Mexico: Our Narco-Terrorist Neighbor to the South
iconoclast
the threat of Mexico and its culture of violence and criminal activity
contaminating our own nation. A cordon sanitaire should be placed around
Mexico as it morphs into the Darfur Region / Zimbabwe / Chechnya of the
Northern Hemisphere.
By Lizbeth Diaz
TIJUANA, Mexico (Reuters) - A decade ago, economists hailed Tijuana
as a place where cheap Mexican labor and U.S. financing could meet,
attracting Asian firms eager to set up manufacturing plants to
export to the United States.
Now, that vision is slipping away, a victim of drug violence that
has been exploding this side of the U.S.-Mexico border for the past
three years.
Once a freewheeling city that has served Americans cheap tequila
since the U.S. prohibition era, Tijuana is at the center of a three-
way drug war between rival gangs and Mexico's military. Drug-
related murders are a daily occurrence.
The violence is scaring away tourists who came for everything from
prostitutes and dental work to medicine. A lively artistic
community is also dwindling.
While most assembly-for-export businesses, or maquiladoras,
continue to operate normally, drug violence is such that they risk
losing new investment to competitors like China. Other businesses
are seeing their livelihoods disappear.
Just a few years ago, downtown Tijuana was bustling and the main
drag, Revolution Avenue, was a busy thoroughfare. But today, it is
deserted, lined with "For Sale" and "For Rent" signs.
"Many big companies are pulling out and many small companies are
going bankrupt. Business isn't enough to even pay the rent for the
shops and factory space," said Manuel Cesena, 57, who owns a shoe
shop on Revolution Avenue.
Cesena, who has seen his sales fall fivefold since 2005, said it is
crucial for him to end his day before nightfall or face being
robbed or kidnapped. After 30 years in the shoe business and
exporting to the United States, Cesena is considering closing for
good.
DEATH TOLL RISES
More than 1,000 people have died so far this year across Mexico in
battles between drug gangs and security forces, the highest murder
rate since bloodshed escalated in 2006.
Tijuana is one of the most violent cities in Mexico. A group of
gangs from the Pacific state of Sinaloa have set out to destroy the
Tijuana's Arellano Felix cartel and to take over lucrative
smuggling routes into California.
The feud between the Sinaloans and the Arellano Felix gang has not
only scared away tourist dollars.
Business people face daily telephone threats of extortion.
Kidnappings to finance narco gangs have jumped this year, creating
a climate of fear and scaring away new investment.
"Those of us who remain only stay because we have properties we
don't want to leave. We are very afraid and have to be careful not
to get kidnapped," said Andres Mendez, 46, who runs an arts and
crafts business in downtown Tijuana.
In Tijuana this year, drug gangs have killed more than 200 people,
with cartel hitmen and soldiers spraying bullets on busy city
avenues, outside shops, schools and kindergartens.
Seventeen drug hitmen were killed in a shooting in April. Even
children have been murdered.
"Overcoming this insecurity is the single biggest issue for Tijuana
right now," said Jorge Cruz, a business leader in the city's
maquiladora industry.
In March, a plant in Tijuana assembling Panasonic electrical goods
for export closed with the loss of 3,000 jobs. Plant managers
declined to comment on the closure, but a city official said
insecurity was a big factor.
Days before the Panasonic closure, soldiers in Tijuana made one of
the biggest arms seizures in Mexico after raiding a house,
uncovering grenade launchers, machine guns and other weapons
encrusted with golden images of skulls.
LOST OPPORTUNITY
The exodus of businesses is painful for Tijuana, as many people had
high hopes that it could move beyond its seedy roots and become a
key trade, manufacturing and service center, given its proximity to
the United States.
But a dozen local building companies closed over the past year,
putting infrastructure development on hold. "Many were sick of the
threats of kidnapping and extortion," said Sebastian Lanz, who
heads a group representing local construction companies.
Tijuana hoped to position itself as a car and truck manufacturing
center by attracting Chinese-owned automakers and setting up a rail
link from plants to the border. But the project collapsed, largely
because of insecurity.
Some business owners who have chosen to keep operating in Tijuana
have moved to live over the border in San Diego and only cross back
into Mexico with bodyguards.
One prominent restaurant chain owner said he had swapped his flashy
sports utility vehicle for a beaten-up sedan. "I call it my
antikidnap vehicle. It is the way not to attract attention," said
the businessman, who asked for anonymity for the sake of his
safety.
Mexico's federal government says it is doing everything it can to
restore security to Tijuana and other cities in Baja California,
one of Mexico's most violent states.
Since January last year, thousands of troops patrol Tijuana's
streets and highways, and are engaged in a daily battle to destroy
the Arellano Felix and Sinaloa drug cartels and clean up the
corrupt police forces that ally with them.
But winning the fight will not be easy. As the Arellano Felix
cartel weakens, the gang is increasingly relying on kidnapping and
extortion.
A bid to introduce closed-circuit televisions in the city has
meanwhile failed, as gangs sabotaged cameras and corrupt police
switched them off to allow crimes to be committed.
(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Writing by Robin Emmott; Editing by
Eddie Evans)
Feds: Drugs made at kosher meat plant
http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/108541.html
Federal authorities charged that a methamphetamine laboratory was
operating at the nation's largest kosher slaughterhouse and that
employees carried weapons to work.
The charges were among the most explosive details to emerge
following the massive raid Monday at Agriprocessors in Postville,
Iowa.
In a 60-page application for a search warrant, federal agents
revealed details of their six-month probe of Agriprocessors. The
investigation involved 12 federal agencies, including the Drug
Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and
the departments of labor and agriculture.
According to the application, a former plant supervisor told
investigators that some 80 percent of the workforce was illegal.
They included rabbis responsible for kosher supervision, who the
source believed entered the United States from Canada without
proper immigration documents. The source did not provide evidence
for his suspicion about the rabbis.
The source also claimed to have confronted a human resources
manager with Social Security cards from three employees that had
the same number. The manager laughed when the matter was raised,
the source said.
At least 300 people were arrested Monday during the raid, for which
federal authorities had rented an expansive fairground nearby to
serve as a processing center for detainees.
The search warrant application said that 697 plant employees were
believed to have violated federal laws.
Agriprocessors officials did not return calls from JTA seeking
comment.
Overgrown weeds lead police to drop house
May 16th, 2008 @ 2:20pm
by KTAR Newsroom
http://www.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=839520
Phoenix police discovered eight undocumented immigrants in a west
Phoenix drop house.
Police went to the house in the 4300-block of N. 79th Drive after
neighbors complained about overgrown weeds on the property.
Once there, they discovered the immigrants inside.
ICE was contacted.
http://www.ktar.com/index.php?nid=6&sid=839237
ICE fugitive operations team arrests 39 illegals
May 16th, 2008 @ 11:06am
by Jim Cross/KTAR
More than three-dozen illegal immigrants have been arrested in the
Valley during an operation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
agents.
Officers from ICE, the U.S. Marshal's Office and the Maricopa
County Sheriff's Office fanned out to arrest people who have
ignored final orders of deportation or who have returned to the
United States illegally after being deported. Seven of those
arrested had criminal histories.
``They've been in the wind for several years. We've been looking
for them for several years. It can be kind of tough, when you're
talking about fugitive operations, to follow up on leads, find
these people," said Vincent Picard with ICE. ``It's a huge job."
He added, ``We're going to do it one step at a time, one day at a
time, one arrest at a time. I think nationally, certainly, and here
in Phoenix, we are having success with that approach, with the help
of our partners like the marshals and Maricopa County."
Picard said that so far this fiscal year, the ICE fugitive
operations team in Phoenix has made 371 arrests.
For the first time in history last year, he said the number of
immigration fugitives in the U.S. dropped to slightly under
573,000, a decrease of more than 59,000 since October 2006.
``What that speaks to is an increasing effectiveness of applying
resources, by Immigration and Customs Enforcement," he said. ``What
we're doing is focusing on those areas where we believe we can make
a difference."
Most of the immigration violators were from Mexico, but the group
also included foreign nationals from Honduras and El Salvador.
illegal immigration
May 16th, 2008 @ 2:35pm
by KTAR Web
http://www.ktar.com/index.php?nid=6&sid=839554
There sheriff made news when he set up an illegal immigration
hotline. Now he's set up another one to help fund his efforts to
fight it.
Earlier this week, the governor cut money more than $1 million from
the sheriff's budget to fund a statewide task force to hunt
fugitives.
In a statement, Arpaio said residents and people from out of state
called to donate their own money to fund his fight against illegal
immigration.
He said donations can be made out to MCSO Donation Fund and must be
earmarked for illegal immigration.
Checks should be mailed to 100 West Washington, Ste. 1900, Phoenix,
Ariz., 85003
KTAR-FM host Larry Gaydos hosted a radio-thon "Pennies for the
Posse" on Wednesday night to raise money for the sheriff's effort
to fight illegal immigration.
View Pennies for the Posse Slideshow
Four accused in clothes-theft ring targeting Valley stores
May 16th, 2008 @ 11:24am
by KTAR Newsroom
http://news.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=839194
Three women and a 15-year-old child have been busted on charges of
running a retail theft ring.
The arrests came after a search Thursday of four locations in
Phoenix turned up an estimated $100,000 in stolen clothes, all with
the store tags and sensors still on them. The clothing ranged from
children's sizes to adult sizes and included most major brand
names.
Detective Frank Mendoza said the clothes were stolen from stores in
malls throughout the Valley. On May 1, he said about $9,100 of
stolen merchandize was seized from members of the Sierra family
after they spent two hours in eight different stores at Chandler
Fashion Mall.
Mendoza said the suspects are to be associated with or active
members of the Ninth Street gang in Phoenix. He said they
apparently stole and sold the merchandise to support their family.
Three of the suspects were identified as Florinda Sierra, 36;
Lorraine Sierra, 41; and Felicia Verduzco, 22. The name of the 15-
year-old was not released.
They face charges of felony theft, shoplifting, trafficking in
stolen property and operating a criminal syndicate.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/border/239280
Border Patrol agents have a busy few days
Rattlesnake bite, smugglers keep agents hopping
By Brady McCombs
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 05.16.2008
advertisementA U.S. Border Patrol agent was airlifted out of the
Huachuca Mountains west of Sierra Vista Thursday after being bitten
by a rattlesnake.
The snakebite comes on the heels of a hectic Wednesday along
Arizona's stretch of U.S.-Mexican border that included a 63-year-
old Tucson man facing charges of smuggling heroin in Nogales, three
discoveries of marijuana in hidden vehicle compartments and the
arrest of 11 illegal immigrants in the parking lot of Marana High
School.
In the snakebite incident, the agent called the Border Patrol
station about 10:15 a.m. saying he had puncture wounds in his boots
and his toes were starting to turn discolored from being bitten by
a rattlesnake, said Rob Daniels, Border Patrol Tucson Sector
spokesman.
The agent was on routine patrol in a steep area of the Huachuca
Mountains west of Sierra Vista when he was bitten, Daniels said.
Authorities launched a rescue effort that included a pair of
helicopters and three search and rescue teams.
A National Guard helicopter carrying Borstar agents - the agency's
search, trauma and rescue team - landed about one-third of a mile
away.
While the Borstar agents moved in on foot, an Arizona Department of
Public Safety ranger helicopter team with experience performing
high- altitude rescues flew in above, said Dove Haber, Border
Patrol Tucson Sector spokeswoman.
The Borstar agents helped harness the injured man into a basket
attached to the ranger helicopter. The ranger helicopter pulled him
up and flew him to Sierra Vista Regional Health Center.
He was in stable condition Thursday afternoon, Haber said.
The Cochise County Search and Rescue team was also involved.
Heroin smuggling
About 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Dennis DeConcini port of entry in
downtown Nogales, officers became suspicious of a 63-year-old U.S.
citizen from Tucson who was coming through the port by foot, said
Brian Levin, Customs and Border Protection spokesman.
They began searching his luggage and, using an X-ray machine,
discovered abnormalities in a suitcase. They found 11 packages of
heroin hidden between the panels inside.
The 17 pounds of heroin has an estimated value of $269,875, using
figures from the National Drug Intelligence Center.
The man was arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs
Enforcement for further investigation and prosecution.
Hidden compartment
Also on Wednesday, Border Patrol agents found marijuana in two
hidden vehicle compartments at the Interstate 19 checkpoint.
Agents, with the help of a drug sniffing dog, found 400 pounds of
marijuana in hidden vehicle compartments in two incidents that
occurred within an hour of each other Wednesday morning at the
Interstate 19 checkpoint south of Amado.
A dog alerted agents about 9 a.m. to the odor of drugs coming from
a Dodge truck.
Agents discovered more than 300 pounds of marijuana inside a false
floor in the bed of the truck, Daniels said.
At 10 a.m., the dog hit again, this time on a Ford truck. Agents
found 100 pounds of marijuana in the wheel-well area.
Both drivers, a 41-year-old U.S. citizen from Rio Rico, and a 37-
year-old Mexican man with a border crossing card, will be
prosecuted by the state, Daniels said.
At 10:45 a.m. at the Douglas port of entry, officers discovered 22
bundles of marijuana hidden a speaker box of a 2002 Dodge Ram 2500.
The marijuana, which weighed a total of 436 pounds, and the truck
were seized and turned over to Customs and Border Protection.
The driver, a 26-year-old man from Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, was
arrested and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Parking-lot arrests
The arrests in the Marana High School parking lot occurred at about
6:50 a.m. Wednesday after a U.S. Customs and Border Protection
helicopter spotted a 2008 Ford Exhibition coming out of the Silver
Mine Road area west of Marana, Daniels said.
Agents in the helicopter saw the driver turn into the Marana High
School parking lot and stop. Eleven people emerged from the SUV and
began running, Daniels said.
Agents in vehicles arrived and arrested all 11 people, Daniels
said. The driver, a 33-year-old Mexican man, was arrested and faces
charges of people smuggling.
The other 10, all illegal immigrants from Mexico, were taken to a
Border Patrol processing center. The Expedition was a rental
vehicle, he said.
? Contact reporter Brady McCombs at 573-4213 or bmcco
Iconoclast
alt.politics.immigration
www.rescuewithoutborders.org
*us*
>... culture of violence and criminal activity
>contaminating our own nation...
That description fits Bush and Cheney exactly.
"Sarah, if the American people had ever known the truth
about what we Bushes have done to this nation, we would
be chased down in the streets and lynched."
-George H. W. "Poppy" Bush, spoken in an interview with
Sarah McClendon, June 1992
http://chicago.indymedia.org/newswire/display/61956/index.php