Mexican drug cartels threaten U.S. Border Patrol Agents - place a bounty on their lives After a week marred with violence along the U.S./Mexico border sources admit the Mexican drug cartels have placed a $250 thousand bounty for the kidnapping or murder of Border Patrol Agents. U.S. agents are taking the threat very seriously and say officers in the field should use extreme caution when approaching the border fence area. The threat comes after an Arizona rancher was murdered on his own property last month by an alleged illegal alien. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a warning to law enforcement officers in west Texas due to retaliatory killings by a Mexican gang. The agency has suggested agents’ change up their routes and wears body armor while on duty. The elevated warning comes amidst a crackdown on the Barrio Azteca Mexican gang following the brutal murders of three Americans with ties to the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez on March 13. Law enforcement in the region has begun a broader crackdown, known as “Operation Knockdown.” The spike in violence along the border transcends state lines and Border Patrol Agents in Arizona and California must now look over their shoulder and be prepared for possible attacks near the U.S. border region. One agent said it this way; “We were warned about this recently at several musters and we were advised to take this threat seriously and to take precautions. This is the life we chose and it is certainly not our first threat. Over two years ago we received intelligence that a $2 million contract was put out for the assassination of a Border Patrol Agent. Last year, Agent Rosas was murdered. Coincidence? I doubt it. If they are willing to pay two million for a hit, then they have enough money to pay for a fall guy. The cartels don't need to prove to America that they can pull this off. They only need to prove it to other cartels, for credibility in the fight amongst themselves.”...
While Mexico Burns In a new bead in a string of attacks on the U.S. , our consulate in Nuevo Laredo was bombed last week. But in Washington, the thinking about Mexico is not of war, but of PR — as in amnesty and a first lady's visit. Despite a vast public communications apparatus — official Web sites, blogs, Facebook and Twitter — it takes some searching to find any White House or State Department acknowledgment that a real bomb, probably set by drug gangs, went off on the grounds of the U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Laredo on Friday. The blast forced closure of that diplomatic outpost plus a nearby consular agency, but it merited only a small notice on the local Nuevo Laredo consular site. Instead, releases from the White House and State Department were dominated by news of Michelle Obama's first tour of Mexico City this week. They gushed over how she'd unveil her "international agenda" promoting "youth leadership," speak out against childhood obesity and visit schools and museums. Nothing wrong with that, but with a war on, it's no substitute for a foreign policy with a neighbor whose mayhem is drawing us in. Instead of concrete ideas for confronting this growing problem, all that's visible from the Obama administration is domestic politics and public relations. No new ideas are being presented, no diplomatic heavyweights are being named as special envoys. Until Washington gets serious about Mexico as a national security issue, the chaos on both sides of the border will continue...
Crime rules Juarez as people, businesses flee By nightfall, vehicles disappear from the roads. "People are afraid to go out into the street, so the restaurants are doing badly," said Alejandra Marquez, an architect. "You don't go out to eat. You go to the mall, which has more security." Ciudad Juarez, the sprawling Mexican metropolis of 1.3 million people across the border from El Paso, Texas, is Murder City, probably the most dangerous city in the world outside a declared war zone. Already this year, 686 people have been murdered here. Residents hunker in trepidation. Most answer cell phone calls only from people they know to avoid random extortion attempts. Instead of going out on the town, they hold private parties — and only with close friends. Those residents who can afford to leave have left. "The exodus is dramatic," said Gustavo de la Rosa, the local ombudsman for the Chihuahua State human rights commission. "There are at least 20,000 abandoned houses, and maybe up to 30,000." Americans have reason to be concerned, too. The U.S. does about $1 billion a day of trade with Mexico, and nearly one-sixth of that goes through the Juarez-El Paso region. Crime in Juarez also threatens to bleed across the border. Criminal gangs working for drug cartels already operate on both sides of the border, and in a sign of the growing risks, on March 13 gunmen killed three people linked to the U.S. consulate in Juarez. The sky-high murder rate is driven by two rival groups — the Juarez cartel and the Sinaloa cartel — and their battle for control of drug smuggling into the U.S...
Border Conference Focuses on Spillover Violence Experts say there's no question about it. The drug violence raging in Juarez has spilled across the U.S./Mexico border into El Paso. The question now becomes how to deal with the spillover. That was one of the main topics of a two day border conference in El Paso called "Border School." The event brings together law enforcement leaders from border communities around Texas to talk about the issues effecting their communities. "People are afraid of kidnappings, extortion and carjackings," said Sigi Gonzalez, Sheriff of Zapata County, located between Laredo and McAllen. Sheriff Gonzalez is a guest speaker at the "Border School" and says there is no doubt that drug violence has spilled into El Paso and other border cities. He cites an incident last summer when an El Paso man was kidnapped out his Horizon City home. His mutilated body was found a week later in Juarez...
Officials exploring joint task force on Southwest border The heads of two key agencies charged with policing the nation's Southwest border agreed Wednesday to move toward creating a task force that would bring multiple military and civilian agencies under one roof to combat drug trafficking, smuggling and violence. A U.S. House of Representatives homeland security subcommittee asked for an assessment of whether the military and civilian agencies that could be involved are willing to move forward. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Assistant Secretary John Morton and newly appointed Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection Alan Bersin agreed to report back in 90 days. The step came at the urging of Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky., the top Republican on the subcommittee, and Democrats, including subcommittee chairman David Price, D-N.C., supported his request. Rogers said that he hopes to see the joint task force created in the coming fiscal year. A joint task force could bring together multiple agencies from the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Defense in a unified headquarters where they could share information and coordinate operations...So the deep thinkers in D.C. believe federal efforts should actually be coordinated. They've been throwing billions of dollars at an uncoordinated effort? Imagine that.
Mexican Drug Cartels Under Attack From Multiple Fronts, Says Border Protection Commissioner Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Alan Bersin defended the progress that the Department of Homeland Security has made in protecting the United States’ southwest border and stemming the illegal drug flow from Mexico Wednesday. “We recognize that the [drug war] is a journey that will not be accomplished over night, but the important point is that it is a journey in which the first steps have been taken,” said Bersin during a hearing before a House Appropriations Subcommittee. Bersin stressed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) currently have one of the best working relationships that they have ever had with the Mexican government...A Journey? Baby steps? Mr. Bersin, you better take three giant steps for mankind or get the hell out of Dodge. I'm sure we are all pleased about your working relationship with Mexico, but how is your relationship with the folks living and working on our side of the border? You know, the people suffering under your baby steps.
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