This is getting ridiculous. The agent shot, and subsequently killed, an illegal alien during a scuffle on the border.

An Arizona judge has ordered a U.S. Border Patrol agent to stand trial on second-degree murder charges in the killing of an illegal alien, a ruling that has prompted the Mexican government to call for its own investigation of the incident.

Mexico’s Foreign Ministry, which had wanted first-degree murder charges brought against Agent Nicholas Corbett in the Jan. 12 shooting of Francisco Dominguez Rivera, has instructed its embassy in Washington to investigate the case.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon condemned the shooting, the Mexican Foreign Ministry called it an example of “disproportionate violence” aimed at Mexican nationals along the Southwest border and the Mexican Embassy sent a diplomatic note to the State Department demanding an “exhaustive investigation.”

Mr. Corbett, 39, initially was charged with first-degree and second-degree murder, manslaughter and negligent homicide in the death of Mr. Dominguez-Rivera, 22, of Puebla, Mexico — killed during what the Border Patrol said was a scuffle between the agent and as many as six illegal aliens attempting to cross into the United States.

The shooting occurred on the border about 100 miles southeast of Tucson, Ariz., along a popular alien- and drug-smuggling corridor. Mr. Corbett told colleagues he feared for his life and used deadly force to keep the man from throwing a large rock at him.

Who are the witnesses the government is relying on? The illegal aliens, who the Mexican consulate had access to talk with, before their statements. During the cross examination, the Mexican consulate provided the illegals with an apartment in Tuscon, free transportation, calls to family members and free food. The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law helped the illegals get a US work visa.

What’s the purpose of having border patrol agents if they’re going to be prosecuted for doing their jobs? When the hell are we going to start getting serious about border enforcement?

And why are we letting the Mexican consulate push us around, while we do whatever they want us to? If they spent half the time they take to interfere with our national security, and devoted it to stopping their citizens from illegal crossing our border, we’d be in a much better position to end illegal immigration.