U.S. taking steps on Mexican border to control violence

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http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/03/24/america/25border.php

U.S. taking steps on Mexican border to control violence

By Knowlton and Ginger Published: March 24, 2009

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration on Tuesday announced sharp increases in the

number of federal agents and the use of high technology along the Mexican

border, as part of a series of steps aimed as much at preventing violence from

spilling into the United States as at stemming the flow of drugs and money.

" The president is concerned by the increased level of violence, particularly in

Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana, and the impact that it is having on the communities

on both sides of the border, " said a White House statement released shortly

before a formal announcement.

The statement made no mention of soldiers being deployed on the border, a

measure that has been requested by the governors of Arizona and Texas. Those

states have been seeking urgent assistance as a wave of drug-related violence

tied to bloody battles between drug cartels has spread into cities across the

Southwest and beyond.

But Janet Napolitano, the homeland security secretary, told reporters that she

was still considering standby plans for the use of National Guard reserves. She

said she would be discussing the issue Thursday with Governor Rick of

Texas.

Among the measures announced Tuesday, along with the sharp increase in some

categories of border agents and analysts, will be the increased use of advanced

X-ray technology — the so-called virtual strip search that reveals a person's

undressed outline — and other equipment at ports of entry to detect weapons

being carried into Mexico. Some of the steps expand on measures taken under the

Bush administration.

The Homeland Security Department plans to double the size of both its border

enforcement task forces and its violent criminal aliens teams; to triple the

number of intelligence analysts along the southwest border, and to quadruple the

number of border liaison officers working with Mexican law enforcement

officials, the White House said.

Other American law enforcement agencies are also expanding their efforts along

the border; they plan to increase collaboration with Mexican officials to trace

weapons seized at crime scenes.

The Homeland Security secretary, Janet Napolitano, who was joining in the

announcement on Tuesday, said last week that " the key thing is to keep improving

on our interdiction of the weapons before they even get in there. "

Congress has already appropriated $700 million to support Mexican law

enforcement and judicial capacity. That money will, among other things, help

provide five helicopters and a surveillance aircraft to the Mexican military,

allow expanded use of inspection technology and furnish additional training to

strengthen the Mexican legal system.

The White House statement praised President Felipe Calderon of Mexico for his

efforts to confront and dismantle the cartels, saying that " we stand

shoulder-to-shoulder with him in that fight. "

" I don't think we can do this piecemeal, " President Barack Obama said last week

during a town-hall-style meeting in California. " I'm going to be working with

President Calderon in Mexico to figure out how we get control over the border

that's become more violent because of the drug trade. We have to combine that

with cracking down on employers who are exploiting undocumented workers. "