Tempers rise over US border deaths

Many illegal immigrants enter through mountain ranges

A Mexican activist who offered a $10,000 reward for killing US Border Patrol agents, has withdrawn the offer after sharp criticism on both sides of the border.

Carlos Ibarra Pérez, head of the Citizens' Defence Committee in Mexico, which defends the rights of Mexican migrants, offered the bounty following a number of killings of immigrants by US vigilantes and patrols.

But he told KFMB radio in San Diego: "I'm saying a different thing now. I'm saying that we avoid violence.

His statement follows a news conference on Monday when he said: "They are massacring people, and now we are ready to defend ourselves.

Investigations continue

"If there are US citizens saying they will kill Mexican immigrants, why can't we kill agents?"

The US and Mexican governments called his initial statement "irresponsible" and an "intolerable provocation".

And the FBI and Mexican authorities said they would continue their investigations, despite the retraction.

FBI spokesman John DeLeon, said: "The most important thing from our perspective is that comments that he did make were taken seriously by both the Border Patrol and the FBI.

Mounting tension between undocumented immigrants, federal authorities and border residents has been more evident in recent months.

Patrols boost

Two weeks ago, a Border Patrol agent shot and killed an illegal immigrant during a struggle on the banks of the Rio Grande in Texas.

In Arizona, ranchers are patrolling their farms with rifles and others are detaining suspected illegal immigrants for the authorities.

The US and Mexico agreed in May to boost patrols along their common border to stem the surge in vigilante persecution of illegal Mexican immigrants in south-western US states.

The Mexican Government is seeking damages from Arizona ranchers who have held border-crossers at gunpoint until Border Patrol agents arrive.