Officials at border security conference call for more U.S.-Mexico cooperation

08:04 PM CDT on Monday, August 11, 2008
By DAVID McLEMORE / The Dallas Morning News

EL PASO — Top U.S. law enforcement officials praised Mexico’s anti-drug efforts Monday and urged more binational cooperation as an antidote to the drug-fueled violence along the border.

FBI Director Robert Mueller, addressing the fifth annual border security conference at the University of Texas at El Paso, stressed that crime doesn’t recognize borders. The FBI is concerned with the high level of violence along the border and the drug and human smuggling and gang activity that generates it, he said.

Of particular concern is the violence just across the border in Ciudad Juárez, where 700 people have been killed in drug violence this year, Mr. Mueller said. He praised Mexican President Felipe Calderón for his strong response.

“We have two cartels fighting for control. President Calderón has taken the fight to them, but serious challenges still exist to border security that must be met with a joint effort,â€