Border security subject of workshop today and Tuesday
By David Burge \ El Paso Times
Posted: 04/11/2011 07:24:29 AM MDT

Experts from Mexico and the United States are meeting at UTEP today and Tuesday for a conference on border security.

The fourth annual Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence Colloquium will delve into intelligence and security issues along the border.

The event is free and open to the public.

U.S. Consul General Dean Haas of the U.S. Consulate in Juárez will be the keynote speaker today. Latin America expert George W. Grayson, a professor of government at the College of William & Mary, will also speak today.

They'll bring their expertise and provide context and information on what's happening along the border, including ways to help protect the border.

There will be panel discussions and talks. The emphasis is on getting attendees involved in learning more and sharing information.

"This is obviously an area of interest to all people in El Paso," said Mark Gorman, program coordinator for the Intelligence and National Security Studies Program at the University of Texas at El Paso.

"We are a binational city. We'd like to get the perspective from both sides. We've invited academics and government agency personnel who are involved in border security issues. We want to get a dialogue started."

Topics include drug and human trafficking, immigration, terrorism and crossover violence.

The workshop will also be held in conjunction with a graduate research project that is being done jointly by the students and faculty at the National Defense Intelligence College, the University of San Diego and UTEP. UTEP has another border security conference in the summer.

This week's event will try to provide a different perspective, Gorman said.

The event is sponsored by the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence and UTEP's Intelligence and National Security Studies Program.

David Burge may be reached at dburge@elpasotimes.com; 546-6126.


http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_17816323