safety of our nation.

Sincerely,
Kay Bailey Hutchison