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 Americas & Beyond | May 2008 
US Border Governors Head to Mexico as Violence Rises
 Juliet Williams - Associated Press
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| | Two migrants stand next to a sign that reads Mexico after being deported from the United States at the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana, Mexico, Tuesday, May 27, 2008. (AP/Guillermo Arias) | | |
Sacramento, Calif. - Governors from both sides of the border are meeting in Mexico City to push for more crime-fighting and border security amid unprecedented violence in Mexico.
The governors of California, Texas and New Mexico planned to offer support to Mexican President Calderon on Thursday for his crackdown against the drug trade, in which he has deployed more than 20,000 federal troops across Mexico.
Cartels have responded with increasingly bold attacks against police and other security officials. On Tuesday, seven federal officers were killed in a shootout at a suspected drug safe house.
Beyond policy talks, it's not clear what the U.S. governors and the governors of the six Mexican states will be able to accomplish, because many of the actions they are seeking require congressional approval.
The coalition made a similar anti-crime appeal to President Bush in February, but progress has been slow. Still, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration says the partnership and continued pressure already have produced results.
Federal Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff has boosted the number of workers at key border crossings, reducing wait times, said Dan Dunmoyer, Schwarzenegger's cabinet secretary.
However, the wait at some border crossings can drag on for hours — slowing trade and adding to pollution as diesel trucks idle. Schwarzenegger is seeking a joint agreement aimed at cutting wait times in half by 2013.
The coalition also seeks a six-month extension of Operation Jump Start, Bush's initiative to place National Guard troops at the border to help local and federal authorities with immigration enforcement. The administration has been noncommittal about its plans for the initiative, which began in mid-2006.
Bush has used the wave of violence in Mexico to further an anti-crime legislative package. He is urging Congress to approve the first $500 million installment of a proposed $1.4 billion law enforcement aid package known as the Merida Initiative to combat drug crime in Mexico.
Calderon has called on U.S. lawmakers not to put further conditions on the funding. Schwarzenegger wants to see some of the money go toward helping U.S. states fight organized crime.
Among the other issues the U.S. governors hope to address are a joint plan to more quickly respond to natural disasters along the border and environmental protection, particularly in joint waterways.
Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano is also part of the coalition but won't attend Thursday's meetings because of a scheduling conflict, spokeswoman Jeanine L'Ecuyer said.
Associated Press writer Mark Stevenson in Mexico City contributed to this report. |
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