Pew Global Attitudes Project: "... fewer than half (45%) of Mexicans say their government is making progress in its campaign against drug cartels; 29% say the government is losing ground and 25% say things are about the same as they have been in the past.
Still, an overwhelming majority (83%) continues to endorse the use of the Mexican army to fight drug traffickers, virtually unchanged in recent years. Moreover, many welcome U.S. help in training Mexican police and military personnel (74%) and providing money and weapons to Mexican police and military forces (64%)."
Aug 31, 2011
Mexico Drug War: Mexico Casino Arson Suspects Deny Intending Massacre
InSight Crime: "Mexican authorities paraded five men accused of the Monterrey casino arson attack, who allegedly told investigators that they had not intended to kill so many people. Nuevo Leon Governor Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz told press that the men were members of the Zetas drug gang, and that they had confessed to lighting the blaze.
The suspects reportedly told police that they had intended to give a warning to the casino's owner to make extortion payments, but that "everything had got out of control." Prosecutors confirmed that the gunmen had told security guards to evacuate the casino before they set it on fire. This fits with InSight Crime's analysis, which pointed out that criminal groups would be unlikely to carry out such a deadly attack over an extortion payment."
The suspects reportedly told police that they had intended to give a warning to the casino's owner to make extortion payments, but that "everything had got out of control." Prosecutors confirmed that the gunmen had told security guards to evacuate the casino before they set it on fire. This fits with InSight Crime's analysis, which pointed out that criminal groups would be unlikely to carry out such a deadly attack over an extortion payment."
Mexico Border: Napolitano wants National Guard to stay on Mexican border
Washington Times: "Funding for National Guard troops on the U.S.-Mexico border runs out in another month, but Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Tuesday she would like to see them stay there — if Congress or the Defense Department can find the money.
Ms. Napolitano, a former prosecutor and then governor of Arizona who is the Obama administration’s point person on the border and immigration, also defended new guidelines that immigrant rights groups say could halt deportations of 300,000 illegal immigrants, saying her goal is to focus on immigrants with criminal records rather than rank-and-file illegal workers and their families."
Ms. Napolitano, a former prosecutor and then governor of Arizona who is the Obama administration’s point person on the border and immigration, also defended new guidelines that immigrant rights groups say could halt deportations of 300,000 illegal immigrants, saying her goal is to focus on immigrants with criminal records rather than rank-and-file illegal workers and their families."
Aug 30, 2011
Mexico Drug War Bloodshed: Mass Graves with 12 Bodies Found in North Mexico
InSight Crime: "Two mass graves, containing a total of 12 bodies, were found in the north Mexico state of Chihuahua, one of the regions worst hit by drug violence."
Weapons Trafficking: ATF head Kenneth Melson reassigned amid gun-trafficking probe
The Washington Post: "The ATF head has been reassigned amid an investigation into a controversial U.S. gun-trafficking operation, part of a broader shake-up at the Justice Department in which the U.S. attorney in Phoenix also stepped down, officials said Tuesday.
Kenneth E. Melson, acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, will become a senior adviser on forensic science in the department’s Office of Legal Policy. He will be replaced as acting director at ATF by B. Todd Jones, the U.S. attorney in Minnesota, the department said in a statement."
Kenneth E. Melson, acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, will become a senior adviser on forensic science in the department’s Office of Legal Policy. He will be replaced as acting director at ATF by B. Todd Jones, the U.S. attorney in Minnesota, the department said in a statement."
Mexico Drug War: New nadir in Mexican drugs war puts PAN in trouble
Reuters: "Hopes that Mexico's conservative ruling party would usher in an era of clean government and establish order have given away to despair as drugs war violence increasingly hits ordinary civilians..
.. Mexican voters, who elect a new president in July 2012, are growing tired of government assurances that it is winning the war as new milestones in violence are reached. ... A recent opinion survey showed the PAN's (President Calderon's party) level of support at less than 20 percent, roughly half that of the PRI (which controlled Mexico for seventy years). Calderon is barred by law from seeking re-election but his government's record on security campaign will be a key election issue."
.. Mexican voters, who elect a new president in July 2012, are growing tired of government assurances that it is winning the war as new milestones in violence are reached. ... A recent opinion survey showed the PAN's (President Calderon's party) level of support at less than 20 percent, roughly half that of the PRI (which controlled Mexico for seventy years). Calderon is barred by law from seeking re-election but his government's record on security campaign will be a key election issue."
Mexico Drug War: Narco-Epiphany: Is Calderón Suggesting the U.S. Legalize Drugs? - Global Spin - TIME.com
Tim Padgett, a Time magazine columnist, speculates on the meaning of President Calderon's comment that the U.S. "should seek market alternatives" to drug prohibition, which provides "the criminals' stratospheric profits."
TIME.com: "As Calderón often does during the lowest moments of the drug war ... he railed on Friday at the U.S. for its “insatiable” drug consumption and its refusal to ban the sale of assault weapons that too often get smuggled south of the border. But it was this part of his speech, which suggests Washington should pursue “market alternatives” in order to diminish the drug cartels' $30 billion annual revenues, that has sparked speculation:
"If [the Americans] are determined and resigned to consume drugs, then they should seek market alternatives in order to cancel the criminals' stratospheric profits, or establish clear points of access [to drugs]. But this situation can't go on." The big question is whether “market alternatives” was Calderón code for drug legalization, "
TIME.com: "As Calderón often does during the lowest moments of the drug war ... he railed on Friday at the U.S. for its “insatiable” drug consumption and its refusal to ban the sale of assault weapons that too often get smuggled south of the border. But it was this part of his speech, which suggests Washington should pursue “market alternatives” in order to diminish the drug cartels' $30 billion annual revenues, that has sparked speculation:
"If [the Americans] are determined and resigned to consume drugs, then they should seek market alternatives in order to cancel the criminals' stratospheric profits, or establish clear points of access [to drugs]. But this situation can't go on." The big question is whether “market alternatives” was Calderón code for drug legalization, "
Mexico Human Rights: Mexico Counts Missing on Day of the Disappeared
InSight Crime: "As the world marks the International Day of the Disappeared, Mexico counts more than 3,000 people who have disappeared since 2006, when President Calderon began his assault on organized crime."
... Mexican investigative magazine Contralinea reports that there have been 300 percent more disappearances in the last four years than during the entirety of Mexico’s “Guerra Sucia” (dirty war) of the 1960s and 1970s. The country's foremost human rights body, the National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH), has counted almost 5,400 cases since the election of President Felipe Calderon and his declaration of war on the country’s drug cartels in 2006.
... Mexican investigative magazine Contralinea reports that there have been 300 percent more disappearances in the last four years than during the entirety of Mexico’s “Guerra Sucia” (dirty war) of the 1960s and 1970s. The country's foremost human rights body, the National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH), has counted almost 5,400 cases since the election of President Felipe Calderon and his declaration of war on the country’s drug cartels in 2006.
Mexico Drug War Collateral Damage: 140 Acapulco schools close over threats | Seattle Times Newspaper
Seattle Times Newspaper: "Only one week into the school year, 140 elementary schools in the Pacific resort city of Acapulco closed Monday after teachers refused to show up for fear of extortion threats and kidnappings by drug gangs. ...
Teachers and school administrators in Ciudad Juarez, a border city across from El Paso, Texas, have also reported receiving threats and extortion demands in the past. Last week, gunmen attacked a group of parents waiting for their children outside an elementary school in Juarez, wounding one man and four women."
Teachers and school administrators in Ciudad Juarez, a border city across from El Paso, Texas, have also reported receiving threats and extortion demands in the past. Last week, gunmen attacked a group of parents waiting for their children outside an elementary school in Juarez, wounding one man and four women."
Mexico Drug War: Mexico Sends in 3,000 Feds After Casino Arson Attack
InSight Crime: "Some 1,500 army and air force troops and 1,500 Federal Police have been deployed in the state of Nuevo Leon, north Mexico, after an arson attack on a casino which killed 52 people."
Immigration Crackdown: Alabama immigration law blocked by federal judge
montgomeryadvertiser.com: "A federal judge has blocked Alabama's immigration law for up to 30 days, saying more time is needed to consider various challenges to the statute.
U.S. District Judge Sharon Blackburn this afternoon blocked the entire law from taking effect for a maximum of 30 days. Most of the statute's provisions were scheduled to become law on Thursday.
"In entering this motion the court specifically notes it is in no way addressing the merits of the motions," Blackburn wrote. ... The judge said in her order said she would rule on the specific requests for preliminary injunction by September 28. A preliminary injunction would stop some or all of the law from going into effect, but would not overturn it."
U.S. District Judge Sharon Blackburn this afternoon blocked the entire law from taking effect for a maximum of 30 days. Most of the statute's provisions were scheduled to become law on Thursday.
"In entering this motion the court specifically notes it is in no way addressing the merits of the motions," Blackburn wrote. ... The judge said in her order said she would rule on the specific requests for preliminary injunction by September 28. A preliminary injunction would stop some or all of the law from going into effect, but would not overturn it."
Immigration Realities: Braving 'trains of death'
Stories of migrants from Central America who have been deported but who are traveling again through Mexico to try to return to the U.S.
Sacramento Bee: "Unlike many of the migrants who pass through Mexico on the way to the United States, Adolfo Herrera isn't hoping for a new life. He's returning to an old one. He's going home. Herrera speaks street-worthy English, is a fan of the Dallas Cowboys and has spent 25 of his 28 years in Texas. He was deported a year ago to his country of birth, Colombia, but felt like a foreigner.
"I don't got family in Colombia. I don't know nobody. I don't want to live there," Herrera said, speaking in a migrant shelter near the border with Guatemala. "I'm going back to the United States. No doubt, buddy," he said, listing the numerous relatives – from grandmother to brothers – who live near his home in Lewisville, north of Dallas."
Sacramento Bee: "Unlike many of the migrants who pass through Mexico on the way to the United States, Adolfo Herrera isn't hoping for a new life. He's returning to an old one. He's going home. Herrera speaks street-worthy English, is a fan of the Dallas Cowboys and has spent 25 of his 28 years in Texas. He was deported a year ago to his country of birth, Colombia, but felt like a foreigner.
"I don't got family in Colombia. I don't know nobody. I don't want to live there," Herrera said, speaking in a migrant shelter near the border with Guatemala. "I'm going back to the United States. No doubt, buddy," he said, listing the numerous relatives – from grandmother to brothers – who live near his home in Lewisville, north of Dallas."
Mexico Drug War: Mexico casino fire set over unpaid extortion money, suspect says
latimes.com: "Public outrage continued to mount Monday in Mexico over last week's slaying by fire of 52 people in a popular casino as officials announced the arrest of five suspects. At least one of the detained men confessed that the attack in Monterrey was in response to the casino owners' refusal to pay protection money......
Full-page ads in newspapers Monday, one by major business organizations, demanded government action to punish culprits and pass long-delayed laws necessary to shut down traffickers and their money-laundering operations.
More than 2,000 people turned out Sunday in Monterrey to decry the casino arson and protest authorities' inability to protect citizens. Many called for the resignations of Calderon and Medina. "This was not an isolated incident … but the straw that broke the camel's back," activist Tatiana Clouthier, one of the organizers, said Monday on Milenio TV. "Maybe this will serve as the detonator for society to say they've had enough.""
Full-page ads in newspapers Monday, one by major business organizations, demanded government action to punish culprits and pass long-delayed laws necessary to shut down traffickers and their money-laundering operations.
More than 2,000 people turned out Sunday in Monterrey to decry the casino arson and protest authorities' inability to protect citizens. Many called for the resignations of Calderon and Medina. "This was not an isolated incident … but the straw that broke the camel's back," activist Tatiana Clouthier, one of the organizers, said Monday on Milenio TV. "Maybe this will serve as the detonator for society to say they've had enough.""
Aug 29, 2011
Drug War: Mexico's Sinaloa cartel makes big move into meth
The Associated Press: "Mexico's most powerful drug cartel appears to be expanding methamphetamine production on a massive scale, filling a gap left by the breakdown of a rival gang that was once the top trafficker of the synthetic drug.
The globe-spanning Sinaloa cartel is suspected of dealing record tons of drugs and precursor chemicals processed in industrial-sized operations.
The apparent increase in the Sinaloa group's involvement comes as the Mexican government says it has dismantled the La Familia gang with key arrests and killings of its leadership, and as Mexico is once again the primary source of meth to the United States, according to U.S. drug intelligence reports."
The globe-spanning Sinaloa cartel is suspected of dealing record tons of drugs and precursor chemicals processed in industrial-sized operations.
The apparent increase in the Sinaloa group's involvement comes as the Mexican government says it has dismantled the La Familia gang with key arrests and killings of its leadership, and as Mexico is once again the primary source of meth to the United States, according to U.S. drug intelligence reports."
Whack-a-mole Drug War: Mexico Seizes 18 Tons Meth Chemicals Shipped from India
Ah, those TCO's. They're so ingenious!
InSight Crime: "Mexican authorities seized almost 18 tons of chemicals used to produce synthetic drugs in the Pacific port of Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan. The cargo was found in an inspection of a Hong Kong-flagged vessel."
InSight Crime: "Mexican authorities seized almost 18 tons of chemicals used to produce synthetic drugs in the Pacific port of Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan. The cargo was found in an inspection of a Hong Kong-flagged vessel."
Whack-a-mole Drug War: Battered state vows to solve Mexican security woes
msnbc.com: "MONTERREY, Mexico — Despite suffering one of the worst attacks on civilians in Mexico for years, the state of Nuevo Leon is undaunted because it believes a radical police overhaul will soon start winning the drug war. ... In an interview with Reuters, Nuevo Leon Interior Minister Javier Trevino said the state had a plan to beat organized crime -- starting with getting rid of half the police force, much of which had been corrupted by money from cartels.
Hundreds of protesters staged a demonstration outside government buildings in Monterrey on Sunday, calling on governor Rodrigo Medina to resign. ...Many locals blame Medina for the jump in fatalities, and organizers said Sunday's protest was the biggest to date against the governor.
Hundreds of protesters staged a demonstration outside government buildings in Monterrey on Sunday, calling on governor Rodrigo Medina to resign. ...Many locals blame Medina for the jump in fatalities, and organizers said Sunday's protest was the biggest to date against the governor.
Immigration Crackdown - Alabama: Hundreds rally against immigration law
The Montgomery Advertiser: "Just days before Alabama's strict immigration law is to go into effect, hundreds rallied in front of the state Capitol to protest the law, which makes it a state crime to be an undocumented alien in Alabama and for undocumented aliens to work in the state, among other provisions.
The organizer of the event, Edward Menefee, invoked the name of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his famous "I have a dream" speech, which he delivered 48 years ago Sunday. "(King) preached about the beloved community, where all people would be welcomed and all people would be treated with respect," Menefee said to the crowd."
The organizer of the event, Edward Menefee, invoked the name of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his famous "I have a dream" speech, which he delivered 48 years ago Sunday. "(King) preached about the beloved community, where all people would be welcomed and all people would be treated with respect," Menefee said to the crowd."
Immigration Crackdown - Alabama: The Nation’s Cruelest Immigration Law
New York Times editorial
NYTimes.com: "The Alabama Legislature ...passed, and the governor signed, the country’s cruelest, most unforgiving immigration law."
The law, which takes effect Sept. 1, is so inhumane that four Alabama church leaders — an Episcopal bishop, a Methodist bishop and a Roman Catholic archbishop and bishop —have sued to block it, saying it criminalizes acts of Christian compassion. It is a sweeping attempt to terrorize undocumented immigrants in every aspect of their lives, and to make potential criminals of anyone who may work or live with them or show them kindness.
... You’d think that any state would think twice before embracing a law that so vividly brings to mind the Fugitive Slave Act, the brutal legal and law-enforcement apparatus of the Jim Crow era, and the civil-rights struggle led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But waves of anti-immigrant hostility have made many in this country forget who and what we are.
NYTimes.com: "The Alabama Legislature ...passed, and the governor signed, the country’s cruelest, most unforgiving immigration law."
The law, which takes effect Sept. 1, is so inhumane that four Alabama church leaders — an Episcopal bishop, a Methodist bishop and a Roman Catholic archbishop and bishop —have sued to block it, saying it criminalizes acts of Christian compassion. It is a sweeping attempt to terrorize undocumented immigrants in every aspect of their lives, and to make potential criminals of anyone who may work or live with them or show them kindness.
... You’d think that any state would think twice before embracing a law that so vividly brings to mind the Fugitive Slave Act, the brutal legal and law-enforcement apparatus of the Jim Crow era, and the civil-rights struggle led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But waves of anti-immigrant hostility have made many in this country forget who and what we are.
Movement for Peace with Justice: Hundreds Protest Over Mexico Casino Attack
TIME: "(MONTERREY, Mexico) — Hundreds of protesters demonstrated Sunday against the government in the aftermath of a casino arson attack that killed 52 people and has been labeled one of the worst crimes of Mexico's deadly five-year drug war. Clad in the white shirts that have been adopted at Mexican demonstrations against violence and crime, more than 1,000 people demanded that the Nuevo Leon state governor and the mayor of the industrial city of Monterrey quit."
Whack-a-mole Drug War: 5 detained in attack that killed 52 in Mexico
The Associated Press:" Nuevo Leon state Gov. Rodrigo Medina says police have arrested five suspects in an arson attack on a casino that killed 52 people in northern Mexico"
Whack-a-mole Drug War: Mexican authorities detain three over terrorism by Tweet
Examiner.com: "Mexico has taken three men into custody over allegedly Tweeting rumors of shootouts and other drug violence. The Tweets were designed to spread chaos and fear throughout the state of Veracruz, authorities said. ... The Tweets made claims of attackes by the Zetas drug cartel. In (the city of) Veracruz ..., as well as the neighboring city of Boca del Rio, parents rushed to schools in search of their children."
Drug War Bloodshed: Cops Find 5 Bodies In Rural Area Near Mexico City
Huffington Post: " A phone call to a relative of a missing person led police to excavate a corn field in a farming town not far from the capital, and discover the decomposed bodies of five people, authorities said Sunday.
A man, who has not been identified, told the family of the disappeared person that 23 bodies were buried in a field at Almoloya de Juarez, a town about 60 miles from Mexico City, Mexico state attorney general's spokesman Alfredo Albiter said."
A man, who has not been identified, told the family of the disappeared person that 23 bodies were buried in a field at Almoloya de Juarez, a town about 60 miles from Mexico City, Mexico state attorney general's spokesman Alfredo Albiter said."
Whack-a-mole Drug War: Mexico deploys 1,500 troops after 'terrorist' casino attack
A constant criticism of the use of the Mexican army in the drug war is that they are not trained in police investigation. So again, what is sending more troops to Monterrey going to accomplish in solving the case of the casino fire?
Aug 28, 2011
Whack-a-mole Drug War: The Fog of Mexico's Drug War
A look at the central problem on the Mexican side of the drug war: lack of a functioning justice system.
Foreign Policy: "The total impunity that reigns in Mexico -- due to the failure of police and security forces to maintain any semblance of trustworthy authority, the dragging speed of reform in the police forces, and the absence of any investigative capacity or will whatsoever -- is responsible for this atrocity. And Calderón's inability to admit fault or honestly describe the sorry state of his signature initiative is exactly what is making it so difficult for him to convince Mexicans of anything, including the notion that his party should remain in office next year."
Foreign Policy: "The total impunity that reigns in Mexico -- due to the failure of police and security forces to maintain any semblance of trustworthy authority, the dragging speed of reform in the police forces, and the absence of any investigative capacity or will whatsoever -- is responsible for this atrocity. And Calderón's inability to admit fault or honestly describe the sorry state of his signature initiative is exactly what is making it so difficult for him to convince Mexicans of anything, including the notion that his party should remain in office next year."
Aug 27, 2011
Whack-a-mole Drug War: Mexican Charged in US Consulate Murders Extradited to US
Voice of America: "The U.S. Justice Department says one of the accused killers in the March 2010 killings of three people with ties to the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico has been extradited to the United States.
U.S. authorities say Miguel Angel Nevarez appeared before a U.S. judge Friday in El Paso, in the southwestern U.S. state of Texas - just across the border from Juarez."
U.S. authorities say Miguel Angel Nevarez appeared before a U.S. judge Friday in El Paso, in the southwestern U.S. state of Texas - just across the border from Juarez."
¡Viva Mexico!: Mexican soap opera takes close look at 9/11
The Associated Press: " ... the soap opera, "The Eighth Commandment," ... traces the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
While Americans prepare to mark the 10th anniversary of the event, many Mexicans are remembering it through the twists and turns of this soap opera. The six-month-long series, in fact, takes on the subject with more candor than most U.S. productions have dared to adopt so far. That includes scenes set inside the towers during the attacks and portraits of individuals who perished.
Producer Epigmenio Ibarra said he aimed to tell intimate stories within the epic frame. The series doesn't yet have an air date in the U.S. Ibarra and co-writer Laura Sosa also deal with other themes currently in the news, such as Mexican government corruption, violence against journalists and the country's out-of-control drug violence.
"It was a landmark that was not only powerfully symbolic, but so big, so extremely terrible that it let us insert a story of human drama that was truthful ... that gave us a theme we wanted to talk about: the perspective of the victims," Ibarra said."
While Americans prepare to mark the 10th anniversary of the event, many Mexicans are remembering it through the twists and turns of this soap opera. The six-month-long series, in fact, takes on the subject with more candor than most U.S. productions have dared to adopt so far. That includes scenes set inside the towers during the attacks and portraits of individuals who perished.
Producer Epigmenio Ibarra said he aimed to tell intimate stories within the epic frame. The series doesn't yet have an air date in the U.S. Ibarra and co-writer Laura Sosa also deal with other themes currently in the news, such as Mexican government corruption, violence against journalists and the country's out-of-control drug violence.
"It was a landmark that was not only powerfully symbolic, but so big, so extremely terrible that it let us insert a story of human drama that was truthful ... that gave us a theme we wanted to talk about: the perspective of the victims," Ibarra said."
The Border: Columbus, New Mexico, struggles to recover from gun scandal
A look at what life is really like in the border town of Columbus, New Mexico, after its mayor and police chief were convicted of weapons smuggling to Mexico.
Houston Chronicle: "COLUMBUS, N.M. (AP) — Federal prosecutors have all but wrapped up their prosecution of a Mexican gun smuggling ring that snared the mayor, police chief and a trustee of this quiet, dusty border town where chile field workers and refugees from different sides of Mexico's violent drug war apparently coexist peacefully and without fear.
But the new mayor says resolution of the case is little consolation for Columbus. The town was defrocked, losing its reputation and sense of trust, and was brought to the brink of financial ruin by its former leaders now being tried in the conspiracy."
Houston Chronicle: "COLUMBUS, N.M. (AP) — Federal prosecutors have all but wrapped up their prosecution of a Mexican gun smuggling ring that snared the mayor, police chief and a trustee of this quiet, dusty border town where chile field workers and refugees from different sides of Mexico's violent drug war apparently coexist peacefully and without fear.
But the new mayor says resolution of the case is little consolation for Columbus. The town was defrocked, losing its reputation and sense of trust, and was brought to the brink of financial ruin by its former leaders now being tried in the conspiracy."
Collateral Damage: Drug war sparks exodus of affluent Mexicans
Ah, yes, good, ol' U.S. self-centered capitalism: seeing wealthy people fleeing from the drug war in Mexico as "positive ... entrepreneurial," not as futher collateral damage to its neighbor caused by a war based in U.S. drug policy.
The Washington Post: SAN ANTONIO — "For years, national security experts have warned that Mexico’s drug violence could send a wave of refugees fleeing to the United States. Now, the refugees are arriving — and they are driving BMWs and snapping up half-million-dollar homes.
Tens of thousands of well-off Mexicans have moved north of the border in a quiet exodus over the past few years, according to local officials, border experts and demographers. Unlike the much larger population of illegal immigrants, they are being warmly welcomed.
The Washington Post: SAN ANTONIO — "For years, national security experts have warned that Mexico’s drug violence could send a wave of refugees fleeing to the United States. Now, the refugees are arriving — and they are driving BMWs and snapping up half-million-dollar homes.
Tens of thousands of well-off Mexicans have moved north of the border in a quiet exodus over the past few years, according to local officials, border experts and demographers. Unlike the much larger population of illegal immigrants, they are being warmly welcomed.
... San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro said the influx “is positive, it is entrepreneurial . . . and one of the keys to a very successful growing city like San Antonio." Castro estimates that Mexicans own at least 50,000 of the approximately 500,000 homes and apartments in his city of 1.3 million, which has a vibrant Hispanic culture. "”
Drug War Bloodshed: Deadly arson attack at Mexico casino sets new low in drug violence
Detroit Free Press.com: "In the streets around the casino, people said the latest violence deepened the sense of vulnerability many feel in this northern Mexican city, which had once been known as one of Mexico's safest. In recent years, however, Monterrey has been ensnared in a turf battle between the Gulf cartel and its offshoot, the Zetas.
... "What happened last night was the limit," said a man at a hamburger stand across from the city morgue, where families streamed in all night to identify bodies. Like many people, he refused to give his name out of fear. "We don't know how to protect ourselves.""
Drug War Bloodshed: Tallying a Day of Death in Mexico's War on Drug Traffickers
Heart wrenching and all too real! Monterrey, Acapulco and Ciudad Juarez during one day, July 29, 2011. From the Wall Street Journal.
WSJ.com: "In the last four years, roughly 43,000 people have been killed in Mexico in drug-related killings. Three Wall Street Journal reporters went to three of the country's most violent cities to tell the stories from a single day: Friday, July 29, 2011."
WSJ.com: "In the last four years, roughly 43,000 people have been killed in Mexico in drug-related killings. Three Wall Street Journal reporters went to three of the country's most violent cities to tell the stories from a single day: Friday, July 29, 2011."
Aug 26, 2011
Whack-a-mole Drug War: Calderon calls on U.S. society to curb its drug use
President Calderon gets one part right when he says, "this tragedy that we Mexicans and many other countries in Latin America are living, (is) a consequence, in great part, (of) the insatiable consumption of drugs in which millions and millions of Americans participate." Now, when is he going to take the next logical step and call for the legalization of these drugs?"
latimes.com: "In the prepared remarks released by the president's office, Calderon said the extortion-related attack in Monterrey was due to one primary factor, "the movement and sale of drugs to the United States." Calderon went on:
Part of the tragedy that Mexicans are living has to do with the fact that we are alongside the biggest consumer of drugs in the world, and at the same time, the biggest vendor of weapons in the world, which pays billions of dollars every year to the criminals who supply them with narcotics. These ... dollars end up arming and organizing the criminals, and places them in their service and against the citizens.
This is why it is my duty, also, to make a call to the society, the Congress, and the government of the United States. I ask them to reflect on this tragedy that we Mexicans and many other countries in Latin America are living, as a consequence, in great part, to the insatiable consumption of drugs in which millions and millions of Americans participate."
latimes.com: "In the prepared remarks released by the president's office, Calderon said the extortion-related attack in Monterrey was due to one primary factor, "the movement and sale of drugs to the United States." Calderon went on:
Part of the tragedy that Mexicans are living has to do with the fact that we are alongside the biggest consumer of drugs in the world, and at the same time, the biggest vendor of weapons in the world, which pays billions of dollars every year to the criminals who supply them with narcotics. These ... dollars end up arming and organizing the criminals, and places them in their service and against the citizens.
This is why it is my duty, also, to make a call to the society, the Congress, and the government of the United States. I ask them to reflect on this tragedy that we Mexicans and many other countries in Latin America are living, as a consequence, in great part, to the insatiable consumption of drugs in which millions and millions of Americans participate."
Whack-a-mole Drug War: Arson Attack on Monterrey Casino Part of Battle over Gambling Industry
InSight Crime provides a very different analysis of what was behind the burning of the casino in Monterrey.
InSight Crime: "Buried in President Calderon's speech on a Monterrey arson attack which left more than 50 dead was the key to why it happened: the rise of illegal gambling establishments in Mexico under his watch, and the emerging battle in the underworld for control of these money-laundering havens....
According to a recent article in Proceso magazine, the number of illegal gambling houses has risen from 198 to 790 since Calderon took office nearly five years ago. Many of these are illegal, the article adds.
... Heavily cash-driven establishments such as casinos have also traditionally attracted organized criminal groups. But casinos are technically illegal in Mexico, so the establishments themselves seek to have their games categorized as "skill" rather than "chance," thereby sidestepping the legislation, and leading to a proliferation of casinos posing as "foreign books" and "bingos," according to a 2009 report by the International Monetary Fund on money laundering in Mexico (download pdf file here). ...
The result is rising tension in the underworld over who controls this lucrative and important business. This explanation of the Monterrey casino attack has been buried under other news narratives, namely the fight between the Gulf Cartel and their former armed wing, the Zetas."
InSight Crime: "Buried in President Calderon's speech on a Monterrey arson attack which left more than 50 dead was the key to why it happened: the rise of illegal gambling establishments in Mexico under his watch, and the emerging battle in the underworld for control of these money-laundering havens....
According to a recent article in Proceso magazine, the number of illegal gambling houses has risen from 198 to 790 since Calderon took office nearly five years ago. Many of these are illegal, the article adds.
... Heavily cash-driven establishments such as casinos have also traditionally attracted organized criminal groups. But casinos are technically illegal in Mexico, so the establishments themselves seek to have their games categorized as "skill" rather than "chance," thereby sidestepping the legislation, and leading to a proliferation of casinos posing as "foreign books" and "bingos," according to a 2009 report by the International Monetary Fund on money laundering in Mexico (download pdf file here). ...
The result is rising tension in the underworld over who controls this lucrative and important business. This explanation of the Monterrey casino attack has been buried under other news narratives, namely the fight between the Gulf Cartel and their former armed wing, the Zetas."
Whack-a-mole Drug War: Mexican cartels splinter, branch out as drug war rages
A good description of the chaos created by the U.S. and Mexican governments' "whack-a-mole" drug war strategy.
latimes.com: "As Mexico's military and federal police seek to arrest or take out top cartel figures, the drug groups inevitably splinter in the subsequent power vacuums, and new self-described "cartels" are formed, although it is practically impossible to know how large or organized the new groups can be. Out of those, subgroups branch out, often seeking to claim new territory or "clean up" against a rival."
latimes.com: "As Mexico's military and federal police seek to arrest or take out top cartel figures, the drug groups inevitably splinter in the subsequent power vacuums, and new self-described "cartels" are formed, although it is practically impossible to know how large or organized the new groups can be. Out of those, subgroups branch out, often seeking to claim new territory or "clean up" against a rival."
Immigration Crackdown: Quinn hits back against Secure Communities
WBEZ: "Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is trying to throw another wrench into a key immigration-enforcement program of President Obama’s administration, saying it ensnares too many people and erodes trust in local police.
An August 18 letter from the governor’s office to John Morton, director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, hints about a possible legal challenge and asks the federal agency to contact all 26 Illinois counties that have agreed to participate in the program, called Secure Communities, to confirm they still want to take part."
Drug War Bloodshed: Searchers comb ruins of torched Monterrey casino where 52 died
More details on the attack and its consequences
latimes.com: "Emergency crews Friday searched the ruins of a popular casino here a day after gunmen stormed the building and ignited a fire that trapped gamblers and employees inside. At least 52 people were killed in what Mexico's president called an "aberrant act of terror.""
latimes.com: "Emergency crews Friday searched the ruins of a popular casino here a day after gunmen stormed the building and ignited a fire that trapped gamblers and employees inside. At least 52 people were killed in what Mexico's president called an "aberrant act of terror.""
Whack-a-mole Drug War: Mexico Soccer Shootout Reflects Nation's Struggle
An analytic look at the dynamics of the battle between the Zetas and the Sinaloa cartel in the State of Coahuila, Mexico
InSight Crime: "The north Mexico city of Torreon came under the media spotlight when a gun battle interrupted a first-division soccer game -- InSight Crime looks at the recent history of a city that serves as a microcosm of the country's conflict."
InSight Crime: "The north Mexico city of Torreon came under the media spotlight when a gun battle interrupted a first-division soccer game -- InSight Crime looks at the recent history of a city that serves as a microcosm of the country's conflict."
Whack-a-mole Drug War: Statement by the President on the Attack in Mexico
From President Obama, "We share responsiblity," but we're not going to do anything to change our failed drug prohibition policies. Instead, "we are committed to continuing..."
The people of Mexico and their government are engaged in a brave fight to disrupt violent transnational criminal organizations that threaten both Mexico and the United States. The United States is and will remain a partner in this fight. We share with Mexico responsibility for meeting this challenge and we are committed to continuing our unprecedented cooperation in confronting these criminal organizations."
Immigration Politics: McCain blasted for linking Wallow Fire to illegal immigrants
Tucson Sentinel: "News that two cousins from Southern Arizona who left a campfire unattended have been charged with starting the largest wildfire in Arizona history has put U.S. Sen. John McCain in the hot seat.
After touring the fire site in June, McCain seemed to suggest that it was possible that illegal immigrants had caused the blaze. "We are concerned about, particularly, areas down on the border where there is substantial evidence that some of these fires are caused by people who have crossed our border illegally," McCain said on June 18, according to KOLD News.
On Thursday, Hispanic leaders held a press conference to call for Sen. McCain to apologize. "He owes it to us to not spread fear and hate," said Daniel Ortega, a Phoenix attorney who is board chair of the National Council of La Raza, a national advocacy group, The Associated Press reports."
After touring the fire site in June, McCain seemed to suggest that it was possible that illegal immigrants had caused the blaze. "We are concerned about, particularly, areas down on the border where there is substantial evidence that some of these fires are caused by people who have crossed our border illegally," McCain said on June 18, according to KOLD News.
On Thursday, Hispanic leaders held a press conference to call for Sen. McCain to apologize. "He owes it to us to not spread fear and hate," said Daniel Ortega, a Phoenix attorney who is board chair of the National Council of La Raza, a national advocacy group, The Associated Press reports."
Immigration Politics: First Deportation Cases To Benefit From New Immigration Policy
Huffington Post: "One week after it's announcement by Homeland Security, two young men in Georgia were two of the first apparent beneficiaries of a new policy aimed at making undocumented immigrants with no criminal record, a low-priority for deportation....
Luis Enrique Hernandez, 18, and Pedro Morales, 19, can breathe a sigh of relief after their lawyer, Lino R. Rodriguez Jr. successfully filed a petition to halt their removal proceedings. Rodriguez said in a phone interview with The Huffington Post that past cases like Hernandez’ and Morales’ “would have ended in deportation”. “We haven’t had this argument [the Morton Memo] before, we didn’t have the tool to use. I think there would have been a very good chance that this would have ended in voluntary departure for both of them,” said Rodriguez."
Luis Enrique Hernandez, 18, and Pedro Morales, 19, can breathe a sigh of relief after their lawyer, Lino R. Rodriguez Jr. successfully filed a petition to halt their removal proceedings. Rodriguez said in a phone interview with The Huffington Post that past cases like Hernandez’ and Morales’ “would have ended in deportation”. “We haven’t had this argument [the Morton Memo] before, we didn’t have the tool to use. I think there would have been a very good chance that this would have ended in voluntary departure for both of them,” said Rodriguez."
Immigration Politics: Collateral damage of 9/11: Pragmatic immigration reform
A thoughtful column by Mary Sanchez on how the "national security" panic that followed 9/11 has overrun immigration reform with the bureaucracy of the Homeland Security Department and xenophobic politics.
KansasCity.com: "... away from the solemn ceremonies at Ground Zero, beyond the appropriate mourning for the dead - including grief for military men and women killed in the wars that followed 9/11 - we need to begin a different sort of reflection.
We need to think deeply and critically about how the United States responded - and continues to respond - to the attacks, and whether the right choices have been made. We need to reflect on the way the attacks have reshaped public policy on immigration, security measures that affect our daily lives and commerce, and public perceptions of Muslim people, including those who are fellow U.S. citizens."
KansasCity.com: "... away from the solemn ceremonies at Ground Zero, beyond the appropriate mourning for the dead - including grief for military men and women killed in the wars that followed 9/11 - we need to begin a different sort of reflection.
We need to think deeply and critically about how the United States responded - and continues to respond - to the attacks, and whether the right choices have been made. We need to reflect on the way the attacks have reshaped public policy on immigration, security measures that affect our daily lives and commerce, and public perceptions of Muslim people, including those who are fellow U.S. citizens."
U.S.-Mexico Relations: Mexico's Calderon berates U.S. after casino attack
baltimoresun.com: (Reuters) "President Felipe Calderon declared three days of mourning on Friday and demanded a crackdown on drugs in the United States after armed men torched a casino in northern Mexico, killing at least 52 people.
... "It's clear that we are not confronting common criminals, we are confronting true terrorists," Calderon said in a televised speech after meeting his security advisers. He said the U.S. Congress needs to take steps to curb an "insatiable" demand for drugs and crack down on the illegal trafficking of weapons across the border into Mexico. "We're neighbors, we're allies, we're friends, but you are also responsible," a somber and angry Calderon said"
... "It's clear that we are not confronting common criminals, we are confronting true terrorists," Calderon said in a televised speech after meeting his security advisers. He said the U.S. Congress needs to take steps to curb an "insatiable" demand for drugs and crack down on the illegal trafficking of weapons across the border into Mexico. "We're neighbors, we're allies, we're friends, but you are also responsible," a somber and angry Calderon said"
Week's Top Articles on Mexico: Aug. 19-25, 2011
1. The Drug War
This second article from the New York Times on U.S.-Mexico cooperation in combating organized crime takes a look at police strikes by Mexican agents staged from U.S. territory. The first article caused quite a stir in Mexico. Congress demanded presentations from Calderon cabinet members for a full accounting of U.S. activities.
NYTimes.com: Aug. 25, "The Obama administration has expanded its role in Mexico’s fight against organized crime by allowing the Mexican police to stage cross-border drug raids from inside the United States, according to senior administration and military officials.
Mexican commandos have discreetly traveled to the United States, assembled at designated areas and dispatched helicopter missions back across the border aimed at suspected drug traffickers. The Drug Enforcement Administration provides logistical support on the American side of the border, officials said, arranging staging areas and sharing intelligence that helps guide Mexico’s decisions about targets and tactics."
Mexican commandos have discreetly traveled to the United States, assembled at designated areas and dispatched helicopter missions back across the border aimed at suspected drug traffickers. The Drug Enforcement Administration provides logistical support on the American side of the border, officials said, arranging staging areas and sharing intelligence that helps guide Mexico’s decisions about targets and tactics."
In a series of articles last week, William Brownfield, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics Control and thus, the administrator of the Merida Initiative, announced a shift in the Initiative focus from assisting the Mexican federal government to assisting Mexican state and municipal police departments with training. Among these announcements was one that Texas sheriffs' departments would be contracted to do the training. In this article, the first such memorandum of understanding is announced, with Sheriff Martin Cuellar, brother of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, who is the ranking Democrat on the Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee.
The Texas Tribune: Aug. 19. This week Webb County (Laredo, Texas) Sheriff Martin Cuellar, brother of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and Ambassador William Brownfield, the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Department of State and the Webb County Sheriff’s Department. It will pave the way for U.S. law enforcement officers to train local and state police officers in Mexico — the latest advancement of the Merida Initiative.
The Obama administration announced this week that it was going to prioritize deportations and was ordering a review of 300,000 pending cases to consider dropping proceedings against those undocumented immigrants who are not a threat to public security. This article details who will be considered for a reprieve from deportation.
WSJ: Aug. 19, In deciding who to deport, Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department (announced that it) will apply “common sense guidelines,” Cecilia Munoz, the White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, wrote. She links to a June 17, 2011 memo written by John Morton, director of U.S. Custom and Immigration Enforcement, which spells out the sort guidelines that will be used.
In deciding whether to prosecute an individual, Morton writes, immigration officials should consider such factors as:
In deciding whether to prosecute an individual, Morton writes, immigration officials should consider such factors as:
- whether the person, or the person’s immediate relative, has served in the U.S. military, reserves, or national guard;
- the person’s criminal history, including arrests, prior convictions, or outstanding arrest warrants;
- the person’s ties and contributions to the community, including family relationships;
- the person’s age, with particular consideration given to minors and the elderly;
- whether the person has a U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse, child, or parent;
- whether the person is the primary caretaker of a person with a mental or physical disability, minor, or seriously ill relative;
- whether the person or the person’s spouse is pregnant or nursing.
- the person’s length of presence in the United States;
- the circumstances of the person’s arrival in the United States, particularly if the alien came to the United States as a young child;
- the person’s pursuit of education in the United States, with particular consideration given to those who have graduated from a U.S. high school or have successfully pursued or are pursuing a college or advanced degrees at a legitimate institution;
Morton cautions that the list of factors he provides is not exhaustive and that no one factor is determinative of whether a person will stay or go.
Not enough to stem the tide
An excellent look at the economic dynamics of migration from Mexico and Central America to the U.S.. While local sustainable development programs give people an option to stay in their communities, they are not economically strong enough to hold the youth.
National Catholic Reporter: Aug. 23, Swimming against the tide of small farmers who are abandoning their crops in search of a better income in cities or across the border in the United States, the farmers in Acteal (Mexico, who have developed a honey and coffee coop) are struggling to make a decent living off the land, with assistance from Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops’ aid and development agency.
In various parts of Mexico and Central America, local development projects are trying to boost farmers’ income. But experts say that focusing on rural development in the farmers’ home countries is not enough to stem the tide of northward migration.
3. The Border
Deportees bused afar
A good, detailed look, by a Tucson, Arizona newspaper, at a growing Border Patrol deportation program, the Alien Transfer Exit Program. The reporter also looks at another program, called "Operation Streamline," that brings a criminal conviction and possible jail time to all illegal border crossers caught in a designated zone. This program used to be used only for repeat crossers and those with criminal records.
Arizona Daily Star: Aug. 23, Started in 2008, the Border Patrol program of busing Mexican illegal immigrants caught in Arizona to other border states - officially called the Alien Transfer Exit Program - has increased in importance in the past two years as the agency works to stop the revolving door that defined illegal immigration for the greater part of the 2000s.
... Humanitarian groups say the confusion caused by deporting someone to an unfamiliar part of the border puts illegal crossers at greater risk of falling prey to criminals in Mexican border towns. And immigration analysts say illegal immigrants determined to return to the United States ... won't be swayed by being dropped off in another state.
Union Pacific Railroad, the largest trans-shipper from Mexico to the U.S., was recently fined by Customs and Border Protection for a number of drug shipments found on its trains. Now the company has made a deal with CBP to voluntarily fund border security technology in exchange for having the fines reduced.
securityinfowatch.com: Aug. 23, Union Pacific Corp. (UNP) announced Friday that it signed an agreement with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection or CBP that formalizes and enhances their collaborative relationship to help secure the U.S. border against contraband and other security risks and to improve the flow of goods.
Union Pacific said that it will invest $50 million to enhance efforts to help secure the U.S. - Mexico border and improve supply chain security. The funds will be allocated towards technology, infrastructure, and personnel enhancements that CBP and Union Pacific will define in coming months. The company stated that the investments will include enhanced technologies such as intelligent video scanning and developing technologies such as global positioning systems or GPS and radio frequency identification or RFID tracking of rail movements.
Union Pacific said that it will invest $50 million to enhance efforts to help secure the U.S. - Mexico border and improve supply chain security. The funds will be allocated towards technology, infrastructure, and personnel enhancements that CBP and Union Pacific will define in coming months. The company stated that the investments will include enhanced technologies such as intelligent video scanning and developing technologies such as global positioning systems or GPS and radio frequency identification or RFID tracking of rail movements.
4. Mexican Economy
The U.S. press has been reporting a great deal on the progress that the Mexican economy is making. This leaves out the reality of Mexico's informal economy, in which workers are self-employed and outside the official employment system. This article focuses on how youth, including college educated ones, end up having to compete in this informal sector.
latimes.com: Aug. 21, Competition for low-wage work reflects one of Mexico's biggest problems since the 2008-09 downturn: the inability to generate real jobs. The shortage hits young people hard, with 4 in 10 of Mexico's unemployed in their 20s. Throw in teenagers and the share rises to more than half.
Many find work in a growing informal economy as street vendors, waiters or day laborers. The 13.4 million Mexicans working in that sector don't show up in the official 5.2% jobless rate, masking the country's unemployment problem.
Many find work in a growing informal economy as street vendors, waiters or day laborers. The 13.4 million Mexicans working in that sector don't show up in the official 5.2% jobless rate, masking the country's unemployment problem.
Collateral Damage: Mexico’s Drug War Refugees Rarely Secure Asylum In United States
Another look at the asylum situation
Drug War Bloodshed: Armed Men Set Fire at Casino in Mexico, Killing 53
NYTimes.com: " Armed men burst into a casino in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey on Thursday and set a fire that killed at least 53 people and injured several others, the authorities said.
The attack, shortly after 3 p.m. at the Casino Royale, was the worst massacre, according to tallies by Mexican news organizations, since a crackdown on drug gangs by the authorities and infighting among the gangs exploded more than five years ago."
The attack, shortly after 3 p.m. at the Casino Royale, was the worst massacre, according to tallies by Mexican news organizations, since a crackdown on drug gangs by the authorities and infighting among the gangs exploded more than five years ago."
Aug 25, 2011
Drug War Bloodshed: Body of kidnapped online journalist found in northern Mexico with gunshot wound in face
The Washington Post: "Mexican authorities say the body of an online newspaper journalist has been found a day after he was kidnapped.
Sinaloa state assistant prosecutor Martin Robles says the body of 53-year-old Humberto Millan Salazar was found in a farm building outside the city of Culiacan with a gunshot wound in the face."
Sinaloa state assistant prosecutor Martin Robles says the body of 53-year-old Humberto Millan Salazar was found in a farm building outside the city of Culiacan with a gunshot wound in the face."
Whack-a-mole Drug War: U.S. Widens Role in Mexico’s Fight Against Crime
NYTimes.com: "The Obama administration has expanded its role in Mexico’s fight against organized crime by allowing the Mexican police to stage cross-border drug raids from inside the United States, according to senior administration and military officials.
Mexican commandos have discreetly traveled to the United States, assembled at designated areas and dispatched helicopter missions back across the border aimed at suspected drug traffickers. The Drug Enforcement Administration provides logistical support on the American side of the border, officials said, arranging staging areas and sharing intelligence that helps guide Mexico’s decisions about targets and tactics."
Mexican commandos have discreetly traveled to the United States, assembled at designated areas and dispatched helicopter missions back across the border aimed at suspected drug traffickers. The Drug Enforcement Administration provides logistical support on the American side of the border, officials said, arranging staging areas and sharing intelligence that helps guide Mexico’s decisions about targets and tactics."
Collateral Damage: Journalist Kidnapped in Sinaloa, Mexico
InSight Crime: "Radio journalist Humberto Millan Salazar was kidnapped from the street by a group of armed men in the west Mexico state of Sinaloa."
Drug War Bloodshed: 1 dead, 5 wounded in Mexico border school shooting
The Associated Press: "Gunmen attacked a group of parents waiting for their children outside an elementary school Wednesday, killing one man and wounding five other people in a dangerous part of the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez."
Immigration Crackdown: Confusion and Frustration Over Obama’s Deportation Policy
Feet in 2 Worlds: "The Obama administration’s latest immigration move—classifying young undocumented immigrants as low-priority for deportation—has caused celebration in some circles, consternation in others and a whole lot of confusion for undocumented individuals who have been desperate for a resolution of their situations.
... Melissa Crow, Director of the Legal Action Center at the American Immigration Council, stressed during a briefing last Monday that “DHS has also been clear that last week’s announcements do not impact individuals who are not currently in removal proceedings. Thus, ‘DREAM’ students and others unlawfully present in the United States, but not in removal proceedings should not actively seek out the immigration authorities. Since there are no guarantees that an individual removal case will be administratively closed, anyone who seeks to be placed in removal proceedings could end up being deported.”"
Collateral Damage: Mexican Asylum Seekers Disproportionately Rejected
Latin America Working Group: "Recent studies have uncovered that the vast majority of Mexicans who seek asylum in the United States are turned away. The Executive Office for Immigration Review’s documents show that in FY2010, only 49 of 3231 (1.5%) Mexican asylum requests were granted, compared to 3795 out of 10,087 (37.6%) Chinese requests or 234 out of 563 (41.6%) Colombian cases. "
Human Rights: Activists Criticize Lack of Progress in Mexico Massacre Case
Fox News Latino: " Human rights groups and migrants' rights activists criticized the failure to convict anyone in connection with the massacre of 72 migrants in August 2010 at a ranch outside San Fernando, a city in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas.
"We will not allow this massive crime against humanity to join others in which impunity and indifference have prevailed," Clemencia Correa, of the Autonomous University of Mexico City, said, reading from a joint statement released Tuesday by several non-governmental organizations."
"We will not allow this massive crime against humanity to join others in which impunity and indifference have prevailed," Clemencia Correa, of the Autonomous University of Mexico City, said, reading from a joint statement released Tuesday by several non-governmental organizations."
Immigration Politics: Will Rick Perry Throw the Tea Party Under the Bus?
Mother Jones: "As Texas Gov. Rick Perry charts a course to the GOP presidential nomination, his stance towards (undocumented) workers ... could become a flash point. On the one hand, the GOP's tea party base demands that undocumented immigrants be arrested and deported. On the other, wealthy Republican donors in Texas rely on the influx of cheap labor to make money. José, whose last name I've withheld for his protection, works for homebuilder Bob Perry (no relation), the governor's largest political donor and a strong proponent of permissive immigration policies."
Immigration Crackdown: Is Obama's pursuit of illegal immigrants too successful?
An editorial on Secure Communities from the Dallas Morning News
Immigration Crackdown: Secure Communities Task Force Meets in Arlington
The Washington Post: "As a federal task force evaluating a key policy on immigration enforcement held its final public hearing in Arlington County on Wednesday night, critics of the controversial mandate were ramping up the pressure to end it. The program, called Secure Communities, makes it possible for the FBI to share fingerprint data of people arrested by local and state authorities with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which can use the information to check for violations."
Immigration Politics: Alabama judge casts doubt on harsh new illegal immigration law
CSMonitor.com: "A federal court judge in Alabama Wednesday raised questions about whether a recent state law restricting illegal immigration has constitutional merit." ... US District Judge Sharon Blackburn said in court Wednesday that she believed “there are a lot of problems” with the statute, but that she would only hear arguments that framed the debate by its legality, opposed to its supposed moral or political merits.
Judge Blackburn acknowledged that the language in the bill as written is unclear on details regarding the process of demanding documentation at police stops and whether state schools have the right to demand the birth certificates of parents. She suggested Alabama lawmakers should have taken longer to define exactly how some procedures would happen under the law.
Judge Blackburn acknowledged that the language in the bill as written is unclear on details regarding the process of demanding documentation at police stops and whether state schools have the right to demand the birth certificates of parents. She suggested Alabama lawmakers should have taken longer to define exactly how some procedures would happen under the law.
Aug 24, 2011
Immigration Politics: Alabama's immigration bill challenged in court
Alabama's immigration bill challenged in court: "Hundreds of lawyers, activists, state lawmakers and journalists crowded into the Hugo L. Black Federal Courthouse in downtown Birmingham Wednesday for a daylong hearing on the future of Alabama's illegal immigration law that's set to go into effect next week.
Chief Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn heard arguments from lawyers representing the Obama administration, local clergy, the ACLU and Hispanic interest groups who oppose parts or all of the law, as well as from Attorney General Luther Strange and his staff who defended the law."
Chief Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn heard arguments from lawyers representing the Obama administration, local clergy, the ACLU and Hispanic interest groups who oppose parts or all of the law, as well as from Attorney General Luther Strange and his staff who defended the law."
Weapons Traffic: Battle Heats Up — Gun Foundation Files Motion to Block ATF Gun Reporting Regulation Along Mexican Border
Tickle The Wire: "The legal battle is heating up over an ATF regulation requiring gun dealers in states that border Mexico to report multiple gun sales of semi-automatic rifles capable of using detachable magazines.
The latest: The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), which has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in D.C. opposing the regulation, filed a motion this week asking a judge to issue a preliminary injunction to block the regulation that impacts 8,500 federally licensed firearms retailers along the Southwest border in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. The regulation impacts multiple guns sales within five consecutive business days."
The latest: The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), which has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in D.C. opposing the regulation, filed a motion this week asking a judge to issue a preliminary injunction to block the regulation that impacts 8,500 federally licensed firearms retailers along the Southwest border in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. The regulation impacts multiple guns sales within five consecutive business days."
Drug Cartels: Oil and Gas Theft in Mexico Soars Past 2010 Levels
InSight Crime: "Mexico's state oil monopoly Pemex counted 32 illegal taps on their liquefied gas pipelines so far this year, equivalent to 64,000 barrels.
According to the subdirector of Pemex's pipeline operations, in comparison 2010 registered 57 incidents of LP gas theft, reports La Jornada. So far in 2010, the company's director says they have detected a total of 730 taps on all their energy pipelines, including gas LP, natural gas, gasoline and petroleum, amounting to 3.5 billion pesos (about $281 million) in losses. That figure could easily top $490 million in losses by the end fo 2011, Pemex said."
According to the subdirector of Pemex's pipeline operations, in comparison 2010 registered 57 incidents of LP gas theft, reports La Jornada. So far in 2010, the company's director says they have detected a total of 730 taps on all their energy pipelines, including gas LP, natural gas, gasoline and petroleum, amounting to 3.5 billion pesos (about $281 million) in losses. That figure could easily top $490 million in losses by the end fo 2011, Pemex said."
Drug War Bloodshed: Uptick in "Confrontation" Deaths Strikes Disturbing Pattern
InSight Crime: "A troubling new trend is surfacing in Mexico's fight against organized crime: deaths in confrontations between Mexican military personnel and suspected criminals are skyrocketing. The rise could mean many things, none of them good. Deaths in what the Mexican government calls "confrontations and aggressions" rose from 231 in 2007 to 2,099 in 2010 "
Whack-a-mole Drug War: Mexicans Questioning Govt Crime Policies: Survey
InSight Crime: "Almost 74 percent of Mexicans think that violence has spread and worsened in 2011, while a majority say they do not always support the government's anti-crime policies, according to a survey by the national university. The institute for legal research at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) carried out a nationwide poll on perceptions of the legal system and the constitution in May."
Aug 23, 2011
Globalization: Maquiladora Factories Manufacture Toxic Pollutants
IPS ipsnews.net: Since the 1960s, maquiladoras or export assembly plants have been the cornerstone of Mexico's strategy to attract foreign direct investment and boost exports. But the environmental and social costs have been high. Maquiladoras, which in Mexico mainly produce clothing, cars and electronic equipment, consume huge volumes of water, generate hazardous waste products like alcohols, benzene, acetone, acids and plastic and metal debris, and emit polluting gases.
The plants, which take advantage of Mexico's low wages, tax exemptions, and flexible labour laws while in return providing jobs, cause significant environmental damages. "Government oversight is poor. There aren't enough inspectors. There is no obligatory inspection scheme, only a voluntary one, and inspections are arranged in advance, with no surprise visits," Magdalena Cerda, the Tijuana representative for the Environmental Health Coalition (EHC), told IPS. "We have seen gradual deterioration in the urban communities where the factories are located."
The plants, which take advantage of Mexico's low wages, tax exemptions, and flexible labour laws while in return providing jobs, cause significant environmental damages. "Government oversight is poor. There aren't enough inspectors. There is no obligatory inspection scheme, only a voluntary one, and inspections are arranged in advance, with no surprise visits," Magdalena Cerda, the Tijuana representative for the Environmental Health Coalition (EHC), told IPS. "We have seen gradual deterioration in the urban communities where the factories are located."
Drug war in Central America: Costa Rica 'faces threat of drug gangs'
BBC News: Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla says increased international help is vital to tackle the drug cartels operating in Central America.
... Ms Chinchilla said that the crackdown in Mexico on drug gangs could result in "an even greater displacement [of traffickers] into Central America". That was why the drug gangs needed to be confronted not just nationally, but regionally, she said.
... Ms Chinchilla said that the crackdown in Mexico on drug gangs could result in "an even greater displacement [of traffickers] into Central America". That was why the drug gangs needed to be confronted not just nationally, but regionally, she said.
Drug War: OAS calls for ‘shared responsibility’ from drug-consuming countries
MercoPress: Consumer countries must assume their responsibility in the fight against the drug trade because as long as there is a demand, the illegal business won’t be stopped said the Organization of American States Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza who also praised his host Peruvian president Ollanta Humala for convening a presidential summit on the issue.
Immigration Politics: U.S. Issues New Deportation Policy’s First Reprieves
NYTimes.com: With the news early Thursday that federal immigration authorities had canceled his deportation, Manuel Guerra, an illegal immigrant from Mexico living in Florida who had been caught in a tortuous and seemingly failing five-year court fight against deportation, became one of the first illegal immigrants in the country to see results from a policy the Obama administration unveiled in Washington that day. It could lead to the suspension in coming months of deportation proceedings against tens of thousands of immigrants.
Whack-a-mole Drug War: Mexican Gulf Cartel Kingpin Cano-Flores Extradited to USA
Latin American Herald Tribune: Aurelio Cano-Flores, aka “Yankee” and “Yeyo,” a high-ranking member of the Mexican Gulf Cartel, has been extradited to the United States from Mexico to face drug conspiracy charges.
Mexican Economy: Mexico's Unnecessary Disparity
A look at the huge income disparity in Mexcio. While the poor in Mexico are much poorer, it is interesting to compare the Mexican disparity with the disparity in the U.S. In 2007, the top ten percent (those earning over $109.000 per year) controlled nearly 50% of the income. Would this author agree that this disparity also "suggests a failure in governance -- in particular, a failure to control monopoly (read ´corporate' ) profits at the top and to create opportunities at the bottom"?
NPR: Even by Latin American standards, Mexico is an unequal country — the bottom fifth of the country earns about 4 percent of the income while the top tenth controls 41 percent, according to the World Bank. That a country could see such disparities suggests a failure of governance — in particular, a failure to control monopoly profits at the top and to create opportunities at the bottom.
NPR: Even by Latin American standards, Mexico is an unequal country — the bottom fifth of the country earns about 4 percent of the income while the top tenth controls 41 percent, according to the World Bank. That a country could see such disparities suggests a failure of governance — in particular, a failure to control monopoly profits at the top and to create opportunities at the bottom.
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