Thousands of Mexicans Come to El Paso Fleeing Violence in Mexico

Some 30,000 residents of nearby Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, have settled in El Paso in recent years because of the drug trafficking violence that is blamed for more than 4,000 deaths in the Mexican city in a little more than two years. That influx has generated concern in the El Paso Police Department, City Councilman Beto O’Rourke said in an interview with Efe. “The Police Department released that estimate because they’re seeking authorization to buy 1,100 M4 assault rifles for (their) personnel, claiming that they don’t know who the people are who are establishing themselves in the city coming from Mexico or from whom they are fleeing,” he said. Police say that although there has only been one kidnapping in the El Paso area reported in the past year, that one of a man who then turned up dead in Juarez, there have been attempted abductions that have not been successful. “It’s necessary to be prepared to respond to these incidents with the necessary tools, and the criminals are armed with high-powered rifles,” one officer told Efe on condition of anonymity...read more