Top U.S. Officials Mourn Slain ICE Agent Jaime Zapta, Promise Justice

Feb. 22, 2011— -- Three of the nation's top law enforcement officials today eulogized slain U.S. special agent Jaime Zapata, who was gunned down in Mexico last week and they pledged that his killers would be brought to justice.

"The U.S. and Mexico will bring the long, hard arm of the law down on Jaime and Victor's shooters," said an emotional Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton, addressing Zapata's parents at the funeral in Brownsville, Texas.

Zapata and fellow agent Victor Avila were returning to Mexico City from a training exercise in Monterrey when their armored SUV with diplomatic plates was chased off the road and later sprayed with gunfire. No arrests have been made in the case.

"Together we will continue to see that Jaime and Victor's work is done and that the rule of law triumphs over lawlessness and empty violence," Morton said. "My friends: no retreat, no compromise. Our cause is just, our cause is right. There is no other way."

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said, "We will not relent or flinch or let up in any way in our determination to see that those responsible for his death will be held responsible for their crimes."

Alluding to the violent drug cartels believed to have ties to the attacks, Attorney General Eric Holder vowed officials would "eradicate the scourge" that led to Zapata's death. "That is how we will honor Agent Zapata, that is how we will pay tribute to him. And that is how we will ensure that his spirit will live on," he said.

The presence of three top Obama administration officials at Zapata's funeral underscores the seriousness of the attack, which was the highest-profile Mexican incident involving a U.S. government agent in more than 20 years.

It also reflects a growing concern by law enforcement chiefs that U.S. agents may be becoming targets.

Investigators believe the Mexican assailants likely knew their targets were U.S. officials before unleashing their attack, though it remains unclear whether the shooting was premeditated.

Accounts of the incident provided by several government sources suggest that Zapata and Avila became targets after going through a toll plaza on a rural highway outside the town of Santa Maria del Rio.

They were chased by two vehicles, which then forced the agents off the road. At least one of the suspects then approached the Americans' SUV and engaged the ICE agents, who are believed to have been unarmed.

It is unclear what the men said to each other, but U.S. officials, who requested anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said the agents clearly identified themselves as diplomats. Shortly after that, they were engulfed in a hail of gunfire.

Zapata was killed and Avila was hit twice in the leg. He attended the funeral of his colleague today in a wheelchair.