Thread: Mexico Bloodbath, U.S. Consternation

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Mexico Bloodbath, U.S. Consternation

10:52 PM CDT on Thursday, June 9, 2005
By MICHELLE MITTELSTADT / The Dallas Morning News

WASHINGTON – Raging drug trade-fueled violence in northern Mexico – punctuated by a high-profile assassination this week – could spill across the border if not soon contained, U.S. policy-makers said Thursday.

AP
Police patrolled the streets in Nuevo Laredo on Thursday, a day after Chief Alejandro Dominguez was shot to death. But U.S. authorities differ on whether the problem is Mexico's alone to solve.

"It's terrible," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a day after Nuevo Laredo's newest police chief was slain in an ambush that carried all the earmarks of a drug gang hit. "It's a big concern. I won't try to minimize it."

In Washington, the Homeland Security, Justice and State departments have been closely tracking the fallout as two of Mexico's leading drug cartels continue battling for dominance. More than 60 people in northern Mexico, including seven police officials, have been caught in the crossfire this year alone.

"These networks are becoming increasingly emboldened, and they present serious risks to border security and public safety on either side of the border," said Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke.

Tony Garza, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, said the U.S. government has a role to play. "I absolutely recognize that the security of the border region around Nuevo Laredo is a shared responsibility, and we are committed to doing our part," he said Thursday.

But Mr. Cornyn, who chairs the Senate immigration subcommittee, views the responsibility as Mexico's.

"I'm racking my brain to think what it is we can do," he said. "Ultimately we're talking about a sovereign nation that has responsibilities within its own borders."

Rep. Solomon Ortiz, a former lawman, said the United States can do more to assist Mexican law enforcement struggling to police a fierce war between rival drug gangs.

"I don't think I have seen any evidence that it has spread to the United States side, but if we don't take any corrective action now, it will spread," the Corpus Christi Democrat and former Nueces County sheriff said. "There is no question it will."

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New chief's slaying raises border fears
The violence comes amid a backdrop of heightened enforcement against drug traffickers by the administration of Mexican President Vicente Fox, and closer cooperation between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials who have had a long history of rocky relations and mistrust.

While noting that federal law enforcement works in cooperation with Mexican officials and shares intelligence on drug traffickers, Mr. Knocke made clear that his department views the Nuevo Laredo violence as essentially a Mexican issue. "We support Mexican authorities in their efforts to combat violent criminal activity in Northern Mexico," he said.

Echoed a U.S. federal official familiar with the shootings across Mexico, speaking on condition of anonymity: "We're obviously very concerned about the situation and increased violence, which also impacts tourism and trade. We look to President Fox for answers."

Mexican officials were angered when the State Department, at Mr. Garza's urging, in April warned Americans traveling to Mexico of a "deterioration of public safety." More than 30 U.S. citizens have been murdered or kidnapped while in Nuevo Laredo, the statement said, also noting a spate of public shootouts in the streets.

The Mexican federal government dispatched 700 soldiers and federal agents to the troubled region two months ago.

"Obviously they haven't been successful in putting down the violence," said Mr. Cornyn, who is leading the U.S. congressional delegation at a U.S.-Mexico summit in Rhode Island this weekend where the border violence is sure to be a topic. The cartels "appear to be operating with near impunity, which is a very great concern," he added.

Mr. Ortiz said U.S. authorities could do more to assist the Mexicans, particularly in providing technological assistance such as sophisticated wiretaps and other tools that can be deployed against drug traffickers.

He also called for a beefing-up of U.S. law enforcement along the border. "Something has to be done, and this is one of the reasons why we talk about augmenting the Border Patrol and FBI agents on the border until this is cleaned up," he said. "And I don't think we are doing that yet."

Mr. Cornyn was cool to the idea. "At present I think we are adequately protected. We need more Border Patrol, for other reasons – that is, for illegal immigration," he said. "But so far there hasn't been any indication that bad people with guns are intruding into our state or into our nation."

Still, he and Mr. Ortiz said the violence has cast a pall over trade and tourism in the region, one that has harmed Laredo's economy.

The bloodshed comes amid growing success in arresting and prosecuting Mexican traffickers responsible for shipping a huge share of the U.S. illicit drug supply across the border.

The reason for U.S. interest and involvement is easily apparent. "Mexican drug syndicates oversee much of the drug trafficking in the United States," the State Department said in March as it released its annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report.

As much as 90 percent of the cocaine sold on U.S. streets is smuggled through Mexico. The country also is one of the largest producers of heroin and marijuana consumed in the U.S. and is a rising supplier of methamphetamine.

"Bilateral counternarcotics cooperation hit a historic high-water mark in 2004," the State Department report says. "Law enforcement personnel of both countries routinely shared sensitive information to capture and prosecute leaders of major drug trafficking organizations and seize important shipments of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine."

"Obviously they haven't been successful in putting down the violence," said Mr. Cornyn, who is leading the U.S. congressional delegation at a U.S.-Mexico summit in Rhode Island this weekend where the border violence is sure to be a topic. The cartels "appear to be operating with near impunity, which is a very great concern," he added.

Brilliant Senator Pin Stripes. Why in Rhode Island? Have it here, with YOUR constituenets that can't wait to vote you out.