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SISTER CITIES COPE WITH MEXICAN VIOLENCE
ASSOCIATED PRESS June 18, 2005

LAREDO, Texas (AP) - Drugs and murder threaten to erode the historic bonds between this South Texas border town and its sister city in Mexico, Nuevo Laredo.

More than 60 murders in Nuevo Laredo this year, believed to be the work of warring Mexican mafia fighting to monopolize the drug trade, have Laredo struggling to protect its image tainted by the violence.

Tensions run high in both border cities, who flew the same Spanish flag some 250 years ago and whose families, politics and economies are still deeply intertwined.

"Laredo has always had a tumultuous past, simply because it's on the border," said Jerry Thompson, history professor at Texas A&M International University in Laredo. "But certainly this is a new chapter and a more violent chapter than in recent decades."

Last week, Mexican federal forces took over duties from Nuevo Laredo police as part of "Operation Safe Mexico," an initiative aimed at stabilizing Mexico's northern border, partly because the government believed corrupt officers were aiding the drug gangs.

Concerned about the violence spreading to her city, Laredo Mayor Betty Flores asked Texas Gov. Rick Perry for help. Last week he sent extra state troopers to the border and vowed to fast-track a $1.2 million grant to help pay for a new 9-11 communications system.

Since January, Laredo has had 13 murders, compared to 15 for all of 2004. Two were investigated for ties to the drug crimes in Nuevo Laredo. Laredo police ruled out one of the cases last week. The other case, they said, is difficult to resolve because the murder victim was a former Mexican police officer and there were few leads.

Even though police on both sides of the border assure residents that the violence is limited to the drug gangs, some Laredo residents who routinely crossed into Mexico have stopped going.

Maria, who asked for anonymity for fear of retribution, stopped visiting her family in Nuevo Laredo three months ago. Her decision ended a 20-year tradition of going back-and-forth to the Mexican city she grew up in.

"I'm really afraid of going there," she said. "You don't know what's going on over there. (The mafia) don't care who's there."

Flores said such fear is unwarranted, citing a recent promise by the Mexican government to send even more soldiers to border cities, including Nuevo Laredo.

"This will be over soon because they know who the bad guys are," she said. "They're going to take care of it. It's just a matter of time."

The livelihood of people like Alfredo Ferrera depends on law enforcement's success. The 43-year-old driver of a horse-drawn buggy tried to hit up tourists this past week for $10 rides along the main plaza in Nuevo Laredo. His face reflected the fact that he had no customers by midday and was no where near meeting his normal weekly income of $200 a week during more tranquil times.

"Maybe I'll be a waiter," he said if the status quo persists. "I don't know what's happening."

Other tourist icons in Nuevo Laredo suffer too. Senor Frog's, a popular eatery, closed last week. Across the street, El Dorado Bar and Grill, is considering its options, said manager Julio Cesar Arreola.

"There are generations of families who come here," Arreola said from behind an empty bar overlooking a vacant dining room. "Six months ago this restaurant used to be full."

Laredo commerce, especially its healthy trucking and retail business, has remained mostly unaffected. Only the hotel industry has taken a hit, said Fernando Mendiola, president of the Laredo's hotel-motel association.

There was a 6 percent decline in occupancy in April compared to the same month last year, according to the Laredo Convention and Visitors Bureau. More recent months were still being compiled but Mendiola said weekend stayovers - which he said represents the bulk of U.S. tourists crossing the border - have been cut in half in recent weeks.

"It's very difficult because your hotel here sits empty when you're used to doing 100 percent seven days a week," said Mendiola, general manager of Embassy Suites, one of three new hotels set to open this year. "There's not a whole lot we can do. You have to wait."

Flores, who grew up in Laredo, said she hopes people don't forget the steps the city has taken to secure its side of the border and insulate itself from the negative economic impact of non-U.S. economies.

"We have to remember that what's happening is happening in another country," Flores said. "We keep having to prove to people we are part of the United States."

Flores, for example, cites the construction of a commercial-only bridge several years ago that eased much of the traffic jams caused by semitrailers waiting to enter Mexico. The bridge also made it easier for federal agencies on both sides of the river to maintain security.

She'd also rather people identify Laredo with the city's champion hockey team, the Bucks, or know that the Miss Texas USA Pageant set for June 19 has both Laredos as its hosts.

During the pageant, the two cities plan a party to celebrate Laredo's 250th Anniversary. Already a dove-shaped bumper sticker is popping up on cars with Mexican and U.S. license plates.

In Spanish they say, "Peace in the two Laredos."