Cooperation with Mexico seen to be based on their societal priorities
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FORMER BORDER PATROL OFFICERS
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Foreign News Report

El Universal (Mexico City) 2/11/08

1. Following is portion of an op/column by Sara Sefchovich titled "What's important and what's secondary" about the U.S. presidential elections. Sefchovich is a "writer and researcher" at the "Autonomous National University of Mexico" and a regular contributor to this main Mexico City paper.

"It's not the same thing if a (U.S.) head of state gets elected who knows Mexico, who is disposed to resolve the issues of immigration or drug traffic or terrorism without giving way to the wild clamor from the right wing of his party, and one who understands that bilateral cooperation must be based on respect for our sovereignty and our societal priorities, (about which) the current head of state doesn't have the slightest interest or disposition. That's why it's vital for us to follow what is happening in the neighboring country, and even influence it by means of a friend or relative such as every Mexican has living on the other side."

2. Jose Alejandro Solalinde Guerra is a Catholic priest in Ixtepec, state of Oaxaca, (note: the second southernmost in Mexico) where he runs a "Migrants' House." Solalinde denounced the Mexican government for using the army and federal agencies to stop the exodus flow of emigrants as part of the "dirty work" it carries out in favor of the United States to keep the emigrants from reaching the U.S. border.

"Despite the migratory policy, the threats and the abuses by officials and private parties who prevent the passage of migrants in Mexico, beyond all that, there is a very important force that is going on. They can inhibit it, they can damage it temporarily, but they cannot stop it, there is no human power either in the United States or in Mexico or in any part of the world that can stop the migratory flow."

Solalinde also said officials do nothing to stop the "Mara Salvatrucha" gang members who assault and rob the migrants who ride northbound freight trains through Chiapas and Oaxaca.

3. In Chihuahua, the state's Investigations Agency reported that two more men were executed "in the last few hours." And in El Terrero, Nomiquipa municipality, Chihuahua, two tons of marihuana, including seven packages of seed, were found in a p/u truck. The truck had no plates and had been stolen.

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a.b.c. (Mexico City) 2/11/08

In the Tijuana area Mex. army personnel seized six vehicles with drugs, long barrel firearms, ammo and vests. One of the vehicles had lettering saying "Executive Branch" (note: as in this instance, they customarily use the word "Power" rather than "Branch"). A couple of other vehicles had police type strobe lights. There were 5 AK47, 32 clips with 30-round capacity, four vests, 1,335 rounds of ammo, 4 clip carriers and 18 metal punch bars to insert new VINs (Vehicle Identification Numbers) in vehicles.

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Cuarto Poder (Tuxtla, Chiapas) 2/11/08

The local office of the Mex. "INM" (Immigr. dep't.) in the state of Chiapas reported a nearly 200% increase in the flow of foreigners "without papers" in January compared with December of 2007. Though most are from Guatemala, El Salvador & Honduras, there were also some from a number of other countries farther south, including Brazil and Colombia. ( Chiapas is at Mexico's southern end, bordering Guatemala)

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El Diario de Yucatan (Merida, Yucatan) 2/11/08

One more execution for Merida: a subject who was wanted by the police for murder was himself found dead from a shot to the base of the back of the head. The dead man had been involved in drug traffic; his body was found in brush off the side of a Merida beltway.

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El Porvenir (Monterrey, Nuevo Leon) 2/11/08

1. In Cerralvo, Nuevo Leon, a man with a pistol in the rear waist of his trousers attempted to flee into a house when a passing military patrol unit saw him and arrested him. The place turned out to be a "safe house" where the military found 10 "apparently" AR15 rifles, five 9mm. pistols, 3,000 rounds for AK47 & AR15 rifles, bandoleer cartridge belts, a grenade, vests and two "torture devices." One of the pistols had gold grips engraved with the aztec sun calendar. (note: the attachment to this report is a photo of these items)

2. 17 packages of heroin with a total weight of 26.5 kilos were found in a special compartment off the sleeping compartment of a truck near the Baja Gulf in southern Sonora state near the town of Huatabampo, south of Ciudad Obregon. Two subjects were taken into custody.

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Entorno a Tamaulipas (Matamoros, Tamaulipas) 2/11/08

In Matamoros, a search of a house at Miguel Hidalgo & Mexicali Street, Colonia Pedro Moreno, turned up an AK47, ammo, clips, a scale and one and a half tons of weed.

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-end of report-