Thread: Latino caucus eyes violence on border

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/ ... fa5cf.html

Latino caucus eyes violence on border

Web Posted: 12/12/2006 11:56 PM CST

Gary Martin
Express-News Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — Congressional Latino lawmakers urged Mexican President Felipe Calderón in a letter made public Tuesday to crack down on the rising incidents of violence on the U.S.-Mexico border.
"The U.S.-Mexico border has experienced an alarming increase in violence, including kidnappings and murders of both Mexican and American citizens," said Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, in a letter signed by nearly all members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

The letter to Calderón, dated Dec. 7, congratulated the president on his election but urged him to move quickly to curb border violence.

The caucus hasn't received a reply from the Mexican president's office.

But Calderón, who took office Dec. 1, promised more funds to fight crime and sent 6,500 federal forces this week into his home state of Michoacan to battle with narcotics gangs.

Calderón also appointed Interior Minister Francisco Ramirez Acuna to oversee the federal fight against organized crime and drug lords.

"One of three priorities of the government of the President of Mexico, Felipe Calderón, is to strengthen the security of Mexicans and their families in all regions of the country," Ramirez said during a Mexico City news conference.

Ramirez said this effort "will immediately bring about the recovery of those public places that organized crime has taken away."

Calderón's efforts follow attempts by former Mexican President Vicente Fox to stem the rising violence that plagues the border region.

Fox sent federal police and soldiers into Nuevo Laredo, but violence has continued to escalate.

Three Americans and two Mexicans were abducted Nov. 26 at a ranch in Coahuila, Mexico. Two men were released, but two Americans and a cook are still being held captive.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus cited the incident in the letter to Calderón, as well as 60 additional kidnappings and 16 killings involving American citizens in Nuevo Laredo, according to the FBI and U.S. consulate in Tamaulipas.

Also, more than 400 women have been murdered in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, across the Rio Grande from El Paso, according to Amnesty International.

"Although not all of the reasons for these acts of violence are clear, we do know that many of the cases are closely related to the drug trafficking activity in the border region," the caucus wrote Calderón.

The letter urged Calderón to intervene and help improve the livelihood for "Mexicans and Americans living in the border region."

Before taking office, Calderón met with President Bush at the White House to discuss bilateral issues, including drug trafficking and escalating organized crime in Mexico.

Proceeds from drug sales in the United States have allowed narcotics cartels operating in Mexico to buy weapons and grow to a strength that poses a threat to government stability, according to security and policy experts.

Cuellar has called on incoming Democratic leaders to provide more funds to help combat drug-related violence along the border and assistance for Mexico police to fight the scourge south of the border.

Mexico reeks with corruptness.