Violence jumps on US-Mexican border (over 100% increase)

[dolo amber]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Attacks on American border patrol agents along the U.S. border with Mexico have jumped more than 100 percent in the last year, Homeland Security officials said on Thursday.

*snip*

Chertoff said the increased violence was due in part to heightened pressure on criminal organizations that operate around the border area.
"But if they think they're going to back us down or chase us away, the answer to that is 'no'," he said.

http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2006-02-09T215730Z_01_N09107160_RTRUKOC_0_US-MEXIC0-USA-BORDER.xml

[Rex]

1. Does Chertoff think Mexico City is a country?

That New Mexico is like NYC and Mexico is a state in Canada. I'm sure he's sure about something.

[elfin]

2. Boy, that Bush/Fox best buds has

turned out well, hasn't it?

Another link not covered by MSM in their frequent coverage of illegal immigrant/crime coverage.

[NMDemDist2]

3. I live in PHX and it seems it's getting nuttier and nuttier around here

just senseless drive bys and home invasions almost entirely in the Hispanic community. There's BIG money in transporting people here from Mexico and the turf wars are getting bad.

I doesn't surprise me that the border patrol is getting a lot more heat too, some of those guys are ruthless.

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. And just to think that Bush's policies created this situation.

Can you imagine if a Democratic president were in office allowing the flow of illegal aliens to go unchecked for five years?

Boy, do the right-wingers have egg on their face.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

5. Huevos rancheros, I believe.

:rofl:

[flashdebadge]

6. Bush's polices didn't create the situation but they did make it worse.

There has been a problem on the border for years. As the economy has created more and more service and construction jobs, the desire to cross the border for a chance at a better life has also increased. My biggest concern is not those who want to come here to work but the ones who want to exploit the border to bring destruction.

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. This situation WAS created by Bush.

We've had border problems, yes, but it has been nothing like what we're experiencing today. Take into account that all those who have come through in the last five years are sending word to family members that all is good once you cross the border.

My heart goes out to what we must do to get things back in check, but there are a lot of realities regarding migrant workers that most people aren't ready to deal with. One of which is that they don't all get culturized. Many stay within the Mexican culture for generations because of the migrant nature of the work. They don't establish roots where they can stick to one school or community and assimilate. Bush just sees the cheap labor aspect of the migrant worker. What he's too irresponsible to accept is the social cost involved if they don't work their way out of poverty.

[flashdebadge]

14. What in your opinion must we do to "get things back in check", as it refer

to the immigrant population? I also suggest to you that the border problems HAVE been this bad but have not received the media attention it is now garnering. Unlike in the 60's, 70's & 80's when immigrants saw a need to assimilate and learn our culture, there is no longer a need. Government prints forms in the spanish language, Businesses advertise in both english and spanish. Just call after hours to many banks or businesses and you're guaranteed to hear "press 1 for english, 2 for spanish. There are even spanish radio stations here. We have removed all necessity for learning the english language or our culture.

[High Plains]

7. The final sentence in the story is key:

"Border violence in Mexico has increased since President Vicente Fox declared a war on drug cartels a year ago."

An unintended consequence of drug prohibition, although after nearly a century of this shit, no one should be able to say it was unanticipated.

The wars between the Mexican drug organizations flared up after Fox's crackdown, with old leaders dead or jailed, and the next generation fighting over who would dominate the current era. There were about 1,500 people killed in the Mexican cartel wars last year, and late last month in Acapulco, it got really crazy: Days of shoot-outs between narcos and cops and narco cops and soldiers and federal police and state police and narcos. A real mess. Eleven dead, 12 wounded, armed convoys roaring through the city, city hall and the main police station surrounded by soldiers and cops.

No wonder some Mexican politicians have talked about just legalizing the drug trade.

[Miss Chybil]

8. Should they legalize the people trade, too?

There is a whole lot of humanity being carted across that border and a whole lot of money being made in the process. I think drugs is only a part of the issue.

[High Plains]

9. Yes, actually. I mean to say we need an immigration policy that

recognizes that huge flows of immigrant labor from Mexico are currently an integral part of our economy. Now, if we really, really don't like all those Mexicans, we could alter our economy with all the good and bad consequences that would have. But barring that, we should create some sort of temporary worker program that allows people to enter the country and work legally.

Many, many of the people who go north to work have no intention of staying there. Just anecdotally, when I'm in central Mexico, there are all kinds of youngish guys driving trucks with North Carolina or Illinois or Texas plates. When I talk to them, they generally tell me they went north to work for a season or two or three, saved a bunch of money, bought that shiny truck, and went back home to open a laundromat or restaurant or some sort of other small business.

But of course, there are many others who will never leave the US (unless they're rounded up and deported). What should we do with them? In the past, we've granted amnesties. I don't know that we shouldn't do that again. Most of these folks are serious, industrious people, and they're young, with long working careers ahead of them. They can make an enormous contribution to our country.

Having temporary worker visas and an amnesty would solve the immediate problem, but what about after that? Well, the flow of undocumented workers would certainly decrease. If it were coupled with stiffer penalties for employers who still used "illegals," maybe we could stanch the flow.

The immigration issue is going to be dealt with by Congress (or not) this spring. We need to be thinking about what we want policy to be. The House Republicans have already passed what I view as a pretty nasty bill, with border walls and prison sentences. That's not the way I want to go.

[Miss Chybil]

10. I don't have a problem with the worker.

I have a problem with the coyotes who exploit them. A fair immigrant worker program would definitely put a hole in their business, that's for sure. I can't disagree with you there. I think the point I was trying to make was whether they're smuggling drugs, or people, these guys are bad news.

[High Plains]

11. Coyotes provide a service to people crossing the border.

You don't have to use them, and people who are familiar with the border they're crossing usually won't. But if you're some 18-year-old coming up from Oaxaca and don't have a clue, they come in very handy. People head north with money set aside for that expense.

Yes, there are indeed bad ones, nasty ones who do ugly things. Ripping people off is the least of the ugly things they can and have done.

But like with the drug issue, it's the illegality that drives all the nasty stuff. If we can come up with a rational policy, the coyote issue fades away.

[anotherdrew]

15. a lot of non-voluntary human trafficking is going on there too

it's been well documented that there is a slave trade going on as well

[leesa]

13. Who could have predicted that? Who could have predicted the huge jump

in terrorism worldwide??? Who could have known??