At a time of drastic budget cuts and curtailed enforcement by the Bureau he heads, David Aguilar sees fit to waste taxpayer dollars for his own change of command ceremony.

From January through September 2011, 2,276 deaths were recorded in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, which borders Texas and New Mexico. A Nov. 2011 Congressional Research Service (CRS) report states that over nearly the same period – January through October 2011 – 2,177 civilians were killed in Afghanistan though it did not breakdown responsibility for those deaths between American troops and the Taliban. However, a 2010 report attributed 75 percent of civil deaths to the Taliban and other “anti-government elements.”

Alaska-based engineers completed the first airborne operation into Fort Huachuca in more than a decade Jan. 6 in order to build a strip of roadway along the Mexican border.

The 30 combat engineers deployed from Alaska to construct 0.7 miles of border road and lookout roadways, along with the required road drainage systems, in support of the U.S. Border Patrol, said Joint Task Force North Public Affairs Officer Armando Carrasco.

Video by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Public Affairs - Visual Communications Division

The Justice Department's actions against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio are an effort to divert attention from the scandal surrounding Operation Fast & Furious, according to Pinal Country Sheriff Paul Babeu.

Sheriff Babeu, who has been vocal about the lack of security on the border, said, "I have little faith and trust in the U.S. Department of Justice after the actions, subsequent cover up and failure to accept responsibility regarding Operation Fast and Furious."

Video by Customs and Border Patrol

Video by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement

U.S. authorities have uncovered a major drug smuggling tunnel under the border with Mexico and seized 14 tons of marijuana during searches related to an investigation.

Officials say the cross-border tunnel was about 400 meters long and connected warehouses in Tijuana, Mexico and in an industrial park in the San Diego, California area. The investigators also say the tunnel, which was discovered Tuesday, was equipped with structural supports, electricity and a ventilation system. The multi-agency San Diego Tunnel Task Force is conducting the investigation.

Video by Immigration and Customs Enforcement