Why Mexican and US Officials Downplay Border Incursions

By Nancy Conroy

Violent confrontations with drug smugglers along the border increasingly involve spectacular, attention grabbing shootouts. These border incursions infuriate many Americans, especially when both US and Mexican authorities ignore or downplay these episodes. But it is not in anyone’s best interest to dwell on the border incursions too much, especially considering today’s raging anti-immigrant political environment. These incidents can be used to escalate hatred, which could lead to militarization of the border. When considering the big picture, it is more sensible to downplay these incidents than to emphasize them.

The main reason why politicians refuse to address the border incursions is because this is a political hot potato that strikes at man’s greatest fear. It is an age-old truth: border incursions cause war. And they have caused armed conflict in the past between the US and Mexico. In 1916, Pancho Villa conducted cross-border raids into US territory, which prompted US General John J. Pershing to draw up an army to go after him. Wise men on both sides of the border remember history, and have little desire to walk that path again. So they ignore or even deny the problem’s existence, which is a not a bad approach. Potential war provocations should play no role in modern US-Mexican diplomacy.

Although they are often called “border incursions,â€