Oct 31, 2011
Drug War - the Money: UN Report Identifies Winners and Losers of Transnational Crime
InSight Crime: "According to a new report released by the UN, profits from criminal activities worldwide exceeded $2.1 trillion in 2009. But as a breakdown of this figure reveals, these profits vary widely across regions and criminal groups." read more
Immigration Realities: Families of Central American illegal immigrants search for lost relatives in Mexico
AHN: "A caravan of private vehicles carrying Central Americans is traveling through Mexico this week searching for their relatives who disappeared while headed toward an illegal entry into the United States.
They entered Mexico from Guatemala Sunday on a route that will take them through dangerous territory where drug cartel violence is common. They are stopping at homeless shelters, jails and hospitals along the route to ask whether anyone has seen their displaced relatives. They carry photographs of the lost persons.
They also march through streets carrying signs demanding immigration reform and along railroad tracks frequently traveled by immigrants." read more
They entered Mexico from Guatemala Sunday on a route that will take them through dangerous territory where drug cartel violence is common. They are stopping at homeless shelters, jails and hospitals along the route to ask whether anyone has seen their displaced relatives. They carry photographs of the lost persons.
They also march through streets carrying signs demanding immigration reform and along railroad tracks frequently traveled by immigrants." read more
Immigration Crackdown: In Florida, Students Born To Illegal Immigrants Sue Over Tuition
NPR: "A class-action lawsuit has been filed in Miami by Florida residents being charged out-of-state tuition rates to attend state colleges and universities. The students are American citizens — children who were born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants — and they say Florida's regulations violate their constitutional rights." read more
Immigration Crackdown: South Carolina immigration law sparks suit from Justice Department
POLITICO.com: "The Justice Department filed suit Monday against South Carolina over a recently-passed state law seeking to step up local law enforcement action against illegal immigrants. The law, set to take effect Jan. 1, requires local law enforcement officials to check the immigration status of everyone they detain." read more
The Border: March Marks Migrant Deaths on U.S.-Mexico Border
Latin American Herald Tribune: "TUCSON, Arizona – Dozens of people carrying white wooden crosses, flowers and photographs marched through the streets of Tucson to honor the memory of the migrants who die each year on Arizona’s border with Mexico.
Mexico Drug War Shakes Los Cabos
GlobalPost: "The golden beaches of Los Cabos in Mexico’s Baja California were thought to be a million miles away from the drug war hitting border cities such as Ciudad Juarez. But even this Pacific paradise is not totally immune from the relentless conflict plaguing Mexico.
A series of gun battles shook the town of Cabo San Lucas on the night of Friday Oct. 28 and afternoon of Saturday Oct. 29. No tourists or Americans were harmed in the fighting — which killed a Mexican marine and an alleged cartel gunmen." read more
A series of gun battles shook the town of Cabo San Lucas on the night of Friday Oct. 28 and afternoon of Saturday Oct. 29. No tourists or Americans were harmed in the fighting — which killed a Mexican marine and an alleged cartel gunmen." read more
Drug War: Officials Bust Drug-Smuggling Ring Linked to Mexican Cartel
NYTimes.com: "PHOENIX — Law enforcement officials on Monday announced the breakup of a massive drug-smuggling ring that used lookouts on hilltops in southern Arizona to move huge quantities of marijuana and other drugs across the Mexican border to users throughout the United States.
... Over the last month and a half, federal, state and local officials have arrested 76 people, from organizational bosses to stash-house guards to those who transported the drugs in backpacks and in vehicles, the authorities said. All were linked to the Sinaloa cartel run by Joaquín Guzmán, Mexico’s richest and most wanted outlaw, who goes by the nickname El Chapo, the authorities said." read more
¡Viva Mexico!: Mexico’s Day of the Dead evolves into a week of whimsy, partying
A wonderful slide show of these fantastic creatures accompanies the article.
The Washington Post: "Along with the national holiday vibe in Mexico City— and sales of sugar skulls and votive candles — comes the world’s largest display of folk art animals called “alebrijes,” fantastic creatures with claws and wings and tails, the surreal made real with chicken wire and paper mache.
The Washington Post: "Along with the national holiday vibe in Mexico City— and sales of sugar skulls and votive candles — comes the world’s largest display of folk art animals called “alebrijes,” fantastic creatures with claws and wings and tails, the surreal made real with chicken wire and paper mache.
... For the past five years, the Museum of Popular Art in Mexico City has staged a contest, a parade and display of hundreds of the towering beasts. They began appearing a few weeks ago on Paseo de Reforma, the city’s premier avenue, and on Sunday before dawn they were moved to the central plaza, the Zocalo, the Aztec heart of the city now ringed by the old national palace, cathedral and city hall." read and see more
Drug War: FBI Paints Picture of Supply Chain Between Mexican and US Gangs
InSight Crime: "The FBI government has released its 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment, which undermines scaremongering by those who warn of an "invasion" of Mexican criminal gangs in U.S. cities.
The most recent assessment, in contrast, offers a much more nuanced picture of the relationship between the most notorious Mexican gangs and crime in U.S. cities. Rather than a Mexican hegemon pulling criminal strings on U.S. streets from thousands of miles away, what we see is evidence of a supply chain. The Mexican groups all have local partners charged with retail distribution of their merchandise: the Sinaloa Cartel works with, for instance, the Latin Kings and the Mexican Mafia, while the Zetas work with the U.S.-based branches of MS-13 to market their drugs." read more
The most recent assessment, in contrast, offers a much more nuanced picture of the relationship between the most notorious Mexican gangs and crime in U.S. cities. Rather than a Mexican hegemon pulling criminal strings on U.S. streets from thousands of miles away, what we see is evidence of a supply chain. The Mexican groups all have local partners charged with retail distribution of their merchandise: the Sinaloa Cartel works with, for instance, the Latin Kings and the Mexican Mafia, while the Zetas work with the U.S.-based branches of MS-13 to market their drugs." read more
Oct 30, 2011
Immigration Crackdown - Alabama: Owning up to the immigration law
An Alabaman takes on the Governor who signed the Alabama anti-immigrant law, but says he does't want to be identified with it. A fun read.
al.com: "HUNTSVILLE, Alabama _ Governor Robert Bentley says he doesn't want to be remembered as the ugly face of the illegal immigration in America. Sorry, Guv, it's too late to unring that cracked bell. Before the dust settles you'll have about as much chance of disassociating yourself from Alabama and America's immigration fiasco as George Wallace did distancing his legacy from segregation. When the full economic and social impact hits, your legacy is made. You will have earned immortality, if not immorality when you scratched your "X" on HB-56." read more
al.com: "HUNTSVILLE, Alabama _ Governor Robert Bentley says he doesn't want to be remembered as the ugly face of the illegal immigration in America. Sorry, Guv, it's too late to unring that cracked bell. Before the dust settles you'll have about as much chance of disassociating yourself from Alabama and America's immigration fiasco as George Wallace did distancing his legacy from segregation. When the full economic and social impact hits, your legacy is made. You will have earned immortality, if not immorality when you scratched your "X" on HB-56." read more
Immigration Crackdown: Religion leaders see immigration as 'God's call'
WSJ.com: "As some states pass laws aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration and federal lawmakers balk at passing any immigration reforms, religious leaders from various denominations are jumping into the debate. They're holding rallies, walking in the Arizona desert, gathering testimonies from immigrants. The leaders fast, get arrested, and sometimes put their own health on the line in an attempt to draw attention to what they see as inhumane treatment of immigrants and to the laws that target them.
"Some of us feel very strongly about this," said Rev. Peter Morales, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, who was arrested last year with immigrant advocates in Arizona for protesting Arizona's much debated, tough immigration law. "It's a humanitarian issue."" read more
"Some of us feel very strongly about this," said Rev. Peter Morales, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, who was arrested last year with immigrant advocates in Arizona for protesting Arizona's much debated, tough immigration law. "It's a humanitarian issue."" read more
Obama's Illegal-immigrant Crackdown: Implications for Hispanics
While this article takes the "balanced views" approach, presenting both sides of the arguments about immigration, it does present important observations about the negative consequences of the mass deportations being undertaken by the Obama administration.
ABC News: "... felony prosecutions for immigration crimes increased by 42 percent during President Obama's first two years in office, a factor in the record 400,000 deportations this fiscal year ...
While these developments may help address some longstanding concerns, they've also had profound implications for Hispanics – most of whom are in the United States legitimately, but some of whom make up the lion's share of the 11 million illegal immigrants in America. In fact, Hispanics are now the majority group being sent to federal prison, largely because of the criminal prosecution of repeat border jumpers.
... "It's unclear ... [whether] officials who are making decisions [about sweeps and increased prosecution] are really comprehending the kinds of social policy implications that they raise," says Deborah Denno, a law professor at Fordham University in New York. "You're taking massive numbers of people and incarcerating them, which means they can't support their families, which leads to serious repercussions."" read more
ABC News: "... felony prosecutions for immigration crimes increased by 42 percent during President Obama's first two years in office, a factor in the record 400,000 deportations this fiscal year ...
While these developments may help address some longstanding concerns, they've also had profound implications for Hispanics – most of whom are in the United States legitimately, but some of whom make up the lion's share of the 11 million illegal immigrants in America. In fact, Hispanics are now the majority group being sent to federal prison, largely because of the criminal prosecution of repeat border jumpers.
... "It's unclear ... [whether] officials who are making decisions [about sweeps and increased prosecution] are really comprehending the kinds of social policy implications that they raise," says Deborah Denno, a law professor at Fordham University in New York. "You're taking massive numbers of people and incarcerating them, which means they can't support their families, which leads to serious repercussions."" read more
Immigration Crackdown: Alabama Immigration Battle Mirrors Civil Rights Era
AP/Fox News Latino: "The nation's strictest immigration law has resurrected ugly images from Alabama's days as the battleground state for civil rights. ... (It's) the case that's likely to be the first sorted out by the U.S. Supreme Court ... and Alabama's jump to the forefront says as much about the country's evolving demographics as it does the nation's collective memory of the state's sometimes violent path to desegregation." read more
The Border: Analysis shows that statistics don't back up claims of rising drug cartel-related crime along border
Austin Statesman: "Last month, two retired Army generals, flanked by the state officials who had hired them, stood in the Texas Capitol and painted an alarming picture of escalating violence on the Texas-Mexico border. Their report, which relied less on crime statistics than anecdotal evidence, concluded that the Texas side of the border had become a "war zone."
But a closer look at crime numbers in border counties since 2006 ... does not reveal evidence of out-of-control chaos. An American-Statesman analysis of all 14 counties that share a border with Mexico and two dozen border cities shows that violent crime along the Texas side of the Rio Grande fell 3.3 percent between 2006 and 2010.
But a closer look at crime numbers in border counties since 2006 ... does not reveal evidence of out-of-control chaos. An American-Statesman analysis of all 14 counties that share a border with Mexico and two dozen border cities shows that violent crime along the Texas side of the Rio Grande fell 3.3 percent between 2006 and 2010.
... Questions over statistics highlight the push to control the narrative along the border, which has major repercussions nationally. The country's perception of the border — as either a war zone or a violence-free haven — influences discussions ranging from immigration reform to presidential politics." read more
The Border: Senate proposal would waive environmental laws at border
The environment, endangered animals and plants, become another form of collateral damage from the insanity of the border "war" against immigrant and drug traffic. Immigration from Mexico has dropped dramatically and the drug traffic will never be stopped, yet the politicians will continue to go on the warpath, heedless of the destruction they wreak.
Examiner.com: "A bill sponsored by Ariz. Sen. John McCain passed through a Senate subcommittee this week, which would grant Customs and Border Patrol agents unfettered access to all federal lands within one hundred miles of the U.S. border with Mexico. Currently, Border Patrol officers are not permitted to drive their vehicles through certain areas of the border region due to environmental restrictions. However, many lawmakers, both Republican and Democrat argue that these restrictions create channels where Mexican smugglers travel across the border unabated." read more
Examiner.com: "A bill sponsored by Ariz. Sen. John McCain passed through a Senate subcommittee this week, which would grant Customs and Border Patrol agents unfettered access to all federal lands within one hundred miles of the U.S. border with Mexico. Currently, Border Patrol officers are not permitted to drive their vehicles through certain areas of the border region due to environmental restrictions. However, many lawmakers, both Republican and Democrat argue that these restrictions create channels where Mexican smugglers travel across the border unabated." read more
Collateral Damage: Drug war takes toll on kids
San Antonio Express-News: "Legions of children ... — some say as many as 15,000 — have lost one parent or both to the drug-fed malevolence devouring Ciudad Juárez. Fragile seedlings, these children shoulder lives sullied by blood, blackened with loss, gnarled in rage. “Violent death is doubly bad,” said Silvia Aguirre, director of a volunteer group that provides grief counseling and support to victims' families. “In addition to the hurt of losing someone, the survivors are left with the shame and embarrassment of how and why they died.
“If you tend to them, you break the cycle of violence,” Aguirre said of the children. “If you don't, they can grow up to be their father's avengers.”" read more
“If you tend to them, you break the cycle of violence,” Aguirre said of the children. “If you don't, they can grow up to be their father's avengers.”" read more
Oct 29, 2011
Globalization - NAFTA: Mexican Trucks In U.S. Still Face Political Long Haul
NPR: "The Port of Entry at Nogales, Ariz., is in the midst of a massive upgrade to ease congestion caused by up to 1,500 Mexican trucks crossing each day. Nearly two-thirds of the produce consumed in the U.S. and Canada during the winter come through here. These Mexican trucks stop at warehouses near the border to transfer their loads to U.S. trucks. That's the way it's long been done. Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, says that adds cost.
On Oct. 21, a Mexican truck carrying a load of construction equipment from Mexico to Texas was the first truck allowed on U.S. interior highways since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) authorized it almost two decades ago. It took that long because labor and political interests delayed the program. The same forces are trying to stop it now that it's begun.
On Oct. 21, a Mexican truck carrying a load of construction equipment from Mexico to Texas was the first truck allowed on U.S. interior highways since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) authorized it almost two decades ago. It took that long because labor and political interests delayed the program. The same forces are trying to stop it now that it's begun.
... James Hoffa, president of the Teamsters union, says the cross-border trucking program will put thousands of trained U.S. drivers out of work." read more
Drug War Bloodshed: Every day is 'Day of the Dead' in Mexico drug war
Boston.com: "El Dia de Los Muertos is when families take picnics to the cemeteries and decorate the graves of departed relatives with marigolds, candles and sugar skulls. The Nov. 2 holiday has always been one of my favorites, I told a friend who met me at the Mexico City airport last year.
"Every day is Day of the Dead now," he said flatly. "We have 40,000 days of the dead."" read more
"Every day is Day of the Dead now," he said flatly. "We have 40,000 days of the dead."" read more
Drug War in Cyberspace: Online hackers threaten to expose cartel's secrets
Houston Chronicle: "An international group of online hackers is warning a Mexican drug cartel to release one of its members, kidnapped from a street protest, or (on Saturday, Nov. 5) it will publish the identities and addresses of the syndicate's associates, from corrupt police to taxi drivers, as well as reveal the syndicates' businesses.
The vow is a bizarre cyber twist to Mexico's ongoing drug war, as a group that has no guns is squaring off against the Zetas, a cartel blamed for thousands of deaths as well as introducing beheadings and other frightening brutality. "You made a huge mistake by taking one of us. Release him," says a masked man in a video posted online on behalf of the group, Anonymous." read more
The vow is a bizarre cyber twist to Mexico's ongoing drug war, as a group that has no guns is squaring off against the Zetas, a cartel blamed for thousands of deaths as well as introducing beheadings and other frightening brutality. "You made a huge mistake by taking one of us. Release him," says a masked man in a video posted online on behalf of the group, Anonymous." read more
Oct 28, 2011
Globalization vs. Indigenous Rights: Wixáritari Indians Fight Mining in Sacred Desert Site
IPS ipsnews.net: "Some 200 Wixáritari or Huichol men, women and children travelled 20 hours from western Mexico to the capital to defend their sacred ceremonial sites from silver mining. Dressed in their colourful traditional attire, the demonstrators came from their mountain villages in the states of Jalisco, Nayarit and Durango to hold protests on Oct. 26 and 27 to demand a stop to the activities of foreign mining companies in the high desert of San Luis Potosí in the central state of that name." read more
Drug War Bloodshed: 20 Killed in Shootouts in Mexico
20 Killed in Shootouts in Mexico - NYTimes.com: "Twenty people were killed Friday in multiple shootouts in two states, law enforcement officials said. In Michoacán, 14 bodies were found in three different locations. ... In the border state of Sinaloa, a confrontation between members of an organized crime gang on a highway left six people dead, three of them unarmed civilians." read more
Drug War - Collateral Damage: Central Mexico Reports Rise of Narco-Refugees
InSight Crime: "Officials in the relatively peaceful central Mexican state of Queretaro said the region has grown in recent years, due to an influx of so-called “narco-refugees” fleeing drug violence in more dangerous parts of the country. According to Queretaro state government figures quoted by Milenio, 94,000 people have come to the state in the last five years."
Drug War - the Money: The Uphill Battle Against Money Laundering
Shannon K. O'Neil: "On Tuesday, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released a new report on global money laundering, “Estimating Illicit Financial Flows Resulting from Drug Trafficking and Other Transnational Organized Crime.” The upshot? It is really hard to estimate. But, the report does provide some tangibles.
Surveying numerous studies, it calculates that illicit global proceeds amount to over $2 trillion dollars every year (roughly 3.6 percent of global GDP), with some $1.6 trillion of this laundered. Within these staggering figures, roughly $870 billion of these revenues relate to drug trafficking and organized crime, and close to $580 billion of those illicit funds are laundered through financial institutions. The study drills down and looks specifically at the global cocaine market, estimated at some $85 billion." read more
Surveying numerous studies, it calculates that illicit global proceeds amount to over $2 trillion dollars every year (roughly 3.6 percent of global GDP), with some $1.6 trillion of this laundered. Within these staggering figures, roughly $870 billion of these revenues relate to drug trafficking and organized crime, and close to $580 billion of those illicit funds are laundered through financial institutions. The study drills down and looks specifically at the global cocaine market, estimated at some $85 billion." read more
Immigration Crackdown: Huddled Masses, Turned Away
An OpEd by Robert M. Morgenthau, who was the Manhattan district attorney from 1975 to 2009.
NYTimes.com: "EMMA LAZARUS’S sonnet — “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” — greeted generations of immigrants.
But today, as we observe the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty, those words, inscribed at its base, have been turned on their heads. Many of Lazarus’s tired and poor may today be found in immigrant detention facilities, part of an enormous backlog of deportation cases that grows larger by the day. Last year, the Department of Homeland Security deported nearly 400,000 people; its secretary, Janet Napolitano, recently promised to increase removal cases to “historic levels.
... A study group based at Syracuse University analyzed 187,000 immigration cases that were completed in the 10 months that ended on July 31. Of those cases, 81 percent involved only procedural, not criminal, wrongdoing.” read more
NYTimes.com: "EMMA LAZARUS’S sonnet — “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” — greeted generations of immigrants.
But today, as we observe the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty, those words, inscribed at its base, have been turned on their heads. Many of Lazarus’s tired and poor may today be found in immigrant detention facilities, part of an enormous backlog of deportation cases that grows larger by the day. Last year, the Department of Homeland Security deported nearly 400,000 people; its secretary, Janet Napolitano, recently promised to increase removal cases to “historic levels.
... A study group based at Syracuse University analyzed 187,000 immigration cases that were completed in the 10 months that ended on July 31. Of those cases, 81 percent involved only procedural, not criminal, wrongdoing.” read more
Drug War: Mexico's Navy Detains Alleged Veracruz Zetas Boss
InSight Crime: "Mexico’s Navy has detained six alleged members of the Zetas drug gang, including Carlos Pitalua, alias "El Bam Bam," in the Gulf port city of Veracruz.
Pitalua, detained along with five other suspected Zetas, is the alleged head of the group's drug trafficking operations in Veracruz, and is believed to have participated in a massacre that left eight dead last week in Paso de Ovejas, a town northwest of Veracruz. Another detained suspect, Jose Ramon Perera Reyes, alias "El Cuate," was one of 32 inmates who escaped a Veracruz prison in September." read more
Pitalua, detained along with five other suspected Zetas, is the alleged head of the group's drug trafficking operations in Veracruz, and is believed to have participated in a massacre that left eight dead last week in Paso de Ovejas, a town northwest of Veracruz. Another detained suspect, Jose Ramon Perera Reyes, alias "El Cuate," was one of 32 inmates who escaped a Veracruz prison in September." read more
Drug War: Mexico Busts Zetas' Luxury 'Narco-Ranch'
InSight Crime: "Federal troops in north Mexico recently discovered a luxury ranch where 200 gunmen from the Zetas gang lived, trained, and launched attacks, offering a vivid illustration of the impunity with which such groups operate in much of the country.
... Authorities said that the ranch, known as Las Aguilas and located on the outskirts of small town called Vallecillo, was the largest facility that the group operated, and served both as a training ground and a launching pad for attacks. The town is just 75 miles north of Monterrey, one of Mexico’s largest cities and the site of an ongoing struggle for control between the Zetas and their rivals in the Gulf Cartel." read more
... Authorities said that the ranch, known as Las Aguilas and located on the outskirts of small town called Vallecillo, was the largest facility that the group operated, and served both as a training ground and a launching pad for attacks. The town is just 75 miles north of Monterrey, one of Mexico’s largest cities and the site of an ongoing struggle for control between the Zetas and their rivals in the Gulf Cartel." read more
Week's Top Articles on Mexico: October 21-27, 2011
Drug War news in Mexico focused this week on several debates about strategy.
Violence against Mexican women received attention with the bestowing of a human rights award on the journalist and women's rights activist Lydia Cacho Ribeiro.
Regarding Mexican politics, there is a close look at the dynamics of the resurgence of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the rise of its likely presidential candidate, Enrique Peña Nieto.
On the immigration front, two stories portray some of the impact of Alabama's crackdown law: U.S. citizens don't want to do the hard work of field hands and a Jewish deli owner gets hate mail and boycott threats because he defends immigrants who have legal status. And, finally, a report on the decades-long waiting times required for potential immigrants to obtain visas to the U.S.
Drug War
U.S. Infiltrating Criminal Groups Across Mexico
NYTimes.com: Oct. 24, "American law enforcement agencies have significantly built up networks of Mexican informants that have allowed them to secretly infiltrate some of that country’s most powerful and dangerous criminal organizations, according to security officials on both sides of the border.
As the United States has opened new law enforcement and intelligence outposts across Mexico in recent years, Washington’s networks of informants have grown there as well, current and former officials said. They have helped Mexican authorities capture or kill about two dozen high-ranking and midlevel drug traffickers, and sometimes have given American counternarcotics agents access to the top leaders of the cartels they are trying to dismantle." read more
Mexico’s drug war bypassing marijuana and opium growers
The Washington Post: Oct. 21, " The Mexican government is allowing domestic marijuana and opium poppy production to climb to record levels, as soldiers who once cut and burned illegal crops here in the vast Sierra Madre mountains are being redeployed to cities to wage urban warfare against criminal gangs.
Since President Felipe Calderon ordered his troops into the streets in late 2006, the acreage dedicated to marijuana farming has nearly doubled in Mexico, according to technical reports by the U.S. government and United Nations, data provided by the Mexican military, and interviews with law enforcement agents and growers. The acreage devoted to opium poppies has also soared, according to the U.S. State Department, making Mexico the second-leading heroin producer in the world, after Afghanistan." read more
Questioning Washington Post's Theory that Distracted Army Equals More Drugs
InSight Crime: Oct. 26, "The Washington Post argues that Mexico's policy of deploying the military to address violence and insecurity has taken the focus off efforts to eradicate illegal marijuana and poppy cultivation, but the criticism is based on flawed premises.
Mexico’s share of the U.S. drug supply market has been growing for years, long before any major troop redeployment by President Calderon, meaning that the country’s eradication policy only partially explains supply market trends. There are a number of other factors that affect drug supply in Mexico, not the least of which is demand for drugs." read more
Release of Mexico Government Homicide Data Reveals "Cockroach Effect"
- The first regards the presence of US agents in Mexico and DEA use of Mexican informants to infiltrate the cartels.
- The second is whether or not Mexico's shifting its armed forces from crop eradication--their traditional task--to attacking cartels in urban warfare has led to an increase in marijuana and opium production.
- The third regards research showing that concentrating military and police in areas of violence results in the cartel battles moving to new territory.
Violence against Mexican women received attention with the bestowing of a human rights award on the journalist and women's rights activist Lydia Cacho Ribeiro.
Regarding Mexican politics, there is a close look at the dynamics of the resurgence of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the rise of its likely presidential candidate, Enrique Peña Nieto.
On the immigration front, two stories portray some of the impact of Alabama's crackdown law: U.S. citizens don't want to do the hard work of field hands and a Jewish deli owner gets hate mail and boycott threats because he defends immigrants who have legal status. And, finally, a report on the decades-long waiting times required for potential immigrants to obtain visas to the U.S.
Drug War
U.S. Infiltrating Criminal Groups Across Mexico
NYTimes.com: Oct. 24, "American law enforcement agencies have significantly built up networks of Mexican informants that have allowed them to secretly infiltrate some of that country’s most powerful and dangerous criminal organizations, according to security officials on both sides of the border.
As the United States has opened new law enforcement and intelligence outposts across Mexico in recent years, Washington’s networks of informants have grown there as well, current and former officials said. They have helped Mexican authorities capture or kill about two dozen high-ranking and midlevel drug traffickers, and sometimes have given American counternarcotics agents access to the top leaders of the cartels they are trying to dismantle." read more
Mexico’s drug war bypassing marijuana and opium growers
The Washington Post: Oct. 21, " The Mexican government is allowing domestic marijuana and opium poppy production to climb to record levels, as soldiers who once cut and burned illegal crops here in the vast Sierra Madre mountains are being redeployed to cities to wage urban warfare against criminal gangs.
Since President Felipe Calderon ordered his troops into the streets in late 2006, the acreage dedicated to marijuana farming has nearly doubled in Mexico, according to technical reports by the U.S. government and United Nations, data provided by the Mexican military, and interviews with law enforcement agents and growers. The acreage devoted to opium poppies has also soared, according to the U.S. State Department, making Mexico the second-leading heroin producer in the world, after Afghanistan." read more
Questioning Washington Post's Theory that Distracted Army Equals More Drugs
InSight Crime: Oct. 26, "The Washington Post argues that Mexico's policy of deploying the military to address violence and insecurity has taken the focus off efforts to eradicate illegal marijuana and poppy cultivation, but the criticism is based on flawed premises.
Mexico’s share of the U.S. drug supply market has been growing for years, long before any major troop redeployment by President Calderon, meaning that the country’s eradication policy only partially explains supply market trends. There are a number of other factors that affect drug supply in Mexico, not the least of which is demand for drugs." read more
Release of Mexico Government Homicide Data Reveals "Cockroach Effect"
InSight Crime: Oct. 24, "Mexico’s federal government has published its statistics regarding homicides in 2011, allowing for a glimpse at the changing state of public security within the nation ... One of the states with the sharpest spikes in murders was Guerrero (and) leading the trend in Guerrero is Acapulco. ... Another region where the violence has spiked is Nuevo Leon. ... The current violence is largely centered around the Monterrey metro area. ... But while the news is bad in the regions mentioned above, other areas have experienced a significant lessening of violence. The foremost is Juarez,... in Chihuahua.
... Taken together, the picture is one of a nation growing slightly more violent, with the violence growing significantly more dispersed. ... This dynamic has long been predicted by the so-called cockroach effect, which holds that the government cracking down in one region will, at best, lead to the criminal actors scurrying to other locales. ... which means that nationwide impact of flooding a specific area with law enforcement could be negative, even with a positive local impact. read more
The Challenge of Violent Drug-Trafficking Organizations
Rand Corporation: Oct. 26, "... this monograph offers an assessment of the contemporary security situation in Mexico through the lens of existing RAND research on related issues. Specifically, we considered three strands of existing research: work on urban instability and unrest, the historical study of insurgency, and research on defense-sector reform.
The Urban Flashpoints Scorecard Shows That Mexican Border Cities Are Highly Vulnerable to Continued Unrest. The Counterinsurgency Scorecard Places Mexico Between Historical Winners and Losers and Reveals That Contemporary Mexico Is Not Unlike the First Phase of Several Historical Insurgencies. The Defense Sector Assessment Rating Tool Indicates That the Ability to Control Corruption Is Perceived as Weak, as Are Mexico’s Policing Capabilities. " read more
Violence Against Women
Mexican Women Reject Normalisation of Gender Violence
IPS ipsnews.net: Oct. 24, "Ninety percent of the non-governmental organisations in Mexico are founded and run by women, says journalist and women's rights activist Lydia Cacho Ribeiro, making them primary targets of violence, including spillover from Mexico's escalating drug wars. Cacho was recently in New York, where she was awarded the Civil Courage award from the Train Foundation
Human rights abuses and violence against women are widespread in Mexico, perpetrated by all actors in society, including the military and police. Nine out of 10 women in Mexico who suffer human rights violations do not report it to the authorities, and those who (do) report them are generally met with suspicion, apathy and disrespect. read more
Mexico Politics
The Rise of Enrique Peña Nieto and Return of the PRI
Center for Strategic and International Studies: Oct. 25, "The rise of Peña Nieto and the return of the PRI as Mexico’s dominant political party cannot be studied in isolation from each other. Both are important factors in defining the shape of the 2012 election campaign." read more
Immigration
After Alabama Immigration Law, Few Americans Want Immigrants' Work
Huffington Post: Oct. 21, "Potato farmer Keith Smith saw most of his immigrant workers leave after Alabama's tough immigration law took effect, so he hired Americans. It hasn't worked out: Most show up late, work slower than seasoned farm hands and are ready to call it a day after lunch or by midafternoon. Some quit after a single day." read more
Alabama Deli Owner Defends Documented Latinos, Receives Boycott Threats
Huffington Post: Oct. 21, "When Alabama's sweeping new immigration law went into effect last month, Birmingham businessman Steve Dubrinsky, owner of Max's Delicatessen, realized he had a serious problem. ... He employs several Latino workers, all of whom.... provided the necessary documentation when he hired them, so he had no reason to believe they're in Alabama illegally.
And yet several of them have told Dubrinsky to start looking for replacements. ... they either have undocumented relatives who they must leave with, or they simply no longer feel comfortable as Latinos in Alabama. ... Dubrinksy was so concerned ... that he spoke to the Birmingham News ... last week.
Suddenly, Dubrinsky had much greater problems. The morning the article ran, Dubrinsky ... turned on local talk radio, only to discover that the discussion topic was Dubrinsky himself. The host and his guests were trying to decide whether or not they should boycott the deli. ... The article had been shared on an anti-immigrant website, and Dubrinsky was soon bombarded with vitriolic hate email." read more
Immigrants find legal paths to U.S. long, difficult
USATODAY.com: Oct. 24, "Few visa categories, high expenses and processing times that can stretch decades put several obstacles along the legal road to immigration. ... According to the monthly Visa Bulletin published by the U.S. State Department, F4 visa applications filed in the Philippines before Aug. 22, 1988, are now being processed. If the family is from Mexico, the wait time is 15 years." read more
... Taken together, the picture is one of a nation growing slightly more violent, with the violence growing significantly more dispersed. ... This dynamic has long been predicted by the so-called cockroach effect, which holds that the government cracking down in one region will, at best, lead to the criminal actors scurrying to other locales. ... which means that nationwide impact of flooding a specific area with law enforcement could be negative, even with a positive local impact. read more
The Challenge of Violent Drug-Trafficking Organizations
Rand Corporation: Oct. 26, "... this monograph offers an assessment of the contemporary security situation in Mexico through the lens of existing RAND research on related issues. Specifically, we considered three strands of existing research: work on urban instability and unrest, the historical study of insurgency, and research on defense-sector reform.
The Urban Flashpoints Scorecard Shows That Mexican Border Cities Are Highly Vulnerable to Continued Unrest. The Counterinsurgency Scorecard Places Mexico Between Historical Winners and Losers and Reveals That Contemporary Mexico Is Not Unlike the First Phase of Several Historical Insurgencies. The Defense Sector Assessment Rating Tool Indicates That the Ability to Control Corruption Is Perceived as Weak, as Are Mexico’s Policing Capabilities. " read more
Violence Against Women
Mexican Women Reject Normalisation of Gender Violence
IPS ipsnews.net: Oct. 24, "Ninety percent of the non-governmental organisations in Mexico are founded and run by women, says journalist and women's rights activist Lydia Cacho Ribeiro, making them primary targets of violence, including spillover from Mexico's escalating drug wars. Cacho was recently in New York, where she was awarded the Civil Courage award from the Train Foundation
Human rights abuses and violence against women are widespread in Mexico, perpetrated by all actors in society, including the military and police. Nine out of 10 women in Mexico who suffer human rights violations do not report it to the authorities, and those who (do) report them are generally met with suspicion, apathy and disrespect. read more
Mexico Politics
The Rise of Enrique Peña Nieto and Return of the PRI
Center for Strategic and International Studies: Oct. 25, "The rise of Peña Nieto and the return of the PRI as Mexico’s dominant political party cannot be studied in isolation from each other. Both are important factors in defining the shape of the 2012 election campaign." read more
Immigration
After Alabama Immigration Law, Few Americans Want Immigrants' Work
Huffington Post: Oct. 21, "Potato farmer Keith Smith saw most of his immigrant workers leave after Alabama's tough immigration law took effect, so he hired Americans. It hasn't worked out: Most show up late, work slower than seasoned farm hands and are ready to call it a day after lunch or by midafternoon. Some quit after a single day." read more
Alabama Deli Owner Defends Documented Latinos, Receives Boycott Threats
Huffington Post: Oct. 21, "When Alabama's sweeping new immigration law went into effect last month, Birmingham businessman Steve Dubrinsky, owner of Max's Delicatessen, realized he had a serious problem. ... He employs several Latino workers, all of whom.... provided the necessary documentation when he hired them, so he had no reason to believe they're in Alabama illegally.
And yet several of them have told Dubrinsky to start looking for replacements. ... they either have undocumented relatives who they must leave with, or they simply no longer feel comfortable as Latinos in Alabama. ... Dubrinksy was so concerned ... that he spoke to the Birmingham News ... last week.
Suddenly, Dubrinsky had much greater problems. The morning the article ran, Dubrinsky ... turned on local talk radio, only to discover that the discussion topic was Dubrinsky himself. The host and his guests were trying to decide whether or not they should boycott the deli. ... The article had been shared on an anti-immigrant website, and Dubrinsky was soon bombarded with vitriolic hate email." read more
Immigrants find legal paths to U.S. long, difficult
USATODAY.com: Oct. 24, "Few visa categories, high expenses and processing times that can stretch decades put several obstacles along the legal road to immigration. ... According to the monthly Visa Bulletin published by the U.S. State Department, F4 visa applications filed in the Philippines before Aug. 22, 1988, are now being processed. If the family is from Mexico, the wait time is 15 years." read more
Drug War - the Money: Book Exposes How Wachovia Bank Laundered Millions for Mexican Cartels
Democracy Now: "...we speak to British journalist Ed Vulliamy, author of "Amexica: War Along the Borderline." Vulliamy exposes how one bank, Wachovia, made millions in the Mexican drug war. At the time, Wachovia was the nation’s fourth-largest bank. It has since been taken over by Wells Fargo. "You can’t drive around Mexico with hundreds of billions of dollars in cash in a semi-artic truck. It has to be banked," Vulliamy said. "What I found was that it is coming into the United States, into the banking system." " read more
Drug War: ‘El Chapo,’ wanted drug lord, grows stronger in Mexico’s Sierra Madre
The Washington Post: "In the fifth year of a terrible war in Mexico that has exhausted the military, consumed the presidency of Felipe Calderon and left more than 43,000 dead in drug violence, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the founder of the Sinaloa cartel, reigns supreme. His pursuers compare him to Al Capone, Butch Cassidy or Osama bin Laden. But none of these gets it quite right. Guzman is the single largest supplier of illegal drugs to the United States, and though he is in hiding, he is not on the run.
Ten years after he escaped from prison in a laundry basket on the eve of his extradition to the United States, Chapo is more powerful than ever: His networks are deeper, his territory is expanding, and his supplies of cocaine, marijuana, heroin and methamphetamine are essentially undiminished, according to U.S. and Mexican agents and officials" read more
Ten years after he escaped from prison in a laundry basket on the eve of his extradition to the United States, Chapo is more powerful than ever: His networks are deeper, his territory is expanding, and his supplies of cocaine, marijuana, heroin and methamphetamine are essentially undiminished, according to U.S. and Mexican agents and officials" read more
Drug War - the Money: Mexico nabs drug cartel finance operator, 2 Americans with $950,00
The Washington Post: "Mexican authorities said Thursday they have detained a woman who allegedly worked as a top financial operator for the Zetas drug cartel, and collared two Americans with $950,000 in cash in a separate bust. Mexican marines captured alleged Zetas “accountant” Carmen del Consuelo Saenz two days earlier in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, along 10 other alleged Zetas members." read more
Movement for Peace with Justice: Javier Sicilia Visits Washington D.C.
Justice in Mexico: "Poet and activist Javier Sicilia visited Washington D.C. on October 27, in order to participate in a forum on his peace movement in Mexico. Invited by the Institute of Mexico in the Woodrow Wilson Centre and the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), Sicilia discussed the release of his new book, Estamos Hasta la Madre, and his thoughts on what can be done about the drug related violence in Mexico. He hoped by visiting the United States and participating in the forum, he would give voice to the victims in Mexico. Sicilia also spoke in front of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), based in D.C." read more
Oct 27, 2011
Movement for Peace with Justice: Citizen Security and Human Rights in Mexico Hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Statement of the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity presented today to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington , D.C.
Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity: Oct. 27, "Outrage at the situation of generalized violence in Mexico has coalesced in the MPJD - a national movement of victims and citizens determined to promote peace with justice and dignity. Adherents of the MPJD believe the situation of systematic human rights violations and widespread impunity among the perpetrators of violence has created a true national emergency.
Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity: Oct. 27, "Outrage at the situation of generalized violence in Mexico has coalesced in the MPJD - a national movement of victims and citizens determined to promote peace with justice and dignity. Adherents of the MPJD believe the situation of systematic human rights violations and widespread impunity among the perpetrators of violence has created a true national emergency.
This document aims to (1) summarize the actions of the MPJD; (2) present the context of citizen security in Mexico; (3) discuss the rights of victims and obligations of the Mexican state under the Inter-American system; (4) recount the demands of the MPJD on the Mexican State; and (5) present the paradigmatic cases of human rights violations the movement has documented and continues to pursue." read more
The Drug War and Migration Collide
Witness for Peace: The Drug War and Migration Collide: "The biggest news coming out of Mexico is the violence as a consequence of the warring drug trafficking organizations and the Mexican government attempting to dismantle them.
But what does the violence of the drug war have to do with migration? There are at least three answers to this question. First, it forces people to migrate, either from being displaced because of the violence or fleeing insecurity in their communities. Second, drug trafficking organizations are also largely responsible for many of the dangers migrants encounter on their journey. ... And lastly, many of the root causes of migration – particularly lack of jobs and economic opportunities – are also causes of the rise of violence due to the lack of alternatives." read more
Drug War: Popular Mexico Drug War Blog Facing 'Security' Threats
The Pan-American Post: "The editors of Blog del Narco and Mundo Narco, best known for publishing uncensored, grisly images of Mexico’s drug conflict, say they had to move to a new website after the Mexican government complained to their former hosting platform, Blogger. According to the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, since October 24 it became difficult to access the blog through several Internet browsers, including Google Chrome." read more
U.S. - Mexico Relations: U.S., Mexico partner for preservation along border
U.S., Mexico partner for preservation along border - Alpine Avalanche: News: "Under a blistering October sun within a couple of miles of tiny Boquillas, Mexico, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada, secretary of Mexico's Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, signed a pact that's been over 65 years in the making.
Called the Joint Statement on Cooperative Action for Conservation in the Big Bend/Rio Bravo Region, the partnership is aimed at solidifying long-held dreams of cooperatively managing and preserving a vast and ecologically diverse region. ... The initiative will preserve a 3 million-acre region with more than 260 miles of rivers (the Rio Grande, Rio Bravo and tributaries), over 400 species of birds, at least 1,500 plant species and 75 species of mammals, including black bear and mountain lion." read more
Called the Joint Statement on Cooperative Action for Conservation in the Big Bend/Rio Bravo Region, the partnership is aimed at solidifying long-held dreams of cooperatively managing and preserving a vast and ecologically diverse region. ... The initiative will preserve a 3 million-acre region with more than 260 miles of rivers (the Rio Grande, Rio Bravo and tributaries), over 400 species of birds, at least 1,500 plant species and 75 species of mammals, including black bear and mountain lion." read more
Immigration and the Border: Undocumented arrests down 90 percent in El Paso, Texas sector
Poder 360: "Apprehensions at a key section of the U.S.-Mexico border have dropped by 90 percent in the past five years, says the border patrol. Last year, agents arrested 12,251 undocumented immigrants in the El Paso Sector, which includes New Mexico and parts of west Texas. In 2005, there were 120,000 arrests, the U.S. Border Patrol told Fox News Latino. The reason for the dip, the agency told Fox: a new fence, more agents that bring their total to 2,700 and better technology in the form of a state-of-the-art remote video surveillance system. But various reports have previously noted a drop in illegal immigration in general over that same time span because of the U.S economic downturn." read more
Immigration Politics: So Much for the Nativists
A New York Times editorial
... The growers’ rebellion against E-Verify (which Mr. Smith wants to make mandatory), and Mr. Smith’s contortions to buy them off, is further proof that the country cannot live without immigrant labor — no matter what the nativists may claim. That is why, even as Congress has abdicated its duty to fix immigration and left the states to run amok on enforcement, there is still an abundance of visa-related bills on Capitol Hill."
Border Politics: GOP Seeks Waiver Of Environmental Laws At Border
Fox News: "A growing number of lawmakers are saying (that environmental protection) restrictions have turned the border wilderness areas into highways for criminals. In recent weeks, three congressional panels, including two in the GOP-controlled House and one in the Democratic-controlled Senate, have moved to give the Border Patrol unfettered access to all federally managed lands within 100 miles of the border with Mexico."
... Environmental groups said lawmakers lining up to support the legislation have routinely opposed the Endangered Species Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act and dozens of other laws, and they accused the lawmakers of using illegal immigration as the latest excuse to gut protections.
"For every problem that's out there in society, there's some extremists in Congress who say the solution is, `Well, let's roll back the environmental laws, let's open up the public lands,"' said Paul Spitler, spokesman for the Wilderness Society. "It doesn't comport to reality, but it fits their mindset that it's simply the environmental regulations that are holding back America." read more
... Environmental groups said lawmakers lining up to support the legislation have routinely opposed the Endangered Species Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act and dozens of other laws, and they accused the lawmakers of using illegal immigration as the latest excuse to gut protections.
"For every problem that's out there in society, there's some extremists in Congress who say the solution is, `Well, let's roll back the environmental laws, let's open up the public lands,"' said Paul Spitler, spokesman for the Wilderness Society. "It doesn't comport to reality, but it fits their mindset that it's simply the environmental regulations that are holding back America." read more
Immigration Politics: Illegal immigration - Fenced-in thinking
Los Angeles Times editorial
latimes.com: "A record number of immigrants were deported in fiscal 2011. You'd think that would be greeted as good news by Republicans, who have repeatedly demanded that the Obama administration crack down on illegal immigration. But it won't be. The latest numbers, released last week, are unlikely to sway the current field of Republican presidential hopefuls, who steadfastly refuse to discuss fixing the broken immigration system, arguing that only stricter enforcement, tougher penalties and a 100% secured border will satisfy them." read more
latimes.com: "A record number of immigrants were deported in fiscal 2011. You'd think that would be greeted as good news by Republicans, who have repeatedly demanded that the Obama administration crack down on illegal immigration. But it won't be. The latest numbers, released last week, are unlikely to sway the current field of Republican presidential hopefuls, who steadfastly refuse to discuss fixing the broken immigration system, arguing that only stricter enforcement, tougher penalties and a 100% secured border will satisfy them." read more
Border Politics: Homeland Security adding 3 drone aircraft despite lack of pilots
Ah, the insanity of pork barrel politics!
latimes.com: "The Homeland Security Department is adding three surveillance drone aircraft to a domestic fleet chiefly used to patrol the border with Mexico even though officials acknowledge they don't have enough pilots to operate the seven Predators they already possess. The new drones are being purchased after lobbying by members of the so-called drone caucus in Congress, many from districts in Southern California, a major hub of the unmanned aircraft industry.
"We didn't ask for them," said a Homeland Security official who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak frankly. Officials said the Customs and Border Protection Office of Air and Marine, which operates the drones, has enough pilots to fly the current fleet only five days a week. Congress approved $32 million to buy the new drones last August. But the authorization did not include money to train or hire new pilots or crews, or to buy spare parts, officials said." read more
latimes.com: "The Homeland Security Department is adding three surveillance drone aircraft to a domestic fleet chiefly used to patrol the border with Mexico even though officials acknowledge they don't have enough pilots to operate the seven Predators they already possess. The new drones are being purchased after lobbying by members of the so-called drone caucus in Congress, many from districts in Southern California, a major hub of the unmanned aircraft industry.
"We didn't ask for them," said a Homeland Security official who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak frankly. Officials said the Customs and Border Protection Office of Air and Marine, which operates the drones, has enough pilots to fly the current fleet only five days a week. Congress approved $32 million to buy the new drones last August. But the authorization did not include money to train or hire new pilots or crews, or to buy spare parts, officials said." read more
Drug War and Freedom of the Press: In treacherous Tijuana, editor Adela Navarro Bello’s risks are life-or-death
The Washington Post: "“When will this end?” Adela Navarro Bello, editor of the Tijuana newsweekly Zeta, asked with a look of ire. ... “In Mexico the crimes against journalists are never solved,” Navarro said. “The special prosecutor’s office for crimes against journalists keeps saying, ‘It wasn’t because of their work as journalists.’ It’s terrible. What is the message? That in Mexico you can assassinate a journalist and not go to jail?”
Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, and Tijuana, the sunny, friendly Pacific Coast border city that has been marred by drug cartel violence, has been a punishing home for Zeta. ... On Thursday in New York, the International Women’s Media Foundation will give Navarro its Courage in Journalism award because “she has refused to remain silent, despite repeated warnings that she is being targeted by drug cartels.”" read more
Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, and Tijuana, the sunny, friendly Pacific Coast border city that has been marred by drug cartel violence, has been a punishing home for Zeta. ... On Thursday in New York, the International Women’s Media Foundation will give Navarro its Courage in Journalism award because “she has refused to remain silent, despite repeated warnings that she is being targeted by drug cartels.”" read more
Mexico Politics: Andrés Manuel López Obrador Speaks of a Way Out of Mexico's Morass
IPS: "Rethinking Mexico’s relationship with the United States is an urgent priority, according to leading Mexican politician Andrés Manuel López Obrador. In his October 11 remarks at Washington, DC’s Wilson Center, López Obrador declared that it "is more effective and humane to implement cooperation in order to reach development, rather than insisting on giving priority to police and military cooperation, as we do now” — strongly implying that there is nothing cooperative about U.S. assistance for Mexico’s drug war.
López Obrador, a former Mexico City mayor, spoke on behalf of Mexico’s National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), a progressive grassroots political organization that many believe could play a role in the country’s presidential election next year." read more
López Obrador, a former Mexico City mayor, spoke on behalf of Mexico’s National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), a progressive grassroots political organization that many believe could play a role in the country’s presidential election next year." read more
Mexico Drug War: Data Shows Declining Violence in Guerrero Due to Military Operation
A side note: the Mexican government has implied that the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity is in danger of being coopted by political parties. This article shows that Calderon is trying to coopt the Peace Movement. The cry that he used in his speech in Acapulco, "You are not alone!" is from the Movement, called out to victims of the drug war when they tell their stories. The Movement's Caravan to the South was in Acapulco on Sept. 10, and many victims testified of their losses and pain.
Justice in Mexico: "18 days after a military operation called Coordinated Operation for a Secure Guerrero (Operación Cordinado Guerrero Seguro) was launched on October 6 to control the escalating violence in the resort city of Acapulco, murder rates have declined 42% said Mexican President Felipe Calderón at the inauguration of a Guerrero mining convention.
According to data provided by the federal government’s Department of Public Security (Secretaría de Seguridad Pública, SSP), homicides declined from 4.2 in a day to between 2.4 and zero on certain days. The increasing cartel violence reported in Acapulco, Guerrero and the state of Veracruz forced federal authorities to recently launch a number of military actions and clean up the state and local police offices.
... “You are not alone; your problems are our problems,” concluded Calderón to the residents of Acapulco." read more
Justice in Mexico: "18 days after a military operation called Coordinated Operation for a Secure Guerrero (Operación Cordinado Guerrero Seguro) was launched on October 6 to control the escalating violence in the resort city of Acapulco, murder rates have declined 42% said Mexican President Felipe Calderón at the inauguration of a Guerrero mining convention.
According to data provided by the federal government’s Department of Public Security (Secretaría de Seguridad Pública, SSP), homicides declined from 4.2 in a day to between 2.4 and zero on certain days. The increasing cartel violence reported in Acapulco, Guerrero and the state of Veracruz forced federal authorities to recently launch a number of military actions and clean up the state and local police offices.
Immigration Crackdown: Alabama Officials Say Confusion Reigns Over Immigration Law
Fox News Latino: "Confusion is running rampant in Alabama over how and when to apply the new immigration law – considered the toughest such measure in the nation. Now that federal judges have blocked parts of the act while letting others take effect, officials say uncertainty reigns even while suspects are being arrested and jailed.
Court cases can vary from one place to the other, depending on how local police apply the law to arrest suspects. Once those suspects get to court, the handling of their cases can vary from judge to judge in the state's more than 450 trial courts at the municipal and county level. "There's a whole lot of confusion about the law and what we should do about it," said Judge Scott Vowell, a circuit judge in Birmingham's Jefferson County and president of the Alabama Circuit Judges Association." read more
Court cases can vary from one place to the other, depending on how local police apply the law to arrest suspects. Once those suspects get to court, the handling of their cases can vary from judge to judge in the state's more than 450 trial courts at the municipal and county level. "There's a whole lot of confusion about the law and what we should do about it," said Judge Scott Vowell, a circuit judge in Birmingham's Jefferson County and president of the Alabama Circuit Judges Association." read more
Mexico Drug War: Nephew of ex-Gulf cartel boss arrested in Texas, facing drug and immigration charges
Official: Nephew of ex-Gulf cartel boss arrested in Texas, facing drug and immigration charges - The Washington Post: "A man arrested on federal drug and immigration charges in South Texas is believed to be the nephew of the former boss of Mexico’s Gulf cartel and was a rising player in the drug trafficking network, a U.S. law enforcement official said Wednesday.
Rafael Cardenas Vela was arrested last week following a traffic stop in Port Isabel, a Gulf coast town that sits across the causeway from South Padre Island. He is charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute drugs and using a fraudulent passport, according to federal court records. The law enforcement official familiar with the case told The Associated Press on Wednesday that authorities believe Cardenas Vela is the nephew of Osiel Cardenas Guillen." read more
Drug War: Mexico nabs alleged Zetas local chief, 5 others
The Associated Press: "The Mexican navy said Wednesday it had arrested the alleged local chief of the Zetas drug cartel in the Gulf coast port of Veracruz, and said he is tied to the dumping of eight bodies in a rural town a week ago. The navy said Carlos "The Bam Bam" Pitalua and five other men were arrested on Tuesday.
One of the five is suspected in helping break 32 inmates out of three Veracruz prisons in a well-planned, simultaneous escape. A picture released by the navy shows four of the six dressed in military clothing.
One day after the jail break, gunmen dumped 35 bodies on a busy avenue of Veracruz last month. Some of the victims were reported at the time to have been escaped inmates.
And in central Mexico State, outside Mexico City, prosecutors announced Wednesday they had arrested Adrian Ramirez, alias "The Mushroom," the alleged leader of the Cartel del Centro." read more
One of the five is suspected in helping break 32 inmates out of three Veracruz prisons in a well-planned, simultaneous escape. A picture released by the navy shows four of the six dressed in military clothing.
One day after the jail break, gunmen dumped 35 bodies on a busy avenue of Veracruz last month. Some of the victims were reported at the time to have been escaped inmates.
And in central Mexico State, outside Mexico City, prosecutors announced Wednesday they had arrested Adrian Ramirez, alias "The Mushroom," the alleged leader of the Cartel del Centro." read more
Oct 26, 2011
Drug War Politics: Mexican presidential hopeful vows drugs war shift
Reuters: " A leading presidential candidate of Mexico's ruling party said on Wednesday he would break with government policy and withdraw the army from the fight against drug gangs if he wins the election in 2012.
Santiago Creel, a former interior minister belonging to the conservative National Action Party (PAN), told Reuters that President Felipe Calderon's military strategy had served its course and that he would change "everything" as leader. "The direct, frontal, expansive strategy is a strategy that should end with this administration," said Creel, who is seeking the PAN's nomination for the presidency." read more
Santiago Creel, a former interior minister belonging to the conservative National Action Party (PAN), told Reuters that President Felipe Calderon's military strategy had served its course and that he would change "everything" as leader. "The direct, frontal, expansive strategy is a strategy that should end with this administration," said Creel, who is seeking the PAN's nomination for the presidency." read more
Mexico Drug War - Weapons Traffic: California an 'Ammo Pipeline' to Mexican Drug Cartels
InSight Crime: "The amount of ammunition that Mexican police have seized in Tijuana has more than doubled since 2008, an official testified during a California Senate hearing. The Los Angeles hearing was meant to address firearms trafficking between California and Mexico.
According to the city's police liaison with Tijuana, Alejandro Lares Valladares, Tijuana is now seizing significantly larger shipments of smuggled ammo. Authorities have seized over 11,000 bullets so far this year, compared with just 4,312 in 2008. Lares did not specify how much of this ammo has been successfully traced to the U.S." read more
According to the city's police liaison with Tijuana, Alejandro Lares Valladares, Tijuana is now seizing significantly larger shipments of smuggled ammo. Authorities have seized over 11,000 bullets so far this year, compared with just 4,312 in 2008. Lares did not specify how much of this ammo has been successfully traced to the U.S." read more
Mexico Politics: Mexican politicians, migrants and votes
Mexico in Focus: "Since 2005, when constitutional reforms allowed Mexicans living abroad to vote overseas, migrants have become a potential source of votes for any presidential candidate. The vote abroad is still young and a developing process, which is reflected in the low numbers of voters in the 2006 presidential election.
According to estimates by the Federal Electoral Institute, there were 4.2 million potential Mexican voters living abroad. However, only 56,312 applied for registration in the lists of voters residing abroad. Of those, only 40,876 qualified. " read more
According to estimates by the Federal Electoral Institute, there were 4.2 million potential Mexican voters living abroad. However, only 56,312 applied for registration in the lists of voters residing abroad. Of those, only 40,876 qualified. " read more
Mexico Drug War - an Assessment: The Challenge of Violent Drug-Trafficking Organizations
This research was done by the International Security and Defense Policy Center of the RAND Corporation's National Defense Research Institute, a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the Unitied Combatant Commands, the Navy, the Marine Corps, the defense agencies, and the defense Intelligence Community. It used an expert elicitation exercise; i.e., a group of experts ... completed scorecard assessments of the contemporary Mexican security situation on three dimensions.
Rand Corporation: "... this monograph offers an assessment of the contemporary security situation in Mexico through the lens of existing RAND research on related issues. Specifically, we considered three strands of existing research: work on urban instability and unrest, the historical study of insurgency, and research on defense-sector reform.
Rand Corporation: "... this monograph offers an assessment of the contemporary security situation in Mexico through the lens of existing RAND research on related issues. Specifically, we considered three strands of existing research: work on urban instability and unrest, the historical study of insurgency, and research on defense-sector reform.
- The Urban Flashpoints Scorecard Shows That Mexican Border Cities Are Highly Vulnerable to Continued Unrest
- The Counterinsurgency Scorecard Places Mexico Between Historical Winners and Losers and Reveals That Contemporary Mexico Is Not Unlike the First Phase of Several Historical Insurgencies
- The Defense Sector Assessment Rating Tool Indicates That the Ability to Control Corruption Is Perceived as Weak, as Are Mexico’s Policing Capabilities. " read more
Drug War: Mexican army raids bulletproofing auto shop, arrests 10 in Sinaloa state
The Washington Post: "The Mexican army have found an auto shop used to bulletproof vehicles for drug gangs. Ten people were arrested and soldiers confiscated 10 cars or SUVs that were being bulletproofed, as well as six other vehicles in a warehouse in the northern state of Sinaloa, said the army in a late-Monday statement." read more
Immigraton Crackdown: Interior Immigration Enforcement: Programs Targeting Criminal Aliens
The Congressional Research Service report on Department of Homeland Security deportation programs ostensibly aimed at criminals.
Congressional Research Service: "DHS operates four programs designed in whole or in part to target criminal aliens:
Congressional Research Service: "DHS operates four programs designed in whole or in part to target criminal aliens:
- the Criminal Alien Program (CAP),
- Secure Communities,
- the § 287(g) program, and the
- National Fugitive Operations Program (NFOP).
Drug Trafficking: Questioning Washington Post's Theory that Distracted Army Equals More Drugs
InSight Crime: "The Washington Post argues that Mexico's policy of deploying the military to address violence and insecurity has taken the focus off efforts to eradicate illegal marijuana and poppy cultivation, but the criticism is based on flawed premises.
Mexico’s share of the U.S. drug supply market has been growing for years, long before any major troop redeployment by President Calderon, meaning that the country’s eradication policy only partially explains supply market trends. There are a number of other factors that affect drug supply in Mexico, not the least of which is demand for drugs." read more
Mexico’s share of the U.S. drug supply market has been growing for years, long before any major troop redeployment by President Calderon, meaning that the country’s eradication policy only partially explains supply market trends. There are a number of other factors that affect drug supply in Mexico, not the least of which is demand for drugs." read more
Drug War Bloodshed: Female 'Assassin Boss' Arrested with 2 Severed Heads in Acapulco, Mexico
InSight Crime: "Police in the Mexican resort city of Acapulco said they captured the 19-year-old female leader of a local hit squad, while she was in the act of leaving a gruesome “narco-message” for rivals." read more
Mexico Drug War: Military Operations begin in Guerrero and Veracruz
Justice in Mexico: "At the beginning of October, two military operations were launched in Veracruz and Guerrero called Operación Cordinada Veracruz Seguro (Coordinated Operation for a Secure Veracruz) and the Operación Cordinada Guerrero Seguro (Coordinated Operation for a Secure Guerrero)." read more
Drug Trafficking: Indiana drug seizure reveals Mexican cartels’ infiltration in states
Landlinetruckers: "Efren Gonzalez-Perez was approached last winter outside a Mexican dentist office near the U.S.-Mexico border, where “everyone knows he is a truck driver.”
A man told Gonzalez-Perez to drive his truck to Indianapolis and pick up $500,000 cash before returning to the southwest border, Gonzalez-Perez later told investigators. He delivered the money to a truck stop in McAllen, TX, off of Interstate 83, using a hidden compartment in his trailer.
Gonzalez-Perez became the first of at least four defendants charged in a large-scale drug-running operation last week originating from drug cartels along the U.S.-Mexico border. Two men arrested in the operation are allegedly illegal immigrants. Others, including Gonzalez-Perez, are facing multiple felony charges.
In March, police conducting a traffic stop at a west Indianapolis truck stop used a canine to determine drugs were present in Gonzalez-Perez’s Freightliner. Gonzalez-Perez had been pulled over in west Indianapolis. Police found $500,000 in a hidden compartment in the trailer’s ceiling. Later, nearly another $4 million in cash was found in related searches at an Indianapolis warehouse last week and in a truck pulled over in Arkansas in late September." read more
The investigation resulted in police seizing more than 5 tons of marijuana and $4.3 million in cash and drug proceeds."
A man told Gonzalez-Perez to drive his truck to Indianapolis and pick up $500,000 cash before returning to the southwest border, Gonzalez-Perez later told investigators. He delivered the money to a truck stop in McAllen, TX, off of Interstate 83, using a hidden compartment in his trailer.
Gonzalez-Perez became the first of at least four defendants charged in a large-scale drug-running operation last week originating from drug cartels along the U.S.-Mexico border. Two men arrested in the operation are allegedly illegal immigrants. Others, including Gonzalez-Perez, are facing multiple felony charges.
In March, police conducting a traffic stop at a west Indianapolis truck stop used a canine to determine drugs were present in Gonzalez-Perez’s Freightliner. Gonzalez-Perez had been pulled over in west Indianapolis. Police found $500,000 in a hidden compartment in the trailer’s ceiling. Later, nearly another $4 million in cash was found in related searches at an Indianapolis warehouse last week and in a truck pulled over in Arkansas in late September." read more
The investigation resulted in police seizing more than 5 tons of marijuana and $4.3 million in cash and drug proceeds."
Drug War Bloodshed: Mexican Army Catches Zetas Burning Victims' Bodies
More gruesomeness.
InSight Crime: "The Mexican military raided a Zetas camp in the northern state of Nuevo Leon, reportedly seizing the site just as suspects were attempting to burn the bodies of several murder victims." read more
InSight Crime: "The Mexican military raided a Zetas camp in the northern state of Nuevo Leon, reportedly seizing the site just as suspects were attempting to burn the bodies of several murder victims." read more
Oct 25, 2011
Corruption at the Border: ICE officer ordered held in pot case
APNewsBreak: "A federal deportation officer accused of leading authorities on a desert chase as he threw bundles of marijuana out of the window has been ordered to remain behind bars as his case proceeds through court. Federal magistrate Edward Voss ruled at a Tuesday hearing in Phoenix that 34-year-old Jason Alistair Lowery is a flight risk and a danger to the community, and should remain imprisoned.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges during the hearing." read more
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges during the hearing." read more
Immigration Crackdown: NY court rules deported immigrants entitled to appeals
WSJ.com: "New York's top court ruled Tuesday that two immigrants who had been in the United States legally are entitled to appeal criminal convictions even though they've been deported after being released from jail. Carlos Ventura and Damian Gardner were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which sent Ventura back to the Dominican Republic in 2008. Gardner was deported to Jamaica in 2009.
A midlevel court dismissed Ventura's appeal, saying he was unavailable to fight the case. It likewise rejected the appeal of Gardner. Both had claimed there was insufficient evidence to support their convictions in Queens. The Court of Appeals on Tuesday ordered reviews of both cases on the merits, noting they were unlike those where defendants forfeit their appeal rights by running away.
"Ventura and Gardner had an absolute right to seek appellate review of their convictions," Judge Theodore Jones Jr. wrote. He cited the New York statute that codifies a criminal defendant's common law right to appeal to an intermediate court." read more
A midlevel court dismissed Ventura's appeal, saying he was unavailable to fight the case. It likewise rejected the appeal of Gardner. Both had claimed there was insufficient evidence to support their convictions in Queens. The Court of Appeals on Tuesday ordered reviews of both cases on the merits, noting they were unlike those where defendants forfeit their appeal rights by running away.
"Ventura and Gardner had an absolute right to seek appellate review of their convictions," Judge Theodore Jones Jr. wrote. He cited the New York statute that codifies a criminal defendant's common law right to appeal to an intermediate court." read more
Immigration Crackdown - Secure Communities: Federal judge orders release of key document on immigration enforcement program by Nov. 1
The Washington Post: "A federal judge has ordered the release of a document expected to show why the U.S. government ended up mandating a program for identifying deportable immigrants after they’ve been detained.
U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin ordered the government late Monday to turn over a key memorandum by Nov. 1 to civil rights groups and immigrant advocates who had included it in a Freedom of Information Act request.
The memo was expected to explain why a program known as Secure Communities was optional for states and municipalities through at least the beginning of 2010, but became mandatory by the end of that year. " read more
U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin ordered the government late Monday to turn over a key memorandum by Nov. 1 to civil rights groups and immigrant advocates who had included it in a Freedom of Information Act request.
The memo was expected to explain why a program known as Secure Communities was optional for states and municipalities through at least the beginning of 2010, but became mandatory by the end of that year. " read more
Collateral Damage: How Mexico's drug war also prevents positive news from being reported
CSMonitor.com: "The impact (intimidation by the drug cartels) has had on the news is well-known: in many small towns in Mexico, and many larger ones as well, residents complain of a news blackout. Many resort to Twitter and Facebook for their news – causing all kinds of new challenges. But it is not just crime that goes uncovered, and that might be one of the saddest stories of the drug war in Mexico. ...The threats might be indirect, but they also cause a blackout of "good news."" read more
Drug War: Troops garrison Mexican border town battered by drug war
Fox News Latino: "The Mexican army has stationed an entire battalion in a northern border town abandoned by most of its residents late last year amid a brutal turf war between the Gulf and Los Zetas drug cartels. Soldiers began patrolling the area months ago, but it only Monday that the troops formally moved into the newly constructed base in Ciudad Mier. Ciudad Mier and many other towns in the northeastern state have been found themselves caught in the crossfire after the March 2010 rupture of the alliance between the Gulf cartel and its former armed wing, Los Zetas." read more
Drug War Strategy: The Nontraditional, Traditional Drug Threat and Drug War
Border Lines: "The commander of the U.S. Southern Command warns that the U.S. is facing a “nontraditional threat” from the south in the form of “transnational organized crime.” Commander Douglas Fraser joined the chorus of military and administration officials warning of the new threat of transnational criminal organizations, and declared: “We’re trying to move our defense further and further from our border.”
Southcom’s relationship with nations in its region, the general added, “provides us with stability and security on our southern flank and that’s in our interest, [and] it improves the economic vitality of the region and our ability to trade with one another.”
It is not at all clear, however, that the U.S.-led drug war that Southcom has supported over the past four decades has been in the best interests of the region.
... There’s bipartisan support for escalating the drug war in the form of a new bill titled “Targeting Transnational Drug Traffic king Act of 2011” that expands the reach of the Justice Department in pursuing individuals who directly or indirectly involved in operations that export illegal drugs into the United States." read more
Southcom’s relationship with nations in its region, the general added, “provides us with stability and security on our southern flank and that’s in our interest, [and] it improves the economic vitality of the region and our ability to trade with one another.”
It is not at all clear, however, that the U.S.-led drug war that Southcom has supported over the past four decades has been in the best interests of the region.
... There’s bipartisan support for escalating the drug war in the form of a new bill titled “Targeting Transnational Drug Traffic king Act of 2011” that expands the reach of the Justice Department in pursuing individuals who directly or indirectly involved in operations that export illegal drugs into the United States." read more
Mexico Drug War Strategy: Operation Laguna Segura Launched in Coahuila and Durango
Justice in Mexico: "Last week, Interior Secretary (Secretario de Gobernación) José Francisco Blake Mora announced at a government press conference the launch of Operation Laguna Segura, a bold investment of federal police forces and machinery to combat organized crime in the northern Mexican region, specifically in the states of Coahuila and Durango. The governors of Coahuila and Durango, Jorge Torres López and Jorge Herrera Caldera, respectively, were present at the press panel to discuss the ramifications of the new federal security plan that would place all levels of police and security, local, state and federal under the federal government’s control.
... The Interior Secretary and the governors of Coahuila and Durango agreed to a ten point approach to Operation Laguna Segura. These points include purification and strengthening of police forces; continuing evaluations; increasing size and strength of the police force; participation in joint mobilization efforts between state, local and federal police; review of corruption in the system; and monitoring of money laundering and corruption ." read more
... The Interior Secretary and the governors of Coahuila and Durango agreed to a ten point approach to Operation Laguna Segura. These points include purification and strengthening of police forces; continuing evaluations; increasing size and strength of the police force; participation in joint mobilization efforts between state, local and federal police; review of corruption in the system; and monitoring of money laundering and corruption ." read more
Drug War - Collateral Damage: Mexico 5th most dangerous place in world for journalists - The Washington Post
The Washington Post: "Mexico is the fifth most dangerous country in the world for journalists with 70 killed since 2000, according to a joint assessment released Monday by the United Nations and the Organization of American States. The report said that 13 journalists have been killed so far in 2011 in Mexico. While motives vary in journalists’ killings, one factor is the bloody drug cartel violence in Mexico." read more
Mexico Politics: The Rise of Enrique Peña Nieto and Return of the PRI
A close look at the dynamics of the resurgence of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the rise of its likely presidential candidate, Enrique Peña Nieto.
Center for Strategic and International Studies: The rise of Peña Nieto and the return of the PRI as Mexico’s dominant political party cannot be studied in isolation from each other. Both are important factors in defining the shape of the 2012 election campaign.
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Center for Strategic and International Studies: The rise of Peña Nieto and the return of the PRI as Mexico’s dominant political party cannot be studied in isolation from each other. Both are important factors in defining the shape of the 2012 election campaign.
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Human Rights: Permanent People's Tribunal Sets Up Shop in Mexico
IPS ipsnews.net: " "We have a duty to show what the reality is, and we will do so with complete independence," said French judge Philippe Texier, a member of the Permanent People’s Tribunal, which has opened a chapter in Mexico.
"Traditionally judges keep silent, but we have to clarify why we are here and why we accepted the request of the Mexican organisations" to set up the new branch of the PPT, which will investigate possible state crimes against humanity in this country, he said Friday.
"Mexico has a relatively good international human rights image, because it has signed all of the treaties and conventions, and the role of the PPT will be to demonstrate whether or not that image reflects reality," said Texier, who sits on France's Court of Cassation and is a former chair of the U.N. Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights." read more
"Traditionally judges keep silent, but we have to clarify why we are here and why we accepted the request of the Mexican organisations" to set up the new branch of the PPT, which will investigate possible state crimes against humanity in this country, he said Friday.
"Mexico has a relatively good international human rights image, because it has signed all of the treaties and conventions, and the role of the PPT will be to demonstrate whether or not that image reflects reality," said Texier, who sits on France's Court of Cassation and is a former chair of the U.N. Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights." read more
Immigration Realities: Struggling Dayton, Ohio, reaches out to immigrants
SanFranciscoChronicle: "Dayton, Ohio, has adopted a plan not only to encourage immigrants to come and feel welcome here, but also to use them to help pull out of an economic tailspin. Dayton officials, who adopted the "Welcome Dayton" plan unanimously Oct. 5, say they aren't condoning illegal immigration; those who come here illicitly will continue to be subject to U.S. laws. But Dayton is leaving enforcement to federal authorities and focusing instead on how to attract and assimilate those who come legally.
Mayor Gary Leitzell told the city commission before the vote that immigrants bring "new ideas, new perspectives and new talent to our workforce. ... To reverse the decades-long trend of economic decline in this city, we need to think globally."" read more
Mayor Gary Leitzell told the city commission before the vote that immigrants bring "new ideas, new perspectives and new talent to our workforce. ... To reverse the decades-long trend of economic decline in this city, we need to think globally."" read more
Drug War: To Fight Police Corruption, One Mexican State Starts from Scratch
Fox News Latino: "Prime dove, deer and bass fishing areas near the US border are also battle zones in Mexico's drug war, forcing more than 250 hunting lodges to shut down and threatening the country's tourism industry. Hector Aguilar, who runs Big Bass Hunting and Fishing in Mexico's Tamaulipas State, says they have lost about 95 percent of their business. "People from the States used to come here a lot," said Aguilar. "That was our main target market and then just because of bad media it dropped and here we are."
The Mexican government has been aggressive in taking the fight to the drug cartels A five year battle has left 43,000 dead and exposed Mexico's police force as complicit. An entirely new force, the Civil Guard, is being formed to fight the cartels. .. Corruption in Mexican law enforcement until now has been endemic. The average police officer earns roughly $600 a month. The new Civil Guard recruits will earn three times that salary, along with housing and insurance benefits that officials help will prevent the new force from working with, instead of fighting, the cartels." read more
The Mexican government has been aggressive in taking the fight to the drug cartels A five year battle has left 43,000 dead and exposed Mexico's police force as complicit. An entirely new force, the Civil Guard, is being formed to fight the cartels. .. Corruption in Mexican law enforcement until now has been endemic. The average police officer earns roughly $600 a month. The new Civil Guard recruits will earn three times that salary, along with housing and insurance benefits that officials help will prevent the new force from working with, instead of fighting, the cartels." read more
Drug War: 'El Narco': The Trade Driving Mexico's Drug War
NPR: "Over the last five years, the Mexican drug war has claimed the lives of an estimated 40,000 civilians and drug traffickers. British journalist Ioan Grillo describes it as "a bloodbath that has shocked the world."
In his new book, El Narco, Grillo takes a close look at the Mexican drug trade, starting with the term el narco, which has come to represent the vast, often faceless criminal network of drug smugglers who cast a murderous shadow over the entire country." read more
In his new book, El Narco, Grillo takes a close look at the Mexican drug trade, starting with the term el narco, which has come to represent the vast, often faceless criminal network of drug smugglers who cast a murderous shadow over the entire country." read more
Oct 24, 2011
Drug War: U.S. Infiltrating Criminal Groups Across Mexico
NYTimes.com: Oct. 24, "American law enforcement agencies have significantly built up networks of Mexican informants that have allowed them to secretly infiltrate some of that country’s most powerful and dangerous criminal organizations, according to security officials on both sides of the border.
As the United States has opened new law enforcement and intelligence outposts across Mexico in recent years, Washington’s networks of informants have grown there as well, current and former officials said. They have helped Mexican authorities capture or kill about two dozen high-ranking and midlevel drug traffickers, and sometimes have given American counternarcotics agents access to the top leaders of the cartels they are trying to dismantle." read more
As the United States has opened new law enforcement and intelligence outposts across Mexico in recent years, Washington’s networks of informants have grown there as well, current and former officials said. They have helped Mexican authorities capture or kill about two dozen high-ranking and midlevel drug traffickers, and sometimes have given American counternarcotics agents access to the top leaders of the cartels they are trying to dismantle." read more
Immigration Politics: Congressional Democrats consider new immigration reform push
CNN.com Blogs: "Democratic sources tell CNN that it's likely that Democrats on Capitol Hill –with the approval of the White House– will re-introduce some form of immigration reform, possibly as early as December. At this point, the details of any plan are unclear. But what is clear is that Democrats are interested in using their version of reform as a "contrast issue" to Republicans, who largely emphasize border security."
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Immigration Realities: Immigrants find legal paths to U.S. long, difficult
A detailed look at the obstacles to legal immigration into the U.S. The wait time for Mexicans to obtain a visa leading to residence is 15 years.
USATODAY.com: "Few visa categories, high expenses and processing times that can stretch decades put several obstacles along the legal road to immigration.
... The process can take years. Take a man from the Philippines with brother who holds U.S. citizenship. If he wants to immigrate but has no advanced degrees or special skills, the man could have his brother file a petition for an F4 visa, capped at 65,000 a year. The family will have to wait for a number to be assigned to the case before the visa application can be processed. That wait is currently 23 years.
USATODAY.com: "Few visa categories, high expenses and processing times that can stretch decades put several obstacles along the legal road to immigration.
... The process can take years. Take a man from the Philippines with brother who holds U.S. citizenship. If he wants to immigrate but has no advanced degrees or special skills, the man could have his brother file a petition for an F4 visa, capped at 65,000 a year. The family will have to wait for a number to be assigned to the case before the visa application can be processed. That wait is currently 23 years.
According to the monthly Visa Bulletin published by theU.S. State Department, F4 visa applications filed in the Philippines before Aug. 22, 1988, are now being processed. If the family is from Mexico, the wait time is 15 years." read more
Mexico Violence: Women Reject Normalisation of Gender Violence
IPS ipsnews.net: " Ninety percent of the non-governmental organisations in Mexico are founded and run by women, says journalist and women's rights activist Lydia Cacho Ribeiro, making them primary targets of violence, including spillover from Mexico's escalating drug wars.
Human rights abuses and violence against women are widespread in Mexico, perpetrated by all actors in society, including the military and police. Nine out of 10 women in Mexico who suffer human rights violations do not report it to the authorities, and "those who (do) report them are generally met with suspicion, apathy and disrespect", according to Human Rights Watch's latest country report. "The normalisation of gender violence is increasing incredibly," Cacho said.
Even though some legal measures have been put in place to prevent and punish gender-based violence, the implementation has been very limited and impunity remains the norm for murder or other crimes against women, according to human rights groups. However, Cacho stressed that there is a growing feminist movement in Mexico to empower women and to discuss gender violence, including that perpetrated by the military." read more
Human rights abuses and violence against women are widespread in Mexico, perpetrated by all actors in society, including the military and police. Nine out of 10 women in Mexico who suffer human rights violations do not report it to the authorities, and "those who (do) report them are generally met with suspicion, apathy and disrespect", according to Human Rights Watch's latest country report. "The normalisation of gender violence is increasing incredibly," Cacho said.
Even though some legal measures have been put in place to prevent and punish gender-based violence, the implementation has been very limited and impunity remains the norm for murder or other crimes against women, according to human rights groups. However, Cacho stressed that there is a growing feminist movement in Mexico to empower women and to discuss gender violence, including that perpetrated by the military." read more
Drug War Bloodshed: Release of Mexico Government Info Reveals "Cockroach Effect"
InSight Crime: "Mexico’s federal government has published its statistics regarding homicides in 2011, allowing for a glimpse at the changing state of public security within the nation...
... one of the states with the sharpest spikes in murders was Guerrero (and) leading the trend in Guerrero is Acapulco. ... Another region where the violence has spiked is Nuevo Leon. ... The current violence is largely centered around the Monterrey metro area.
... But while the news is bad in the regions mentioned above, other areas have experienced a significant lessening of violence. The foremost is Juarez, the border city in Chihuahua, which has for the last several years enjoyed the dubious designation of Mexico’s most dangerous city.
... Taken together, the picture is one of a nation growing slightly more violent, with the violence growing significantly more dispersed. ... This dynamic has long been predicted by the so-called cockroach effect, which holds that the government cracking down in one region will, at best, lead to the criminal actors scurrying to other locales. ... which means that nationwide impact of flooding a specific area with law enforcement could be negative, even with a positive local impact. read more
... one of the states with the sharpest spikes in murders was Guerrero (and) leading the trend in Guerrero is Acapulco. ... Another region where the violence has spiked is Nuevo Leon. ... The current violence is largely centered around the Monterrey metro area.
... But while the news is bad in the regions mentioned above, other areas have experienced a significant lessening of violence. The foremost is Juarez, the border city in Chihuahua, which has for the last several years enjoyed the dubious designation of Mexico’s most dangerous city.
... Taken together, the picture is one of a nation growing slightly more violent, with the violence growing significantly more dispersed. ... This dynamic has long been predicted by the so-called cockroach effect, which holds that the government cracking down in one region will, at best, lead to the criminal actors scurrying to other locales. ... which means that nationwide impact of flooding a specific area with law enforcement could be negative, even with a positive local impact. read more
Immigration Crackdown: After Alabama law, Hispanic kids being bullied
AP/CBS News: " It was just another schoolyard basketball game until a group of Hispanic seventh-graders defeated a group of boys from Alabama. The reaction was immediate, according to the Mexican mother of one of the winners, and rooted in the state's new law on illegal immigration.
"They told them, `You shouldn't be winning. You should go back to Mexico,"' said the woman, who spoke through a translator last week and didn't want her name used. She and her son are in the country illegally." read more
"They told them, `You shouldn't be winning. You should go back to Mexico,"' said the woman, who spoke through a translator last week and didn't want her name used. She and her son are in the country illegally." read more
¡Viva Mexico!: Peaceful Canadian community thrives amid a Mexican drug war
torontostar.com: "Ajijic has been luring snowbirds from the United States and Canada since the 1970s and is believed to be the largest concentrated community of expat Canadians in the world. The local Canadian Club estimates 8,000 Canucks — just over half of the village’s population — call Ajijic home most of the year." read more
Mexico Drug War: U.S. advisory personnel behind the scenes in Mexico
From InSight Crime, a partial recap of publicly acknowledged U.S. advisory personnel behind the scenes in Mexico:
*More than 50 U.S. State Department personnel are reportedly facilitating the Merida Initiative inside Mexico. This is said to be more than double the old number of liaisons when U.S. assistance to Mexico's anti-trafficking effort was down around the $40-million-a-year level.
*Since July 20, 2009, hundreds of U.S. law enforcement officers have cycled through Mexico, teaching Mexican police in three-week shifts at a training center 450 miles south of the border.
*U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) personnel are in Mexico to help vet new military and federal police candidates and instruct Mexican Army special forces.
*NORTHCOM has reported steady sending of counter-insurgency training teams into Mexico, an average of 20 teams a year with 4 to 5 soldiers each, on short missions involving no field operations.
*U.S. military commanders are said to meet twice yearly with Mexican Army area commanders.
*In three Mexican states, elite anti-kidnap squads are trained by U.S. officers—and also by police specialists from Colombia.
*A stream of bi-national working groups moves through both countries.
*Allegations in the Mexican press that the U.S. had placed a special permanent intelligence official in Ciudad Juarez actually referred to an envisioned proposal, not an established fact.
*The U.S. has 12 consulates in Mexico, plus its massive main embassy in Mexico City, a block-wide fortress that is the largest U.S. embassy in Latin America. Three people connected to the U.S. Consulate in Juarez were murdered March 13, 2010, and a 500-person investigation effort then convened on the U.S. side of the border. When two ICE agents were attacked in northeast Mexico on February 15, 2011 (agent Jaime Zapata was killed; agent Victor Avila badly wounded), they were reportedly bringing security equipment to a consulate. U.S. reprisal for this attack came in the form of Operation Bombardier, working on U.S. soil against operatives of the attacking cartel, the Zetas, and bringing 676 arrests.
*An inanimate U.S. presence is also notable. In March 2011 it was acknowledged that for two years, at the request of the Mexican government, unmanned U.S. spy drones had been flying over Mexico, helping to track cartel gunmen.
Drug War: The Scorpion and the Frog: A New Phase in Mexico's Drug War
A detailed look at a change in Mexico's military strategy in the drug war, and its possible reflection of changes in the kind of aid provided by the U.S. through the Merida Initiative--providing intelligence support and counter-insurgency training.
InSight Crime: "The Mexican government has become more effective at hitting high level cartel targets, even while the U.S. has dragged its feet on handing over aid money from the Merida Initiative."
On October 12, Mexico saw its second high-level drug-lord arrest in eight days. And both arrests, on different sides of Mexico, came wrapped in the same snappy, tantalizing language. Official communiques called them "precision operations ... without a shot fired." The wording seemed to boast that as of mid-2011 something in the Mexican drug war had changed. These were not old-style mega-busts.
InSight Crime: "The Mexican government has become more effective at hitting high level cartel targets, even while the U.S. has dragged its feet on handing over aid money from the Merida Initiative."
On October 12, Mexico saw its second high-level drug-lord arrest in eight days. And both arrests, on different sides of Mexico, came wrapped in the same snappy, tantalizing language. Official communiques called them "precision operations ... without a shot fired." The wording seemed to boast that as of mid-2011 something in the Mexican drug war had changed. These were not old-style mega-busts.
The new-style arrestee on October 12 is "La Rana," the Frog (Carlos Oliva Castillo), who is said to be the third-highest leader of the Zetas cartel. His "precision" capture, in the northeast Mexican city of Saltillo, came as part of something called Operation Scorpion, whose sting hides a long history. Tracing the shadowy pedigree of Operation Scorpion illumines the drug war as a whole." read more
Drug War: Mexico Detains 15-year-old In Drug Murders
AP/Salon.com: " Prosecutors said Saturday that a 15-year-old boy has confessed to running a drug trafficking gang on the Mexican resort island of Isla Mujeres and murdering two women who reportedly worked as drug dealers. ....Mexican officials say the involvement of youths in such crimes reflects the difficulty drug cartels are having in recruiting adults, but it also raise fears that Mexico’s drug violence may have accustomed young people to extreme levels of violence." read more
Oct 23, 2011
MexicoBlog Editorial: Reflections on the Caravan to the South of the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity
A U.S. friend recently wrote in response to seeing the photo album of the Caravan to the South of Mexico organized by the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity, led by the poet and social critic, Javier Sicilia. He had a number of questions about the Caravan and its outcomes: Do you think the tour achieved what it wanted to achieve? Do you think the tour had any affect on the Government? Did the Government acknowledge the tour at all? Here is our response:
I thank you for your questions. They give me an opportunity to organize and reflect on my own observations and learnings from my experience with the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity and its September Caravan to the South of Mexico.
The primary intent of the Caravan to the South, as I experienced and observed it along the way, was to expand the Movement, making it truly national in scope by connecting it with local organizations throughout the south of Mexico. Together with the prevous Caravan to the North in June, it was weaving a web of connections and activist alliances across all of Mexico, something that I understand to be rare in the country.
The Caravan to the North, which I didn't go on, was more focused on the destruction done by the drug war, since that is more concentrated in the north. It became known as "the Caravan of Consolation," because the testimony of victims, people who had lost family in the drug war, became the central dynamic of its rallies. Also, there are active drug war opposition groups in Ciudad Juarez and there were--and continue to be--differences over goals and strategy between these more militant groups and the Sicilia Movement. The Juarez group, whose city has been most brutally affected by the war and the Mexican army and federal police, want both forces withdrawn, which is now actually happening.
Groups with other agendas attached themselves to the Caravan from its beginning. For example, for over two years, the Mexican Electricans Union in Mexico City has been protesting Calderon's take-over of the government-run electric company in the center of the city, with plans to privatize it. The union had representatives on the northern Caravan and on the southern one. There was a big group present in the Zocalo square when we returned to Mexico City.
A big question for the Movement has been how to balance the focus on the drug war--especially on the victims, including Sicilia himself, who are the major emotional force driving the Movement--while expanding and welcoming other groups protesting other aspects of Mexican government corruption, impunity and abuse of rights. Sicilia places the anti-drug war movement in this larger context of the government's failure to fulfill its responsibility to protect its citizens. For example, the Movement is calling for a citizen focused "public security law" in place of the miltary oriented one that Calderon has presented to Congress and which is currently being debated there.
Sicilia is a poet, Christian mystic and pacifist, influenced by Gandhi, who seeks to confront his opponents with the truth spoken in love. He sees the person and teachings of Jesus as a model, referring often to the words of Jesus about loving one's enemies. He literally embraces and kisses government representatives as well as compañeros in the Movement. Therefore, he has sought and attended a series of "dialogue" meetings with Calderon and other government leaders to address the security law, create a truth commission to investigate drug war deaths (which almost totally go without real investigation), gain compensation and support for victims and other goals .
However, in the last dialogue meeting, Friday. Oct. 14, Calderon basically stonewalled the Movement people, saying that he is sticking to his guns, literally, and rejecting creation of a truth commission. Instead, Calderon recently unilaterally announced the creation of a Social Care Office for Victims of Crime to "unite and structure all the actions currently being taken on behalf of the victims." The Movement questions whether this will be any more effective than the already ineffective government efforts. I don't know, as of now, how the Movement will proceed regarding further dialogues.
As for government awareness of the Caravan, we were accompanied throughout the trip by federal police. State and local police accompanied the Caravan through their respective jurisdictions. However, interestingly, the federales and state police disappeared in Tabasco and Sicilia's car was actually accosted by masked men near Villahermosa. The press was present and began filming them, so they disappeared without incident. Sicilia notified the federal government and the next day, going through Veracruz, there were federales all over the place.
On the Caravan to the South, each stop was organized by local groups. They organized the marches and rallys. They also provided food--lots of tortas (sandwiches of ham and American cheese and mayonaise on rolls), tamales of various kinds--some exceptionally delicious, frijoles (beans) and lots of coffee, fresh fruit and water. They also provided a place to sleep, usually the floor of an auditorium, community center, church or school, with toilet facilities of various levels of serviceabililty.
These local groups have a great variety of political purposes, depending on the local situation. For example, in Acapulco, where there are many deaths from the cartels, there were local "victims," relatives of people killed or missing, who spoke. But there were also indigenous people protesting seizures of their land, a long-standing issue in Mexico.
In Oaxaca and Chiapas, where there has been little direct drug war mayhem, indigenous groups were predominant. Sicilia has been carrying on a public exchange of letters with Subcomandante Marcos of the Zapatistas in Chiapas about their differing views of political reform--pacifist vs. militant. So he and other Movement representatives sought and obtained a meeting with the Zapatistas (Subcomandante Marcos did not attend) and with a pacifist group that suppports the Zapatista reforms, called "the Abejas," the Bees, forty-five of whose members had been massacred in Acteal in 1997.
So just about every grassroots issue in southern Mexico was represented. One group, I forget where, was carrying red communist flags with the hammer and sickle. It was quite an education to see all this diversity of political movements.
The primary intent of the Caravan to the South, as I experienced and observed it along the way, was to expand the Movement, making it truly national in scope by connecting it with local organizations throughout the south of Mexico. Together with the prevous Caravan to the North in June, it was weaving a web of connections and activist alliances across all of Mexico, something that I understand to be rare in the country.
The Caravan to the North, which I didn't go on, was more focused on the destruction done by the drug war, since that is more concentrated in the north. It became known as "the Caravan of Consolation," because the testimony of victims, people who had lost family in the drug war, became the central dynamic of its rallies. Also, there are active drug war opposition groups in Ciudad Juarez and there were--and continue to be--differences over goals and strategy between these more militant groups and the Sicilia Movement. The Juarez group, whose city has been most brutally affected by the war and the Mexican army and federal police, want both forces withdrawn, which is now actually happening.
Groups with other agendas attached themselves to the Caravan from its beginning. For example, for over two years, the Mexican Electricans Union in Mexico City has been protesting Calderon's take-over of the government-run electric company in the center of the city, with plans to privatize it. The union had representatives on the northern Caravan and on the southern one. There was a big group present in the Zocalo square when we returned to Mexico City.
The green and yellow flags are those of the Electricians Union.
Sicilia is a poet, Christian mystic and pacifist, influenced by Gandhi, who seeks to confront his opponents with the truth spoken in love. He sees the person and teachings of Jesus as a model, referring often to the words of Jesus about loving one's enemies. He literally embraces and kisses government representatives as well as compañeros in the Movement. Therefore, he has sought and attended a series of "dialogue" meetings with Calderon and other government leaders to address the security law, create a truth commission to investigate drug war deaths (which almost totally go without real investigation), gain compensation and support for victims and other goals .
Javier Sicilia
However, in the last dialogue meeting, Friday. Oct. 14, Calderon basically stonewalled the Movement people, saying that he is sticking to his guns, literally, and rejecting creation of a truth commission. Instead, Calderon recently unilaterally announced the creation of a Social Care Office for Victims of Crime to "unite and structure all the actions currently being taken on behalf of the victims." The Movement questions whether this will be any more effective than the already ineffective government efforts. I don't know, as of now, how the Movement will proceed regarding further dialogues.
As for government awareness of the Caravan, we were accompanied throughout the trip by federal police. State and local police accompanied the Caravan through their respective jurisdictions. However, interestingly, the federales and state police disappeared in Tabasco and Sicilia's car was actually accosted by masked men near Villahermosa. The press was present and began filming them, so they disappeared without incident. Sicilia notified the federal government and the next day, going through Veracruz, there were federales all over the place.
These local groups have a great variety of political purposes, depending on the local situation. For example, in Acapulco, where there are many deaths from the cartels, there were local "victims," relatives of people killed or missing, who spoke. But there were also indigenous people protesting seizures of their land, a long-standing issue in Mexico.
Indigenous group from the mountains of Guererro State
In Xalapa, Veracruz, there have also been many deaths due to the drug war, so that was the focus.
Pretty much everywhere, there were protests against local and state government corruption, either as part of the drug war or in general, as in Villahermosa, Tabasco State. In Villahermosa, there was also an indigenous group protesting a dam that had caused flooding of their lands. In Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, another indigenous group was protesting a Canadian factory that processes gypsum and pollutes their village with its powder.
"We are up to the mother (we've had it) with those that inundate us!"
In Oaxaca and Chiapas, where there has been little direct drug war mayhem, indigenous groups were predominant. Sicilia has been carrying on a public exchange of letters with Subcomandante Marcos of the Zapatistas in Chiapas about their differing views of political reform--pacifist vs. militant. So he and other Movement representatives sought and obtained a meeting with the Zapatistas (Subcomandante Marcos did not attend) and with a pacifist group that suppports the Zapatista reforms, called "the Abejas," the Bees, forty-five of whose members had been massacred in Acteal in 1997.
"The war in Chiapas isn't against the narco, it is against the indigenous Zapatista pueblos"
Near the Guatemala border, migrant support groups were predominant. One in Ixtepec, Oaxaca, in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, led by Father Alejandro Solalinde, is frequently written about in the U.S. press. We spent the night hosted by the shelter there.
Migrant Shelter of Ixtepec
So just about every grassroots issue in southern Mexico was represented. One group, I forget where, was carrying red communist flags with the hammer and sickle. It was quite an education to see all this diversity of political movements.
Che Guevara and Emiliano Zapata live!
Evidently, all of them were attracted to the Caravan because they see it--and the charismatic power of Javier Sicilia's leadership and consequent media attention--as a means to bring visibility to their causes, both in their local press and nationally. There was much coverage in the local press of each state and more than a hundred press on the Caravan buses.
These journalists were mostly from the "alternative" and "independent" media, twenty-somethings from Mexico, other Latin American countries, the U.S. and Europe. They, as well as many of the younger compañeros, wore long hair, earrings, tatoos and sandals. I actually felt right at home, as if I were back in the sixties protesting for civil rights or against the Vietnam War.
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