Violence in Mexico, especially along the U.S.-Mexico border, seems to now be happening daily. For example:
• Juarez, Mexico, adjacent to El Paso, Texas, has recently been labeled the most violent city in the world.
• On March 13 several U.S. citizens were murdered in Juarez. The victims worked for the U. S. government in Mexico. Victims included spouses and children.
• On March 16 Texas Governor Rick Perry activated a State plan intended to address the spillover of violence from Mexico. The plan includes intensified ground, air and marine surveillance.
• At the same time, Perry called upon the Obama administration to provide additional resources to control the Texas-Mexico border, noting he some time ago requested 1,000 National Guardsmen to assist local law enforcement to deal with spill-over crime and violence.
• Also on March 16 Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano (a former Governor of Arizona) announced that work was being suspended on the electronic fence border security project because the technology being installed was plagued with failures.
• Robert Krentz, a rancher in Arizona whose family has owned the Krentz Ranch for over 100 years, was found on March 20 shot to death on his property after he called the ranch headquarters saying he had found a man who appeared to need help at a water hole on the ranch and that he was going to offer help. His dog, also shot dead, was near him.
• On March 25 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano visited Mexico and met with Mexico’s President Calderon and announced a $ 331 million plan to bolster Mexican civilian law enforcement agencies.
• At the same time Jeffrey Self, acting chief of the U.S. Border Patrol acknowledged that many Border Patrol agents report instances of intelligence that was shared with Mexican law enforcement being fed to drug traffickers enabling them to get away or set up ambushes.
• On March 28 Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano expressed opposition to legislation pending in Arizona that would categorize the presence of an illegal immigrant as trespassing. She noted that when she was Arizona Governor she vetoed similar bills.
The media has reported that our federal government is rotating employees out of Mexico for their safety. U.S. citizens are being advised to limit travels into Mexico because of the violence and increasing targeting of civilians, especially U.S. citizens.
One must ask – where is this train going, and how bad does it have to get before the United States starts to act unilaterally? Perhaps that time is approaching. Or is it already too late?
OverButNotOut: You state,
“how bad does it have to get before the United States starts to act [UNILATERALLY]?
My Response:
We in the US can do a lot to reduce crime in both the US, Mexico and other drug exporting countries.
WE MUST DEAL WITH THE HIGH DEMAND OF ILLEGAL DRUGS IN THE US, and we can do this UNILATERALLY!
The drug dealers are fighting primarily among themselves for the LUCRATIVE drug routes INTO the US. (In the process they are corrupting law enforcement in Mexico and some in the US because this is a multi-billion industry into the USA; and with some innocents getting caught in the middle)
No amount of enforcement that focuses ONLY or PRIMARILY on the SUPPLY Side will solve this.
The high demand for illegal drugs in the USA destabilizes other countries.
Francisco Barragan (my opinion only)
We need to make drugs legal period, and the only reason they are not is due to the fact that drug cartels are most likely paying off the law makers..
We need to secure the border of Mexico with the Military!
I am concerned about simple statements like “secure the border of Mexico with the Military”
Although, on its face this seems like a “real” solution, I think it oversimplifies the issue.
1) The issue is we must secure ALL borders, not just the border with Mexico.
The border with Mexico is currently many times more secure than our other “Three borders” (West coast; East Coast and North border with Canada). When I was in the military we worried about the fact that less than 1% of containers coming through our coasts got inspected (which increases the risk of Biological/Chemical or “Dirty” bombs coming through).
We have been overemphasizing the border with Mexico, and diverting resources from the other borders, which actually has an unintended consequence of making us less safe from those other cross points.
2) The military is NOT trained for the mission envisioned at the border or borders.
3) The military is CRITICALLY SHORT-STAFFED, and will continue to be short-staffed especially critical given the current two wars in Iraq & Afghanistan/Pakistan; and our future conventional and non-conventional enemies.
4) Also, although we are engaged in a war against extremists/jihadists, to our knowledge no terrorist or jihadist has come through from Mexico. The jihadists are a very adaptable enemy and will exploit our less secure borders e.g. the Millenium Bomber who came across through Canada.
5) If my memory serves me correctly, we have also had enforcement and expenditures at the borders INCREASED by about 10 Fold to “catch and deport” about 400,000 illegals out of about 12 million.
see the link for the following report on some basic stats:
http://immigration.server263.com/index.php?content=f20050906
Again, we must address the issue of the HIGH demand for Illegal Drugs in the USA. Simply making drugs legal by itself will not help those addicted to drugs to get off drugs, which also further destabilizes our society.
If society were to decide on this, it would need to be accompanied with lots of drug avoidance education and drug rehab treatment to be successful, which in the long-term would be best for our society.
Francisco Barragan (my opinion only)
Yes we seem to almost have agreement, at least on the need to legalize drugs.
Treatment and a determined effort to reduce the use of drugs must also go along with it or it will not be an effective policy, this would need to include all drug abuse, even those drugs now considered legal are often abused.
Increased border security cannot be successful, just increasing the amount of guards or troops, just means more people will have to be bought off to assure that the supply reaches the market. Which will likely result in more violence in the long run as more are involved in the illegal profits
#3. Where did you go to school? I am aware of northern and southern U.S. borders, but east coast and west coast. When did the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans become borders?
Our resources are focused where the problem is the greatest. That is MEXICO! Mexico is a FAILED third world country like Yemen or Afghanistan. Many of the Mexican drug dealers (cartels) are nothing more than a bunch of uneducated thugs. They are no different than Islamic Terrorists or Sadams Republican Guards.
The violence in Mexico is creeping its’ way North.
#5: you comment, “Where did you go to school? I am aware of northern and southern U.S. borders, but east coast and west coast”
My response…
I hope that was an attempt at sarcasm.
If you look at my original post I placed our other “Three Borders” within quotes…I recognize it is NOT the same as a land border but it is a coastal border nevertheless, and East and West Coast are a point or port of entry into the US.
It is helpful to the both of us if you deal with the merit or lack of it of my comments.
I don’t disagree with you that the drug cartels are made up of thugs.
We may disagree on the LEVEL OF RESOURCES placed at the Mexican border AT THE EXPENSE of the 3 other “borders”; and the CAUSE of it.
The violence has always been concentrated at the border and focused primarily among the cartels to fight for control for drug routes into the US.
We help ourselves tremendously by dealing with our High DEMAND for illegal drugs in the US; and in the process we reduce tremendously the pressures on Mexico or other drug producing or other nations that act as transhipment points.
“I don’t disagree with you that the drug cartels are made up of thugs”.
I love your writing style and you obviously are a very intelligent, educated man… But if you have lived in a place with a military presence you would know that the presence of a military is in itself a deter.
Not legalizing drugs is insane… Adults have the right to make their own decisions when it comes to their bodies, it is not for the government to tell people what they can and can not do.
The argument of not legalizing drugs is safety.. how many people smoke pot while driving?? Alcohol kills more people than pot… I do not take pot my self because in general losers and wasters smoke it, but losers and wasters have the right to be losers and wasters.. the drug lords are happy to have the government protecting the losers and wasters from smoking the crap!
commons sense says let the losers and wasters buy pot at the local 7/11 so they don’t buy it from jose the mass murder!
Mexico is a failed corrupt third world country. Lucky for those who have left. Too bad for us the bulk of the illegal immigration in this country are uneducated ranch hands.
Michelle Q.
Even if I agree with you that the military may be a deterrent, my issue is still at what cost to our safety and security from other ports of entry, and at the risk of affecting the overall mission of our military do we do this.
I have lived in communities with a military presence, and having served in the military, (US Marines 1987-1994; and CA Army National Guard 1994-1997) I value and do not fear the military, what I fear is the MISUSE of our military which may distract from its mission.
Fruitty Pebbles:
You still have not addressed my points.
Not legalizing drugs is insane… Adults have the right to make their own decisions when it comes to their bodies, it is not for the government to tell people what they can and can not do… The argument of not legalizing drugs is safety.. how many people smoke pot while driving?? Alcohol kills more people than pot… … commons sense says let the losers and wasters buy pot at the local 7/11 so they don’t buy it from jose the mass murder!
100% correct twice a day: Stopped clocks, and Michelle Quinn!
The post is “The Trend of Violence from Mexico is Intensifying”. Is it already too late?
The time to act has passed. Mexico’s violence is encroaching the U.S. and with immigration reform Mexico’s violence will expand througout the country. Is anyone aware there is current discussion for a provision in immigration reform that will allow gang members to be granted citizenship if they denounce their gang?
Francisco,
I absolutely agree that all ports of entry should be sealed as tightly as possible.. But the issue at hand is the fact that drug lords are thugs who care not for anyones life, even their own.. so with this in mind who’s border should we focus on. If you are a military man, then you would understand that with a lack of men you use them where they are most needed!
Without a doubt gun running, drug and human smuggling needs to be addressed with force!
“100% correct twice a day: Stopped clocks, and Michelle Quinn!”
Are you saying i am the bees knee’s!
“On March 28 Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano expressed opposition to legislation pending in Arizona that would categorize the presence of an illegal immigrant as trespassing. She noted that when she was Arizona Governor she vetoed similar bills.”
Why do you think she would do this??
Simple, “Money”.. It is big business for a lot of business and the government to hire, cater too and use Mexican Citizens as bodies..
The Government are not going piss off big business and they are not going to let a shit load of Government employees go, now are they!
“The time to act has passed. Mexico’s violence is encroaching the U.S. and with immigration reform Mexico’s violence will expand througout the country. Is anyone aware there is current discussion for a provision in immigration reform that will allow gang members to be granted citizenship if they denounce their gang?”
Why do you not understand that the government does not care.. they do not live in your neighborhood, they do not send there children to public schools.. they are not effected by illegal immigration, they just make money off it!