Monday, August 15, 2005
U.S. frustration with Mexico may be growing
By
Jerry Brewer
News reports of death and violence in Mexico are
near daily reading, with savagery taking place not only along the northern border and in states like Sinaloa, but in popular
resort areas such as Cancun and Acapulco.
In what is becoming old hat, the Gulf Cartel
and drug traffickers from Sinaloa fight for control of routes into the U.S. As
well, they are at war over marijuana and heroin production and supply in Mexico’s western states, including Guerrero
where Acapulco is located.
Guerrero Governor Zeferino Torreblanca Galindo
is now calling for the Mexican federal government to help him fight back. Torreblanca
has reported that the gangs killed more than 20 people in the resort area over the last year, with four execution-style killings
on August 10, 2005, alone. But it seems the governor is more mindful of tourism
implications, as he says that he “wants police, not soldiers” on the streets so as not to scare off some 1.5 million
visitors that include many Americans.
Irene Khan, the Secretary General of Amnesty International,
in turn is asking the Mexican government to keep its word concerning human rights. While
in Mexico City in early August, Khan participated in a public forum for political parties in the upcoming presidential election
campaign, and she reminded them, “Mexico has made the promise of human rights, it has adopted international obligations.”
Khan slammed home the issue of the murders
of more than 300 young women in and around Ciudad Juarez over the last decade. “There
is no confidence among the mothers about the intention of the government both at state level and the federal level, because
these are women who have been waiting ten years for justice.”
Meanwhile, back in Nuevo Laredo the drug war continues
without the usual details as journalists have stopped investigating and reporting. Many
of their colleagues have been killed and threatened. Daniel Rosa, the managing
editor of the daily El Maņana in Nuevo Laredo said: “It is the new trend of drug gangs — journalists are warned,
paid off, or killed.” The editor of El Maņana, Roberto Garcia, was stabbed
to death on March 19, 2004.
The journalists complain that corruption makes it
impossible for them to research their stories accurately. Yet more serious, the
reporters note that Tamaulipas is the most dangerous place to work in Mexico. Since
January there have been at least 108 execution-style murders, whereas over the last year 173 people have disappeared, including
23 still missing Americans.
In February a reporter with the Televisa TV
network was gunned down after airing a report on the paramilitary group known as the Zetas.
The Zetas were accused of involvement in the disappearances of both Mexicans and Americans in Nuevo Laredo, but the
TV coup-de-grace probably came when the broadcaster said municipal police back the Zetas, and that they have an informant
in the Mexican Army.
Nearly 1,000 soldiers, federal agents and police
were sent to the border in Nuevo Laredo in June, a show of force that left a current legacy of 50 new killings, bringing the
body count to 110.
Recent attacks on U.S. Border Patrol agents in the
Tucson Sector, and reports of armed paramilitary types crossing into the U.S. in apparent efforts to escort drug loads, is
now prompting U.S. government officials to step up to the plate with a no nonsense agenda.
At the state level, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson
has declared states of emergency in four border counties due to crime and unlawful migration.
He also wants to fence an area near the border. Richardson said this is
due to “violence directed at law enforcement, damage to property and livestock, increased evidence of drug smuggling,
and an increase in the number of undocumented immigrants.”
Richardson further stated in a rather bold tone that
the border situation “constitutes an emergency condition with potentially catastrophic consequences.”
The Mexican government immediately criticized Richardson’s
decision, claiming that his actions “don’t jibe with the spirit of cooperation and understanding.”
As to Nuevo Laredo, reportedly Mexico is showing
considerable sensitivity to U.S. criticism regarding the region’s violence. One
of the active critics is Congressman Henry Cuellar (D, Texas), who has been urging Mexican officials to control and end the
violence.
However last week Cuellar said that the “Mexican
government has been offered all sorts of U.S. help to deal with the problem, but has refused.” Furthermore, Cuellar declared that Mexican officials appear unwilling to do what it takes to deal with
the growing problem.
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Jerry Brewer is Vice President of Criminal Justice International Associates, a global risk mitigation firm headquartered
in Montgomery, Alabama. He can be reached via e-mail at Cjiaincusa@aol.com
