Chihuahua gov't urges cooperation

Following New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's declaration of a state of emergency in four border counties on Friday, the Chihuahua state government called for greater cross-border dialogue to improve regional security. Richardson on Friday declared the area an emergency zone in order to get more federal funds to build a border fence and boost law enforcement with the aim of reducing crime related to drug and migrant trafficking and cattle rustling. He said Mexican authorities are doing their best to fight the problems but lack funds. On Saturday, the state of Chihuahua issued a statement in response. "We understand the concern of the New Mexican governor with defending the rights of his citizens and we will offer all the support we can to continue our good relationship with our northern neighbor," it read. A number of recent events have highlighted the region's insecurity. One was the shooting of New Mexican Marie Guerra by a Mexican policeman outside of Ciudad Juárez on July 30. Guerra, who was shot in the head, later died. Local officials say Guerra was trying to evade a checkpoint and the officer's gun went off accidentally as he tried to dodge her truck. The officer has since been indicted. Also, in recent weeks a sniper shot at a Columbus police chief while he was checking abandoned cars in the town, and a rancher witnessed on his land the attempted kidnapping of three female undocumented migrants by masked and armed men. Continued theft of livestock has also angered New Mexicans, and a nearly abandoned community, known as Las Chepas, has become a center for smugglers. On Friday, the Foreign Relations Secretariat said Richardson's declaration doesn't "jibe with the spirit of cooperation and understanding" and called for a meeting "to promote appropriate actions."....

Run for the Border

The politics of immigration are changing. On Friday Bill Richardson, the nation's only Hispanic governor, declared a "state of emergency" in four New Mexico border counties due to "a chaotic situation involving illegal alien smuggling and illegal drug shipments." His office has pledged $1.5 million for stepped-up law enforcement and also asked Chris Simcox, the president of the volunteer border patrol group Minutemen, for a meeting. Mr. Richardson, a man who wears his ambition for national office on his sleeve, has apparently decided he has to reposition himself on border issues. He's not the only Democrat to do so. Sen. Hillary Clinton made headlines when she embraced high-tech measures to control the border with Mexico and fines for employers who hire illegal aliens. "Democrats clearly sense frustration on immigration among Bush's base voters and are trying to outflank him rhetorically on the right," says Martha Montelongo, a talk-show hostess in California. President Bush is vulnerable on immigration. Earlier this summer House Republicans bluntly told him that his proposal to admit guest workers would be dead on arrival unless accompanied by more border enforcement....

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