[Texas Gov.]Perry lauds border crackdown

In just two months, Texas' latest border crackdown has practically wiped out cross-border crime in Hidalgo County, Gov. Rick Perry said Monday in San Antonio.

Speaking on the opening day of the weeklong Texas Homeland Security Conference at the Convention Center, Perry touted the success of "Operation Border Star," an effort backed by a $110 million infusion from a state law passed this year.

The effort, involving an unannounced, massive "surge" of local, state and federal officers for weeks at a time in border areas known for heavy traffic in drug and human smuggling, is a continuation of similar crackdowns cut short because of a lack of steady funding.

"Individuals from nations that harbor terrorists have sought to enter our country through our border with Mexico," Perry told a crowd of about 3,000. "Our message to the criminal element: We know who you are, we know what you're doing, we're watching you and we're going to catch you."

Perry cited the program's success in the Rio Grande Valley, noting that criminal activity in Hidalgo County has "shrunk to nearly nothing."

Hidalgo County Sheriff Guadalupe "Lupe" Treviño was out of the office and couldn't be reached for comment, his assistant said.

Next door in Starr County, Perry said, the operation has produced major busts, including the seizures of more than 5,000 pounds of marijuana, nearly 40 pounds of cocaine and $400,000 in cash collected in two traffic stops.

The effort is also about "protecting lives," such as those of 22 migrants caught riding in a tractor-trailer, noted Perry, though he didn't indicate when or where the truck was stopped.

But increasing border security shouldn't come at the expense of curtailing the "rich, productive relationship" between Texas and its neighboring Mexican states, Perry said, reiterating his opposition to the federal construction of fences and barriers in some border areas, including Texas.

To folks unfamiliar with border culture, the international boundary may seem just a simple matter of a clear demarcation separating two nations, but Texans know that the Rio Grande still fosters longstanding family, economic and cultural connections, he said.

Recalling the general theme of the conference as a collaborative gathering of various agencies designated as "first responders" in large-scale emergencies, Perry said the massive evacuation put in place last year in preparation for Hurricane Dean was worth the money and effort, even though the storm never hit Texas.

It was a "groundbreaking approach," he said. The state was prepared and would not have been simply reacting after the fact, such as having to respond to myriad emergency calls from people stuck on rooftops, Perry said.

He echoed remarks by San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger, who labeled the maneuver as a successful exercise that wouldn't have been criticized had the hurricane made landfall.

René Martínez, co-coordinator for emergency operations at the Dallas Independent School District, was surprised to hear a Republican governor not espousing a hawkish line on immigration and border matters.

"I really enjoyed his comment that building a wall isn't the answer and that you have to be aware of the sensitivities tying the two nations together," he said.

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Don’t believe everything you read, this is Mexico news....

Border Violence

Prompted by a series of attacks along the Mexico-Texas border, Mexican federal police and army troops were sent this past week to five border towns in Tamaulipas state — Matamoros, Rio Bravo, Reynosa, Ciudad Miguel Aleman and Ciudad Mier. In one attack, on Nov. 29, a group of heavily armed men aboard several vehicles killed six men as they were walking out of a business in Rio Bravo, just across the border from Weslaco, Texas. The apparent target of the attack was former Rio Bravo mayor Juan Antonio Guajardo Anzaldua, who was killed along with two federal agents assigned as his bodyguards, a customs official and two other men. The assailants reportedly pulled up just as the men were leaving an afternoon meeting and began firing assault rifles and hurling grenades.

Perhaps what is most remarkable about this incident is the fact that it is so unremarkable. The cartel war in Mexico is now routinely bringing such violent incidents within just a few miles of the United States. Following the attack on the former Rio Bravo mayor, three people were killed in a shooting at a hotel in the town of Matamoros, a few miles east of Rio Bravo and just across the border from Brownsville, Texas. Among the victims was a popular local singer who occasionally sang songs about the cartels. The singer was wounded when she was shot by at least one gunman in her hotel room; a man and a woman in the same room were found dead when police arrived. Although the singer survived the initial attack, she later died when she was reportedly shot multiple times at a hospital where she was being treated.

These border incidents come in the context of an increased tempo of attacks in northeastern Mexico, especially in Monterrey, in Nuevo Leon state. Police departments in the Monterrey suburbs have been under the close watch of federal authorities during the last few weeks. This federal presence, though, has done little to deter violent incidents in the area, as evidenced by a targeted killing and kidnapping that occurred Nov. 30. The catalyst of this past week’s wave of violence is unclear, though federal officials have made it known that the targets of the reinforcements are the Zetas, the enforcement arm of the Gulf cartel. Whether or not the increased security presence will result in a decrease in violence depends on the size of the force being sent and how long it is there. If too few reinforcements are assigned to one area, the Gulf cartel could choose to make an example of the troops by staging a very public — and very bloody — attack.

Virtual Kidnapping

At least 25 members of Mexico’s congress received “virtual kidnapping” phone calls within a 15-hour period Nov. 26 and 27. At least three of the congressmen received the phone calls on their cell phones while they were in a legislative session, which forced congressional leaders to abruptly end the session early. At least one legislator reported hearing a child screaming in the background while the caller demanded a ransom of $20,000. Authorities reportedly discovered that all the calls originated from two telephones, one of which was a stolen cellular phone believed to be used by a prison inmate. Virtual kidnappings, which are a common practice in Mexico City, involve no abduction at all; perpetrators simply convince relatives that a family member has been kidnapped and demand payment of a ransom before relatives are able to verify if the “victim” has actually been abducted.

Attempted extortion against government officials in Mexico is nothing new, nor is the assertion that prison inmates could be involved. However, the fact that all 25 congressmen targeted belonged to President Felipe Calderon’s National Action Party requires further attention. While some have suggested there is a political angle to the incident, it appears more likely that the callers in this case belonged to an experienced extortion gang. The gang could have obtained the legislators’ cell numbers from a stolen party phone directory or from an accomplice with access to such information, which would explain why lawmakers from other parties were not targeted. If this is the case, the gang might not have anticipated the resulting media attention and may have instead simply seen the congressmen as yet another group of lucrative targets.

Nov. 26

A firefight outside a night club in Jalapa, Veracruz state, between police and suspected Zetas left one police officer dead and led to a high-speed chase in which the gunmen escaped. Police later recovered an abandoned luxury SUV containing an assault rifle and a fragmentation grenade.
A 72-year-old man died when he was shot nine times by at least two gunmen as he drove his vehicle in Huetamo, Michoacan state.
One man died and another was wounded when they were shot while driving in Tijuana, Baja California state. Two other drug-related killings occurred in the city in unrelated incidents.
The body of a man with four gunshot wounds was found along a highway in Hidalgo state. He had been abducted several days before.

Nov. 28

Reports of men traveling in a pickup truck firing at police around noon in the Monterrey suburb of San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon state, led to a large police search for the assailants. No vehicle or suspects were found.
Police in Morelia, Michoacan state, discovered the body of a man bound at the hands and with a cable wrapped around his neck. He had reportedly been kidnapped two days before.

Nov. 29

Officers from the judicial police and the public security police in Mexico City exchanged gunfire after two judicial police officers apparently tried to abduct at least one person leaving a bar. Two officers died in the firefight.
Three police officers and one private bodyguard were killed in a firefight with men armed with assault rifles in a commercial sector just three blocks from government offices in San Luis Potosi. Police also exchanged fire with the suspects during a chase following the initial firefight, which occurred as a local business owner was leaving a building, though it is unclear whether he was the target of the attack.
A businessman was killed during a highway robbery attempt in Zacatecas state. Authorities believe the gunmen stopped his vehicle, then shot him to death when he refused to hand over what they demanded of him.

Nov. 30

A former police officer was found shot to death outside his home in the Monterrey suburb of Escobedo, in Nuevo Leon state. The man, who was shot at least 15 times, reportedly had worked as a car salesman after being discharged from the police department two years ago for having failed a drug test. His killing is believed to be related to recent vehicle thefts in the Monterrey area.

Dec. 1

A known drug dealer was shot to death in Merida, Yucatan state. Police also raided a cartel safe-house in the city and discovered several weapons, one of which was reportedly encrusted in diamonds. Authorities suspect that several cartels are battling for control of the city.
A group of armed men abducted the owner of a bus company in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon state. An employee of the company was wounded by a gunshot when the assailants entered the office to kidnap the man.
The decapitated body of an unidentified woman was found inside a suitcase that had been unclaimed at a bus station in Villahermosa, Tabasco state. The suitcase appeared to have arrived on a bus coming from Cancun, Quintana Roo state.
The police chief in Arteaga, Michoacan state, died when he was shot five times at the door of his home.

Dec. 2

The bodies of three unidentified men were discovered along a highway in Hidalgo state.

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