Fox News Latino: CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mex. – One of the largest families to cross the U.S.-Mexico border together into Texas in recent years with the hope of securing asylum arrived in El Paso on Saturday.
After languishing for five days in a hot government office here surviving on soup, beans, and water, 20 family members crossed the Bridge of the Americas into El Paso, seeking asylum after two of their relatives were killed the previous week and death threats against others increased.
Héctor Porras, 45, said he and his family fled Villa Ahumada Tuesday to Juárez, after his 49-year-old brother, Rudolpho was killed June 16, and his 18-year-old nephew, Jaime, was killed two days later while visiting his father's new grave. Read more.
The MexicoBlog of the Americas Program, a fiscally sponsored program of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), is written by Laura Carlsen. I monitor and analyze international press on Mexico, with a focus on security, immigration, human rights and social movements for peace and justice, from a feminist perspective. And sometimes I simply muse.
Showing posts with label PGR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PGR. Show all posts
Jun 27, 2012
Jun 23, 2012
Oops! DEA and Mexican Authorities Admit Man Arrested is Not "Little Chapo"
On June 22 we posted a story that was all over the news in Mexican and U.S. sources, regarding the Mexican Navy's triumphant claim to have captured the son of "Most Wanted" drug kingpin, Joaquin Guzman "El Chapo". The announcement stated that the alleged son named Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar-- a wanted criminal in his own right--was nabbed thanks to U.S. intelligence in a wealthy neighborhood in Guadalajara.
Turns out it the announcement was wrong. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) came out with the announcement, forcing the Mexican government to eat its words--an act that causes severe indigestion, especially eating words right before elections--in this statement from the Federal Attorney General's Office:
“The past June 21 elements of the Ministry of the Navy presented two persons, one of which they considered could be Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar (…) after carrying out the necessary tests for identity, we have determined that the individuals presented are Félix Beltrán León and Kevin Daniel Beltrán Ríos, 23 and 19 years of age, respectively.”
Representatives from both governments did some very public back patting before having to own up to the error. Rusty Payne of the DEA called the capture "a victory in the battle against drug traffickers throughout the world" and congratulated the Mexican government.
The Mexican and U.S. governments have been looking for a way to bolster the shared drug war before the presidential elections July 1. President Felipe Calderon's party runs a distant third in the polls, partly due to the political cost of the war on drugs that has sparked widespread violence that has taken the lives of more than 50,000 people in the country, with tens of thousands more disappeared. The bust of the son of El Chapo was just the break they could use to tell a skeptical public that the governments are making headway in the war on organized crime. When it became known it was false, skepticism deepened.
The families of the two young men detained are demanding justice, stating that they fear their sons are the victims of a media stunt by the Federal Government. The governments, incredibly, after admitting their mistake still insist that the arrest of the two young men is a serious blow to organized crime--indicating that the families' contentions that their sons are being railroaded have some merit in the presumption of guilt.
The mainstream media is trying to spin its way out of the confusion sowed by the false claims. This McClatchy article reports on the mistake and then bends over backwards to assert out of nowhere,
The case of mistaken identity just weeks before the presidential elections made "Confirma la DEA" (the DEA confirms) the instant favorite hashtag among Mexican tweeters. A sample of the hundreds of tweets under tag include: "The DEA confirms... El Chapo is laughing his head off at 'government intelligence'", "The DEA confirms... El Chapo has almost as many illegitimate children as Peña Nieto" , "The DEA confirms... the Mexican authorities are idiots", "The DEA confirms... I am REALLY hungry", etc.
Laura Carlsen
Turns out it the announcement was wrong. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) came out with the announcement, forcing the Mexican government to eat its words--an act that causes severe indigestion, especially eating words right before elections--in this statement from the Federal Attorney General's Office:
“The past June 21 elements of the Ministry of the Navy presented two persons, one of which they considered could be Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar (…) after carrying out the necessary tests for identity, we have determined that the individuals presented are Félix Beltrán León and Kevin Daniel Beltrán Ríos, 23 and 19 years of age, respectively.”
Representatives from both governments did some very public back patting before having to own up to the error. Rusty Payne of the DEA called the capture "a victory in the battle against drug traffickers throughout the world" and congratulated the Mexican government.
The Mexican and U.S. governments have been looking for a way to bolster the shared drug war before the presidential elections July 1. President Felipe Calderon's party runs a distant third in the polls, partly due to the political cost of the war on drugs that has sparked widespread violence that has taken the lives of more than 50,000 people in the country, with tens of thousands more disappeared. The bust of the son of El Chapo was just the break they could use to tell a skeptical public that the governments are making headway in the war on organized crime. When it became known it was false, skepticism deepened.
The families of the two young men detained are demanding justice, stating that they fear their sons are the victims of a media stunt by the Federal Government. The governments, incredibly, after admitting their mistake still insist that the arrest of the two young men is a serious blow to organized crime--indicating that the families' contentions that their sons are being railroaded have some merit in the presumption of guilt.
The mainstream media is trying to spin its way out of the confusion sowed by the false claims. This McClatchy article reports on the mistake and then bends over backwards to assert out of nowhere,
While the latest arrest remained a puzzle, it’s clear that U.S. and Mexican authorities are tightening a noose around Guzman and his family.The only proof offered for this supposedly "clear" factoid, is that arrest orders have been issued for Guzman's other sons and that El Chapo was "nearly captured" in Los Cabos last February. As we reported here, the near capture (he apparently escaped through the basement door of a private residence) looked more like another case of El Chapo thumbing his nose (or winking his eye) at authorities, since it took place in Los Cabos when the entire area was heavily militarized due the visit of Hillary Clinton and other foreign ministers for a run-up meeting to the G20 summit.
The case of mistaken identity just weeks before the presidential elections made "Confirma la DEA" (the DEA confirms) the instant favorite hashtag among Mexican tweeters. A sample of the hundreds of tweets under tag include: "The DEA confirms... El Chapo is laughing his head off at 'government intelligence'", "The DEA confirms... El Chapo has almost as many illegitimate children as Peña Nieto" , "The DEA confirms... the Mexican authorities are idiots", "The DEA confirms... I am REALLY hungry", etc.
Laura Carlsen
Mar 26, 2012
Attorney General denies that drug violence affects democracy in Mexico
El Excelsior: The Attorney General of Mexico, Marisela Morales, said that it is necessary to open a debate about “other exits” to the drug problem today in the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo.
“There are many opinions and voices on the topic. Without a doubt, none of the countries can close themselves off from debate, dialogue, and meaningful analysis of the issue. It’s important, but with objective information,” asserted Morales in an interview with El Tiempo.
The head of the Attorney General’s Office in Mexico (PGR in its Spanish initials), who visited Bogotá last week, considered that the drug problem needs a clear and precise diagnosis.
Morales stated “on many occasions, problematic numbers and figures are given that don’t have the scientific basis to be able to propose a change in strategy” that would guarantee efficacy.
“I am convinced that, yes, we need to have a hemispheric meeting to talk about this diagnosis and to be able to propose a change in strategy,” added Morales.
Several Latin American countries have proposed that this debate needs to happen during the sixth Summit of the Americas that will take place from April 14th to 15th in the Colombian port city of Cartagena.
Morales explained that in Mexico drug trafficking “is a problem of a few states, where the violence that has been witnessed is generated by these criminal organizations fighting for territory and drug markets.”
“The situation is not how it sometimes looks, it’s not throughout the whole country, but rather in a few specific areas,” said the Mexican attorney.
The Attorney General denied that the violence from drug traffickers has affected democracy in her country and claimed that “no criminal organization is stronger than the state.”
“The state has demonstrated that it is capable of confronting this crime and is doing so in a manner decided with local governments and establishing partnerships and strategies through international cooperation,” Morales said.
Taking about the presence of Colombian drug traffickers in Mexico, Morales affirmed that major dealers haven’t been identified, but that that some people who collaborate with narco-networks have been found in Mexican territory." Spanish original
Translation: Mikael Rojas, Americas Program
“There are many opinions and voices on the topic. Without a doubt, none of the countries can close themselves off from debate, dialogue, and meaningful analysis of the issue. It’s important, but with objective information,” asserted Morales in an interview with El Tiempo.
The head of the Attorney General’s Office in Mexico (PGR in its Spanish initials), who visited Bogotá last week, considered that the drug problem needs a clear and precise diagnosis.
Morales stated “on many occasions, problematic numbers and figures are given that don’t have the scientific basis to be able to propose a change in strategy” that would guarantee efficacy.
“I am convinced that, yes, we need to have a hemispheric meeting to talk about this diagnosis and to be able to propose a change in strategy,” added Morales.
Several Latin American countries have proposed that this debate needs to happen during the sixth Summit of the Americas that will take place from April 14th to 15th in the Colombian port city of Cartagena.
Morales explained that in Mexico drug trafficking “is a problem of a few states, where the violence that has been witnessed is generated by these criminal organizations fighting for territory and drug markets.”
“The situation is not how it sometimes looks, it’s not throughout the whole country, but rather in a few specific areas,” said the Mexican attorney.
The Attorney General denied that the violence from drug traffickers has affected democracy in her country and claimed that “no criminal organization is stronger than the state.”
“The state has demonstrated that it is capable of confronting this crime and is doing so in a manner decided with local governments and establishing partnerships and strategies through international cooperation,” Morales said.
Taking about the presence of Colombian drug traffickers in Mexico, Morales affirmed that major dealers haven’t been identified, but that that some people who collaborate with narco-networks have been found in Mexican territory." Spanish original
Translation: Mikael Rojas, Americas Program
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