Thread: Customs Chief Sees No 'Spillover' Violence

All these elected officials of either party seem really interested in is "increasing the efficiency of trade" and unimpeded globalization of same.

Customs chief sees no 'spillover' violence

Posted: Thursday, April 8, 2010 12:00 am | Comments

WASHINGTON - U.S. border cities are not experiencing spillover violence from Mexico, the new head of Customs and Border Protection said Wednesday.

Violence in U.S. cities near Mexico cannot be compared with the level of lawlessness across the border, Commissioner Alan Bersin told reporters.

Bersin also said that U.S. security measures on borders with Mexico and Canada should be carried out in a way that improves the efficiency of trade so that America can remain competitive globally.

Securing the border and expediting trade are not mutually exclusive, he said.

"The two go hand in hand," he told reporters.

Bersin took office last week on a recess appointment by President Obama.

Bersin, a former U.S. attorney in San Diego, said the escalation of violence in Mexico is a result of President Felipe Calderón's crackdown on drug cartels.

The violence has claimed the lives of U.S. Consulate workers in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and smugglers are suspected in the death of an Arizona man March 27 on his border ranch.

Mexican officials say drug violence has claimed the lives of nearly 18,000 people since Calderón's crackdown began in 2006.

Juarez emerged as a battleground last year, and a wave of gunfights and executions beginning in February in the northern states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon prompted the U.S. State Department to issue a travel warning there.

Texas officials have asked the administration to send the National Guard and other resources to the border.

Sen. John Cornyn said Bersin's claim of no spillover violence "is evidence that the Obama administration is sticking its collective head in the sand with regard to the safety of our border communities."

Bersin and Cornyn agree, however, that border security should not impede legitimate trade. Bersin said prescreening of travelers and shippers could help take pressure off border crossings.

U.S. trade with Mexico exceeds $1 billion per day, according to Trade Representative Ron Kirk.

"If we can move the flow of goods faster and safer, we can spark job creation at home and widen our trade horizons for the future," said Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, chairman of the House Homeland Security subcommittee on border affairs.

Even with the prescreening program, infrastructure at land ports of entry along both borders will require $6 billion in upgrades and repairs and an additional 5,000 customs agents to handle commerce flows, said Monica Weisberg Stewart who chairs the Texas Border Coalition committee on border security.

Posted in Border on Thursday, April 8, 2010 12:00 am

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/border/ ... 61999.html

U.S. border cities are not experiencing spillover violence from Mexico, the new head of Customs and Border Protection said Wednesday.

That would be laughable if it weren't so deadly.

Violence in U.S. cities near Mexico cannot be compared with the level of lawlessness across the border, Commissioner Alan Bersin told reporters

So until the level of violence in the U.S. is equal to the violence in Mexico, he'll do nothing?

The DHS is just full of incompetence isn't it!!