David Iglesias, the recently appointed U.S. Attorney General for the district of New Mexico, spoke Wednesday about his new position and its role in the wake of the terrorist attacks.
The UNM College Republicans sponsored the speech, which was attended by a small crowd including law students and attorneys.
Iglesias, who graduated from UNM Law School in 1984, was the military defense attorney portrayed in the 1991 movie "A Few Good Men."
He was appointed in October, after a colorful career that included a stint in the Navy and work as an attorney for police in excessive force cases, the U.S. Department of Transportation and an unsuccessful run for state attorney general.
As a U.S. Attorney General, Iglesias and his large staff of attorneys handle any federal case that pertains to the state.
"My mission is very simple - I defend the federal government in civil cases," he said.
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Cases that fall under federal jurisdiction include bank robberies, harm caused by a federal employee or member of the military, or crimes committed on Indian reservations.
Border issues and, more recently, protection from terrorism are also priorities of the office of the U.S. Attorney General.
In the late 1980s, working as a military attorney, Iglesias was called to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to defend three men accused of assaulting Marine Willie Alvarado. Alvarado survived, but his assailants were put into court martial proceedings for attempted murder, despite their argument that they were ordered to beat the marine.
"We explained to them that the obedience of orders is never a defense, but we'll give it a shot," he said.
In the end, the three were convicted, but not court marshaled, eventually serving the rest of their time in the Marine Corps. Another attorney working on the case gave the facts to her brother, Aaron Sorkin, who used them as the inspiration for the screenplay, "A Few Good Men." In the movie, in which Tom Cruise plays Iglesias, the victim is killed.
"And that's how that little case became a huge movie - I've learned a lot about the power of the media," Iglesias said.
While serving as a military attorney, Iglesias also defended a Navy Seal who, as part of an anti-terrorism group that tested military facilities by raiding them and kidnapping key figures, led a group that kidnapped an officer living in Taos. They drove him to a California motel and eventually broke one of his ribs when he resisted.
He said the recently-passed Patriot Act - which loosens rules regarding electronic surveillance of American citizens - would probably play an increasing role in upcoming cases, but that he couldn't comment on his opinions about the legislation.
"My job is to enforce that law," he said. "I was recently asked to debate an ACLU attorney on that, but I'm here to enforce it, I didn't write it."
The law also allows sharing between intelligence agencies like the FBI and CIA and law enforcement.
"Because of lack of human intelligence, we weren't ready for 9-11," he said. "A few people had said we were ripe for attack, but no one listened. We learned some tough lessons. Now I can get a warrant to track all of your electronic communication - that's what I'm authorized to do."
Nor could he comment on recent attempts by Gov. Gary Johnson to decriminalize marijuana.
"But I did sign a letter with the (District Attorney's) office saying we didn't approve of it," he said.
He said border issues were especially important to districts in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas.
"About 30 percent of federal prosecutions are in the border districts," he said.
Recent legislation that allows Mexican trucks to travel into the U.S. interior - a part of the North American Free Trade Agreement - will not increase our vulnerability to terrorism or drug trafficking, he said. Each truck goes through a huge X-ray, "like that one in 'Total Recall,'" he said.
"It's the unprotected border I'm worried about," he said, adding that he has visited areas of the state where the border comprised two strands of barbed wire and miles of weeds.
