"Iraqi Christian! Iraqi Christian! Iraqi Christian!"

(Brownsville, Texas) Three Iraqi national citizens were arrested by Border Patrol agents last Saturday near the Los Indios International Bridge in Harlingen. The three, Ammar Habib Zaya, Aamr Bahnan Boles and Remon Manssor Piuz, pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor illegal entry charge before U.S. Magistrate Judge Felix Recio. Sentencing is scheduled for Friday at which time they face a possible six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Meanwhile, the Iraqis have asked for asylum in the U.S. claiming religious persecution. Reportedly, the three are part of a small minority of Christians in Iraq that are persecuted by the Muslim majority.

According to their attorney Humberto Yzaguirre, the men are not suspected of being terrorists, however, federal agents have been interviewing them "because maybe they have knowledge of terrorists or maybe they saw something or saw someone." The asylum process is expected to begin after sentencing.

Yzaguirre stated the men feared for their lives since Christians were being killed regularly and in plain view. They fled with hopes of working towards bringing other family members later.

From BrownsvilleHerald.com:

Although two of the men came to Mexico through Greece, all three claim they were arrested and released by Mexican immigration officials.

Yzaguirre said the three men came to the Texas-Mexico border where a smuggler helped them cross the Rio Grande near rural Los Indios.

"The first words out of their mouth were, 'Iraqi Christian, Iraqi Christian, Iraqi Christian,'" Yzaguirre said of the men when they were spotted by Border Patrol.

If the reporting is accurate and the three Iraqis are telling the truth, I think that they could potentially become valuable assets in the intelligence war against terrorism. They know the language, they know the terrain, and they know the enemy.

Nevertheless, it's disturbing that Mexican immigration officials looked the other way while a smuggler had no problem sneaking Middle Eastern Arabs into Texas. I fear that this is not an isolated incident.


[Update 05/08/06]

Iraqis sentenced.