BORDER AREA ATTACK – AT 8:27 A.M. ET:  News comes this morning of a brutal attack in Tijuana, Mexico, that will focus attention once again on the violence on our borders:

TIJUANA, MEXICO – A client at a drug rehab center in the Mexican border city of Tijuana said Monday that a gang of armed men burst into the building and gunned down 13 recovering addicts there.

Prosecutors have not yet confirmed the number of dead. Police at the scene say at least 10 were killed.

The witness, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Jesus, for fear of reprisals, said he was attending a movie showing on the first floor of the center, and had stepped out for something to eat when the attacked occurred late Sunday.

When he returned, his fellow clients told him the attackers made the addicts lie on the floor, and then sprayed them with bullets. Other clients sleeping upstairs in the center also survived. There are normally about 45 clients at the center.

COMMENT:  The southern-border issue has been remarkably quiet in recent weeks.  The Democrats certainly don't want to discuss it, and Republicans have focused on the economy.  This new incident, however, might re-focus attention on the volatile situation we face in the south. 

I hate to put a horrible incident like this in political terms, but, inevitably, there will be a political effect.  Tijuana borders on California, where a major Senate race is being fought. 

Stand by for more on this.  A border incident conjures up the whole issue of illegal immigration, which may well act as a hidden force in balloting a week from tomorrow.

October 25, 2010