Thread: Border governors head to Mexico amid wave of violence

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Border governors head to Mexico amid wave of violence
By JULIET WILLIAMS , Associated Press Writer

last updated: May 28, 2008 05:39:21 PM

SACRAMENTO —
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday will join governors from both sides of the border in Mexico City to push for more action on crime-fighting and border security, a visit that comes as Mexico is facing unprecedented violence.

Schwarzenegger will offer support to Mexican President Felipe Calderon for his crackdown against the drug trade, in which he has deployed more than 20,000 federal troops across Mexico.

Cartels have responded with increasingly bold attacks against security forces, including beheadings and assassinations of top police officials and soldiers. On Tuesday, seven federal officers were killed in a shootout with one cartel.

Beyond policy talks on security, economic development and the environment, it's not clear what Schwarzenegger and the governors of Texas, New Mexico and the six Mexican states hope to accomplish.

The coalition made a similar appeal to President Bush in February, but progress has been slow.

The federal meetings are part of a new agenda for the decades-old border governors conference, a nod to the reality that the federal government controls the U.S. border and the Mexican government can determine what happens on its side.

Schwarzenegger's administration says the partnership and continued pressure already have produced some results.

Federal Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff has boosted the number of workers at key border crossings, dramatically reducing wait times at some of the busiest border crossings.

The coalition also seeks a six-month extension of Operation Jump Start, the partnership between the National Guard and U.S. Border Patrol. Under it, about 3,000 National Guard troops have been deployed along the U.S.-Mexico border, about half the number sent to the border states when the program began in mid-2006.

The Bush administration has been noncommittal about its plans for Operation Jump Start.

Bush has used the wave of violence in Mexico to further an anti-crime legislative package. He is urging Congress to approve the first $500 million installment of a $1.4 billion law enforcement aid package known as the Merida Initiative to combat drug crime in Mexico.

Calderon has called on American lawmakers not to put further conditions on the funding. Schwarzenegger wants to see some of the money go to help U.S. states fight drug-related crime.

California will host the annual convening of governors from the six Mexican border states and four American states next August in Los Angeles. Although such meetings have taken place for 26 years, last year was the first time the political leaders agreed they needed to broaden their actions to include joint requests to federal officials.

Schwarzenegger has long pushed for federal action on immigration and to resolve the status of some 11 million illegal immigrants who already live in the United States.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the likely GOP presidential nominee, sponsored a failed attempt at immigration reform last year that would have created a path for some illegal immigrants to become citizens. Schwarzenegger has endorsed McCain's candidacy.

Democratic presidential rivals Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton supported McCain's 2006 bill, and all three also have supported a border fence.

California's economy relies heavily on migrant workers, primarily from Mexico. The issue hit home for Schwarzenegger on Wednesday, when he made an unannounced appearance in Lodi at the funeral of a young woman who died after picking grapes for eight hours in triple-digit temperatures last weekend.

In a strongly worded statement, Schwarzenegger said the death of 18-year-old Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez was preventable. He said California employers must adhere to the regulations the state has put in place to prevent heat illnesses, including providing water, allowing regular breaks in the shade and having an emergency plan in place.

"Where there are violations of these regulations, we will prosecute employers to the full extent of the law," Schwarzenegger said in a statement after the funeral. "There is no excuse for failing to protect worker safety."

Jimenez had recently left Mexico to work in Lodi, a region about 35 miles south of the state capital that provides grapes to wineries throughout California.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating her death.






http://www.modbee.com/state_wire/story/312108.html

No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.

Schwarzenegger will offer support to Mexican President Felipe Calderon for his crackdown against the drug trade, in which he has deployed more than 20,000 federal troops across Mexico.

What kind of support is Schwarzenegger offering? Money? National Guard weapons and vehicles? Technology?
What do these governors think they are doing?

The issue hit home for Schwarzenegger on Wednesday, when he made an unannounced appearance in Lodi at the funeral of a young woman who died after picking grapes for eight hours in triple-digit temperatures last weekend.

Did Schwarzenegger attend the funeral of murdered Jamiel Shaw and speak out against illegal alien gang crimes?

effort could be illegal---but---how long can we wait for the Bush admin to step up to the plate????

I think this Rino , the Arnoldnator picks battles he can profit from either politicially or monutary . He'll break laws when he wants and use laws when he doesn't want .Gutless Gov , i've lost all respect for him

The kind of support is most likely Anti American, we have a "la raza" stooge and a European (appeaser) meeting with the Mexican government.