U.S. - Mexico Relations

Hate Media: The Poisoning of Minds

2010-05-05T18:46:00.000-07:00

Immigration. It is a word that stirs people in different ways. For those who have lived the word, it brings memories of a
struggle to survive and seek a better life. For others, it is a word that is brings to mind a political policy that is broken and in
dire need of repair. But for some, it is a word that arises boiling levels of hatred and anger. These extreme emotions can be
seen vented on cable television stations, they can be heard on far-right wing radio shows, and they acted out by those filled with a blind rage.

In doing research for a recent college paper I was struck to find how many negative comments were posted online after nearly every article I read on immigration. It seemed that just the mention of immigration influenced people to bring out their most vicious opinions. I began to wonder, “How is such deep hatred instilled in people?” Unfortunately, this question would take years, and even a lifetime to properly address. What I have witnessed, however, is that those who fill their eyes and ears with hate, see and hear only more hate in the world. On many occasions I have listened to people repeat the negative views that they have heard on political radio, and seen on political TV stations that stimulate contempt for immigrants. I’m not the only one who has witnessed the damaging affects that hate radio and TV has on the minds of people.

In January, The National Hispanic Media Coalition and the Institute for Public Representation at Georgetown University Law Center, asked the FCC to investigate the pervasiveness of hate speech on public airwaves and how it affects the Latino community. The members requesting the investigation felt that the media was perpetuating much of the hatred and negative views against Latinos, immigrant and citizens. Their views were based on a recent rise in hate crimes towards Latinos. According to a report put out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, “in 2007, Hispanics comprised 61.7 percent of victims of crimes motivated by a bias toward the victims’ ethnicity or national origin.” The report states that the number of Hispanic victims of racial attacks rose from 639 in 2002, to 830 in 2007. These statistics offer proof that there is a growing hostility toward people of Hispanic origin. I believe that it is important for the FCC to do a full investigation to find how much of a role hate media plays in perpetuating such acts of violence. The spread of dangerous anti-immigrant rhetoric only persuades people to believe that their anger is indeed acceptable. However, this anger is not acceptable when it results in the beating and murder of innocent human beings.

In December of 2008 an Ecuadorian man died after he was bludgeoned with a glass bottle and a baseball bat. Witnesses of the attack over heard the aggressors yelling anti-Hispanic slurs at the man while he was being beaten. In the same year a 25-year-old, Luis Eduardo Ramirez Zavala, was beaten and killed by teenagers who were overheard yelling, “Go back to Mexico!” And in Patchogue, New York last year, seven high school students killed 37-year-old Marcelo Lucero after beating him and stabbing him in the chest. The teenagers committed the murder after spending their day targeting other Hispanics in less deadly hate crimes. Again I ask myself, “How is such hatred instilled in people?” The factor of hate radio and television is difficult to ignore. Do these station realize that dangerous rhetoric breeds dangerous actions?

In conclusion I turn to the future. President Obama has announced that he plans to address immigration reform within his first term as president. With this announcement I cannot help but have a sense of uneasiness. I have this feeling because I know that there are those in the U.S. that are extremely anti-immigration, and that some are more than willing to vent their anger over the airwaves. Those who write about and condone hate speech must be aware of the deadly effect that it can produce. And those who have negative views of immigrants should seriously consider the ramifications that occur when people blindly judge each other. One only needs to look to the past to see the disastrous effects of discrimination, division, and misguided hatred.

Bibliography

Bernard, Anne. “Assaults on Latinos Spur Inquiry.” The New York Times 12 Jan. 2009. 24 Apr. 2009 .
Latinos against hate speech. 24 Apr. 2009 .
“Marcelo Lucero.” News Day dot com. 23 Apr. 2009. 24 Apr. 2009 .
Romero, Romona E. “Immigrants becoming targets of attacks.” The Philidelphia Inquirer 25 Jan. 2009. 24 Apr. 2009 .
Torres, Joe. “FCC to Investigate Link Between Hate Speech and Hate Crimes.” New American Media. 3 Feb. 2009. 24 Apr. 2009 .

Latino support among Democratic Party

2009-11-29T14:51:00.000-08:00

The Obama administration is keeping a close eye on recent data about Latino support for the Democratic Party. The Associated Press recently published an article that focus on some of the challenges the administration faces in order to keep Latino Democratic approval high, the number one challenge being immigration reform.

Currently Latino support for president Obama is high with some estimates indicating as much as seventy percent approval rating, but that could change if immigration reform is not addressed within the next year. The AP article quoted National Council of La Raza President Janet Murguia saying, "Our community will judge him based on how he delivers on the promise he made to see immigration reform early in his administration."

High office appointments of Latinos is one reason that Obama's approval has remained high among Latino groups. According to an article on news website Arizona dot com, Obama has appointed 43 Latinos to top levels in his administration, the highest number of any president.

Another example of Obama's efforts to retain Latino support is the attention he has given to Hispanic media. Since taking office, Obama has given interviews to Telemundo, Univision, and the popular radio show Piolin.

Latino approval ratings will continue to be a huge issue to both Democrats and Republicans heading into next year's Congressional elections, and with the Latino population estimated to double by 2050 expect to see a larger effort made by both parties to acquire the Latino vote.

NPR related material:

Taking The Pulse Of Obama\'s Latino Support

November 2, 2009 | NPR· Going into Election Day last year pundits questioned whether then-candidate Barack Obama would appeal to Latino voters. In the end, he received 70 percent of the Latino vote, but where does that support lie today? Host Michel Martin talks with Linda Chavez, chair of the Center for Equal Opportunity, and Fernand Amandi, executive vice president of Bendixen and Associates, a public opinion research firm that specializes in multi-cultural and multi-lingual polls.

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Latino Voters Defy Pundits, Vote For Obama

November 7, 2008 | NPR· Latino voters were a crucial demographic that helped Barack Obama win the White House. Luis Clemens, a journalist who covers Hispanic politics, tells Renee Montagne that the bad economy influenced Latinos more than other demographics to vote for Obama.

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Credit:

Obama image: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-05/26/xin_4520506270621140269582.jpg

Mexico updates border infrastructure

2009-11-27T16:02:00.000-08:00

In a move to slow the flow of weapons and drug money to cartel gangs, the Mexican government is updating their border entry points with new infrastructure. The improvements include newer gates, vehicle scales and cameras that will be used to prevent and detect illegal items from getting into Mexico.

One port that will see a significant change in border security will be in the Tijuana region. The Los Angeles Times reports that, "license-plate photographs will be run against a criminal database in Mexico City; a scale and vehicle-scanning system will determine if the car may be overloaded with contraband; and canine units will roam the area.”

In a separate move to combat cartel activity, Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, is set to test an anonymous international crime tip system. The system’s purpose is to allow people in Mexico to report crimes without having to worry about corrupt police officers intercepting the call and retaliating. The program will begin in December.

Credit: post image: http://www.welt.de/multimedia/archive/1237976118000/00779/eng_mexico_teaser_B_779148g.jpg

U.S. assistance to Mexico to continue

2009-11-24T11:29:00.000-08:00

The Merida Initiative established under the Bush administration to help combat drug cartels in Mexico is set to end next year. Recent announcements from the Obama administration, however, detail continued support toward Mexico’s drug battle by means of funding and training.

An article by the Dallas Morning News quoted a senior Obama administration official saying that the U.S. and Mexico are going to employ tactics different from those under the Merida Initiative. “U.S. and Mexican officials are looking for ways to gradually move the focus of their efforts from dismantling and disrupting cartels to strengthening Mexico's weak democratic institutions and weeding out corruption.”

One way that the U.S. hopes to help improve Mexico’s military and police operations is by assisting in the development of Platform Mexico, a computer network used to connect Mexican Authorities with U.S. law enforcement databases. An article in the Washington Post quoted the director of Platform Mexico, José Francisco Niembro González: "This is one of our most important reforms because if you don't have the intelligence, the information, you are just reacting. This will make us proactive."

In addition to Platform Mexico, the U.S. has funded a training academy for Mexican police officers in San Luis Potosi which plans to have more that 10,000 graduates by Spring 2010. The cadets must participate in an intensive 7-week training course in basic detective work taught by instructors from Canada, the United States and Columbia, working together with Mexican agents.

Image Credit

Mexico Flag: http://www.flickr.com/photos/esparta/367002402/sizes/s/

U.S. Flag: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nostri-imago/3415734920/sizes/s/

Border update

2009-11-19T13:14:00.001-08:00

The BBC recently put out a multimedia story titled Mexico’s Juarez on a path to anarchy, which explains the perspective of people living in the town. The article points out that one belief is that the drug war is the result of poverty and political corruption.

On poverty, one Mexican journalist is quoted in the article:

"We have an unsustainable economy - a globalised economy - which pays very low wages. That allowed an alternative economy to be created which also globalised - drugs. Both economies are playing here. Juarez is a very important place for both."

And on corruption, a Mexican business man is quoted:

"Nothing functions well, therefore anyone can take advantage of the system. So what we're seeing now is a [illegal] drug industry that's taking advantage of the system - of the way things work.

"And to get rid of it like the federal government is trying to do now is going to cause a lot of problems. So this violence is a consequence of all this."

The problems occuring at border areas in Mexico has led officials in the U.S. to try and find ways to help remedy the situation. One idea that keeps coming up is gun control. Former head of U.S. Custom and Border Protection under both Bush administrations, Robert C. Bonner, is advocating for the reinstitution of a ban on assault weapons. An article from the Washington Times wrote that Bonner is calling for the United States to tighten security along its border and to further investigate gun sellers in the U.S.

Bonner was quoted as saying that the solution to these problems must be tackled by both the U.S. and Mexico.

"But successful efforts will require closer collaboration between U.S. and Mexican border law enforcement agencies, and this will depend on strengthening law enforcement capacity in the border region, including enhancing the professionalism of enforcement agencies to make them more corruption-resistant," he said.

One growing issue of concern is a press release put out by the Texas Department of Public Safety titled,Mexican cartels and gangs recruiting in Texas schools (pdf). The warning states that there is a growing trend of cartels trying to entice young people into becoming drug smugglers along the border. "The Mexican cartels constantly seek new ways to smuggle drugs and humans into Texas are now using state based gangs and our youth to support their operations on both sides of the border."

Napalitano announces "three legged stool approach"

2009-11-19T11:43:00.000-08:00

In an announcement at the Center for American Progress, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napalitano told attendees that the Obama administration will push for legislation to overhaul the immigration system early next year.

Napalitano’s laid out a so called “three-legged-stool” approach:

“Let me be clear: when I talk about 'immigration reform,' I’m referring to what I call the 'three-legged stool' that includes a commitment to serious and effective enforcement, improved legal flows for families and workers, and a firm but fair way to deal with those who are already here,” said Napalitano.

In response to the news, two north Texas churches have developed a holiday postcard campaign. The churches hope to send 250,000 cards to members of Congress urging immigration reform. The primary message of the card will be that families in the U.S. are being torn apart by current immigration laws. This separation usually occurs when families are of mixed status. Put another way, when one or both parents are undocumented and children in the family are documented.

NPR Related Material:

Increasing Drug Seizures, Decreasing Arrests Along Border

2009-11-10T14:34:00.000-08:00

The number of arrests along the United States –Mexico border has declined by 23% so far this year. An article in the Wall Street Journal reports that:

“U.S. border apprehensions dropped to 556,041 in fiscal year 2009 -- which ended Sept. 30 -- compared with 723,825 in the 2008 fiscal year. Border apprehensions have fallen nearly 67% decline since fiscal year 2000, when the border patrol made 1,675,438 arrests.”

Government officials have also said that as the number of arrests has fallen, the number of drug seizures has actually risen. The reason for increasing drug seizures, according to the Wall Street Journal article, is because the drop in arrests due to illegal border crossings has allowed the government to shift more of their resources toward illicit trafficking.

The decrease in arrests and increase in drug seizures has been attributed to a weak economy in the U.S. combined with tighter security along the border. The number of border patrol agents has increased from 11,000 in 2004 to 20,000 in 2009. Additionally, funding for the border patrol has risen from $6 billion in the 2004 fiscal year, to $10.9 billion in the last fiscal year.

Two recently reported drug seizures along the border were in the El Paso Times yesterday. The seizures both took place along the Fort Hancock Port of Entry, and included

• Two individuals caught crossing the border on Friday carrying 218 pounds of marijuana worth $170, 752.
• Two individuals being pulled over during immigration stop. After the vehicle was pulled over the driver and passenger fled. Later, 375 pounds of marijuana worth more $300, 275 were found inside the abandoned vehicle.

In the near future, expect to see this data being used by the Obama administration as a strategy to win support from Congress for an immigration overhaul. Also expect to hear some details about the administration’s plans this Friday when Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano gives a speech at the Center for American Progress.

Related Material:

Border-crossers-bring-fear-of-Mexican-gangs

credits: border patrol image:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ocosma/1427410581/

Texas Tribune Reports on Border issues

2009-11-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

Surrounded by a lot of hype, the online non-profit news start-up The Texas Tribune launched today. There is much to be said about the website's fresh approach to the news, but for the sake of this blog I will discuss the attention that the site has paid to U.S. - Mexico issues.

Perhaps the first thing I noticed on the site was the topics page. Here, you have Tribune coverage organized by topic sections. In the leader to the topics page there were three issues that jumped out at me: border cameras, immigration, and the Texas-Mexico border.

When you click on each topic you will be directed to a page that gives some history and recent developments regarding the topic. I was really impressed by the use of links in the descriptions because each link was extremely relevant and very useful in understanding the topic at hand. Underneath each description you will find a list of relevant stories written by Tribune staffers. So far there aren't many stories, but the site was just launched today and expect to see many more in the future.

I was happy to come to this site today and find that the Tribune has a devoted an area to U.S. - Mexico relations. It will be interesting to see how well the Tribune reports on the issue, and to observe how much coverage they devote to this extremely critical topic.

Increasing Violence on the Border

2009-10-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

News outlets across the nation reported Tuesday that the border city Juarez has exceeded 2,000 homicides this year alone, making it one of the most violent areas in the world outside of declared war zones.

Perhaps most startling is the rate in which the killings have increased. Before 2008 Juarez had about 200 homicides annually, but in 2008 that number soared to 1,600 killings by the year's end. Now, with two months to go before this year's end, the number has jumped again to exceed 2,000. The Houston Chronicle released an article in which they interviewed Tony Payan, a professor at the University of El Paso who has been studying the problem in Juarez. Payan is quoted in the article saying:

“Having hitched itself [Juarez] successfully to American patterns of consumption, including drug consumption, it has also become the one city where the crunch of the war on drugs and the worldwide financial crisis have had a very heavy impact,” Payan said. “Tens of thousands of young men roam the streets with little or no hope of obtaining a job, of receiving drug treatment, of escaping the cycle of violence.”

“And the possibility of violence, which also encapsulates the possibility of making some money, draws them back into the eye of the storm. And thus, they are falling dead right and left.”

The situation in Juarez and other border towns has left many in the U.S. questioning if the cartel violence will spread to the U.S. Just yesterday, the San Antonio Express reported that “several” people were killed in a shoot-out between cartel members and Mexican Police at the border town of Nuevo Laredo. The fire-fight took place in front of a day care center as parents were picking up their children from school. The SAE reported that no children or parents were killed, but that one woman suffered minor cuts from a piece of shattered glass. The article also stated that, “the Texas Department of Public Safety sent a helicopter at the request of Mexican authorities to help provide reinforcements, and as many as 20 troopers were sent to the border in case anyone tried to crash the bridge.” Officials were quoted in the article saying that as of late Wednesday, none of the suspects had tried to cross the border.

The question of whether drug cartel operations have filtered into the U.S. was arguably answered today when the U.S. Justice department announced that they have arrested 300 suspects accused of having ties to the La Familia drug cartel network. In the memo sent out by the Justice Department, Attorney General Eric Holder said:

“This unprecedented, coordinated U.S. law enforcement action - the largest ever undertaken against a Mexican drug cartel - has dealt a significant blow to La Familia’s supply chain of illegal drugs, weapons and cash flowing between Mexico and the United States.”

“We will not allow these cartels to operate unfettered in our country, and with the increases in cooperation between U.S. and Mexican authorities in recent years, we are taking the fight to our adversaries. We will continue to stand strong with our partners in Mexico as we work to disrupt and dismantle cartel operations on both sides of the border."

Further, an article in the Dallas Morning News indicated that 84 of the 300 La Familia arrests took place in Dallas. The DMN article also stated that they acquired a criminal complaint filed in Dallas in which “investigators from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives claim that operatives of La Familia shipped hundreds of firearms from the United States to Mexico over the past 12 months.”

NPR related material:

Police Find 9 Decapitated Bodies In Western Mexico

October 16, 2009 | NPR· The state Public Safety Department said the bodies and severed heads were inside 18 plastic bags left in the bed of the truck, which was found blocking a highway in the town of Tlapehuala late Thursday. Police also found a threatening message attributed to the drug cartel known as La Familia.

Narcocorridos: Ballads Of The Mexican Cartels

October 10, 2009 | NPR· The news of Mexico\'s bloody cartel war is reflected in a controversial folk-music genre called narcocorridos, or drug ballads. They\'re like journalism put to song — telling stories of drug lords, arrests, shootouts, daring operations and betrayals. But, like the cartel war itself, writing corridos about drug traffickers can be risky business.

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Mexico\'s \'La Familia\' Cartel Mixes Spiritualism, Crime

October 1, 2009 | NPR· The Mexican government\'s war against drug cartels over the past three years has claimed more than 11,000 lives, snared thousands of alleged criminals and brought down scores of politicians. One of the newer cartels being pursued by President Felipe Calderon\'s administration is La Familia, a group that mixes politics, spiritualism and violence.

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Marijuana policy's affect on drug cartels

2009-10-20T14:56:00.000-07:00

The Justice Department’s announcement that federal prosecutors are to back off medical-marijuana users has spurred a high level of debate between advocates and opponents. One primary topic of this debate is how the change in policy will effect Mexican drug cartels that gain much of their revenue from the sale of marijuana.

In a memo released to federal prosecutors, Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden wrote that the Department of Justice is still committed to the enforcement of the illegal sale and distribution of marijuana. The memo mentioned that illegal drug trafficking “provides a significant source of revenue to large-scale criminal enterprises, gangs, and cartels.” In addition, the memo stated that the prosecution of illegal drug activity was a “core priority” of the department, but that medical marijuana should be treated differently than illegal marijuana use. Ogden wrote, “As a general matter, pursuit of these priorities should not focus federal resources in your States on individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana.”

Representative Lamar Smith of Texas is one vocal critic of the new medical-marijuana policy. On his website, Smith is quoted as saying:

“For the past ten months, the Obama administration has promised robust drug enforcement efforts to help address cartel-operated marijuana fields in our national parks and drug-related violence along the U.S.-Mexico border. But we cannot hope to eradicate the drug trade if we do not first address the cash cow for most drug trafficking organizations—marijuana. Illegal marijuana sales in the U.S. help fund the illegal drug trade.”

Smith’s logic implies that the easing of prosecutions on medical-marijuana could benefit cartels and other organizations in the illegal drug trade. However, an article in the Los Angeles Times stated that one priority of the department’s new marijuana policy is “countering the violent Mexican drug cartels, which use vast profits from their U.S. marijuana sales to support other criminal activities.” The Justice Department's plan is opposite to Smith’s suggestion that the policy will help cartels, and the department is betting that the change in direction will allow federal officials to focus more of their energy on illegal drug traffickers, instead of those who are using marijuana legally.

NPR related material:

Government Issues Medical Marijuana Guidelines

October 19, 2009 | NPR· Federal agents won\'t pursue pot-smoking patients or their sanctioned suppliers in states that allow medical marijuana, under new legal guidelines issued Monday by the Obama administration.

U.S. Shifts Stance On Medical Marijuana

October 19, 2009 | NPR· U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is discouraging federal prosecutors from going after people who comply with state laws on medical marijuana. It\'s a significant departure from the Bush administration.

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Wanted: Professional Pot Critic

October 18, 2009 | NPR· Voters in the state elected to legalize medical marijuana almost a decade ago. But this year, there has been a boom in the number of dispensaries. Now, the Denver alternative-weekly newspaper, Westword, is seeking a freelance pot critic. Host Liane Hansen speaks to Westword editor Patricia Calhoun about the alternative weekly\'s search for a medical marijuana critic.

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Ban on Automatic Weapons Urged

2009-10-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

According to the AP news, The Bi national Task Force on the United States-Mexico Border has recommended that the U.S. should immediately instate an assault weapons ban in order to improve the security of both the U.S. and Mexico.

One co-chairman of the Task Force, Robert Bonner, was quoted in the AP saying, “Improving our efforts ... will weaken the drug cartels and disrupt their illegal activities, and make it easier ultimately to dismantle and destroy them.”

In 1994 President Clinton instated an assault weapons ban. According to a Newsweek article, that ban lapsed five years ago and since then the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has “lifted virtually all restrictions on imports of foreign-made assault weapons, permitting a flood of cheap Romanian, Bulgarian and other Eastern European AK-47s to enter the country, according to gun-control groups.”

At the end of the 1994 assault weapons ban, the NRA put out a press release titled “Finally, the end of a sad era – Clinton Gun Ban stricken from the books!” The release argued that the gun ban was a “misguided law, which had no effect on the actions of criminals, but penalized law-abiding citizens, [and] was built on a campaign of lies. It was ended through a campaign of education, facts, and grassroots activism. The sunset of this ban was only made possible through the tireless efforts of millions of NRA members and tens of millions of American gun owners over the past 10 years.”

In February of 2009 Attorney General Eric Holder told the press that the Obama administration planned to reinstate the assault weapons ban. However, the Obama administration has since put the assault weapons ban on the back burner, claiming that Congress is too tied up with economic recovery and health care to deal with the ban at this time.

Immigration Detention to be Reformed

2009-10-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

High reports of abuse and mismanagement has led the Obama administration to alter the way that immigrants are detained. In one new plan announced on October 5, immigrants awaiting deportation would now be held in hotels and hospitals converted into detention centers. This system would be different from the current immigrant detention system which includes holding immigrants in U.S. jails and prisons. According to an article by the BBC, accusations have been made that current detainees receive poor medical care and are denied due process. The BBC states that, "On 1 September, 2009, ICE had 31,075 immigrants in detention at more than 300 facilities across the US." The article goes on to describe how the majority of this population, 66 percent, were subject to mandatory detention, and that the other 51 percent were felons, and that 11% of those had committed violent crimes while the majority were seen as low risk.

The overhaul to immigrant detention was explained in a New York Times interview with Janet Napalitano, the secretary of homeland security. In the interview, Napalitano said that it was wrong to send those accused of immigration violations to jails and private prisons. "'Serious felons deserve to be in the prison model,' Ms. Napolitano said, 'but there are others. There are women. There are children.'"

In addition, the Fort Worth Star Telegram released an article stating that part of the Obama plan would "permit additional nonviolent illegal immigrants to await deportation proceedings wearing ankle bracelets outside prison walls rather than locked up in costly jail cells." Federal officials were quoted as saying that this process would keep families together, reduce the number of imprisoned immigrants without criminal records, and save money.

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Global Public Policy Forum at UTEP

2009-10-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

As the drug violence along the Texas-Mexico border continues, most seem dumbfounded as to how to address the problem. Last week, The University of Texas at El Paso hosted a bi-national drug conference to talk about the problems in order to better understand them. The conference hosted 30 speakers from both Mexico and the U.S.

An article by the San Antonio Express News quoted retired federal agent Terry Nelson as saying, “The global war on drugs is probably the greatest public policy failure of all time.” The Express article goes on to quote a California state judge, James Gray, as saying that drug crimes are one large part of why the U.S. leads the world in incarceration of their own people.

The El Paso Newspaper Tree, an online news site, pointed out in their coverage that two Obama admistation officials opted out of the conference at the last minute. “At a panel discussion organized by the El Paso Press Club on Saturday, UTEP Professor Kathy Staudt announced that President Obama’s border czar Alan Bersin and National drug control policy czar Gil Kerlikowske surprised organizers by bowing out days before the start of the conference.”

The fact that the federal officials did not show up was no surprise to El Paso County Sheriff Richard Wiles. “"I don't know why you're all so surprised about the federal government's unwillingness to address this because, quite frankly, they've ignored the problem for years, and that's why we're in the situation we're in now," Wiles told the Newspaper Tree.

Perry to Deploy "Recon Rangers"

2009-10-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

In what he is calling a move to make Texans more secure, Texas governor Rick Perry has announced the deployment of a special team of Texas Rangers along the Texas-Mexico border. The special team is being called the “Recon Rangers” and was described in the Fort Worth Star Telegram as “resembling a military style commando unit in a foreign war zone.” In addition to the recon team, Perry has asked that a 200 member task force of Texas’ National Guard be deployed to assist in the operations. Perry said that in August of this year the team of recon rangers began monitoring private farms and ranches where cartels and human trafficking activities are thought to occur.

In a speech in Irving, Texas on September 10, Perry said that the creation of the recon rangers is necessary because the federal government has not paid enough attention to violence on the Texas-Mexico border. "Texas continues to deal with the federal government's abject failure to secure our international border," and he added later that “I have no idea why Washington has been so averse to defending, securing the Southern border."

Some have accused Perry of using the border issue as a way to charge up his campaign. An article by the Houston Chronicle quoted Senator Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, as saying, “Rick Perry gets real revved up right around election time. From border cameras to failed DPS funding, his border security measures have been abject failures.” Some of the local officials have also voiced their opinions about Perry’s plan. Laredo’s mayor, Raul Salinas, said that he is glad that Rangers have been deployed but would “appreciate coordination and cooperation with local authorities, because we can be of assistance. … We're the first responders in combating the drug cartels.”