Two Border Patrol agents based in Port Angeles attended the Forks City Council meeting on Monday evening, Aug. 8. In the photo Port Angeles-based Border Patrol Field Operations Supervisor Rafael Cano makes a point. The agents were invited by the council and Mayor Bryon Monohon to give a presentation without a public forum at their regular meeting. Monohon requested the presentation in part in response to the controversy over the death of an Hispanic Forks resident Benjamin Roldan Salinas who died after jumping into the Sol Duc RIver in May fleeing from having to face questioning by Border Patrol agents. Salinas was stopped east of Bear Creek by National Forest law enforcement officers questioning the legality of his possession of a load of salal harvested in the area. Border Patrol agents were called in to question him in Spanish. He was found to be in the U.S. illegally and after weeks of searching his body was found downstream from the site of the incident.

At the Forks City Council meeting the agents explained their mission, how federal funds are provided to the Forks Police Department to boost communications and law enforcement capabilities, how they work together with local and county law enforcement officers, their search for terrorists and terrorism related activities in the region and more in a presentation that lasted about 40 minutes. Look for a report on the meeting in this week’s issue of the Forks Forum.