Texas House panel considers Bill for DPS on border

Bill sees role for DPS on border
Texas House panel considers letting agency aid feds to halt trade in guns to Mexico
By NOLAN HICKS
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
April 6, 2011, 12:40A

AUSTIN — In a bid to stem the flow of American money and weapons into Mexico, a key committee in the Texas House is examining a proposal that would give the Department of Public Safety permission to assist the federal government in the creation of southbound inspection checkpoints along the border.

A 2009 report released by the federal government stated that 87 percent of the guns seized by Mexican law enforcement between 2004-09 were traced back to the U.S. Of the American-sourced guns seized, 39 percent came from Texas — more than any other state.

"A lot of effort has been concentrated on, and the emphasis has been on, northbound traffic," said Laredo Mayor Raul Salinas, a former FBI agent. "If we're allowing weapons to go south, it's part of the problem because those weapons are being used to commit crimes."

Money and guns smuggled across the border into Mexico, which has strict gun control laws, have been blamed for helping to fuel the violent drug war that has wracked that country.

Cartels likely to adapt

DPS Director Steve McCraw testified that it could cost as much as $125 million per biennium to provide southbound operations for all of the checkpoints.

McCraw and Rep. Aaron Peña, R-Edinburg, who authored the bill, expect drug cartels to adapt to the new efforts to crack down on the money-laundering and weapons-smuggling.

"It's not that hard to see our operation and adapt, and we've got to recognize that they will," McCraw said.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced in 2009 that her department would make southbound checkpoints a priority of federal border law enforcement.

"We've been doing southbound checkpoints for years," said Roger Maier, a spokesman with the El Paso office of the Customs and Border Protection agency.

More visible checkpoints

Since federal southbound inspections were re-established in 2009, seizures of weapons and money have increased; through fiscal years 2009 and 2010, some $55 million and 484 guns were seized during the inspections.

Salinas said he hoped the House bill would provide checkpoints that are "more visible (and) more active" than the southbound checkpoints currently operated by Customs and Border Protection because the legislation would allow for closer cooperation between local and state law enforcement agencies and federal authorities.

"You're working more closely with the federal government and, hopefully, the federal government will pump in more money so we can do an effective job," said Salinas, who said he had gotten support from both political parties in Washington, D.C., for beefing up border security.

The renewed push for southbound checkpoints comes six weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent was killed and another wounded in Mexico with a gun that had been purchased in Dallas and then smuggled across the border.

The U.S. government has offered a $5 million reward for information related to the attack.

nolan.hicks@chron.com

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