Monday, July 25, 2005
Mexico–U.S. border violence must be
taken seriously
Considering U.S. State Department warnings earlier this year to U.S. citizens of a drug
war in Mexico, more recent months have clearly demonstrated that the associated fears of violence are justified in many cities
on both sides of the border. As well, the murder of police officers and their
leaders, along with the killings and kidnappings of Mexican and U.S. citizens, have outraged both nations.
According to the office of
Mexico’s Attorney General, the nationwide total was over 900 executions during the first four months of 2005.
Two U.S. Border Patrol agents recently wounded near Nogales, Arizona, were ambushed
and shot by assailants dressed in black commando-type clothing. More than 50
rounds were fired at the agents. To aid the perpetrators escape, one apparently
remained behind and used a portable radio to pinpoint the agents' location for snipers hidden nearby. Authorities said the gunmen fled using military-style cover and concealment tactics, while investigators
later found commando clothing and other "sophisticated equipment" at the sneek attack site.
This shooting was another in a rising number of assaults on Border Patrol agents in
the Tucson-Nogales sector. Since October 1, 2004, 196 assaults on agents, including
24 shootings, have been recorded. Making things worse, there is a reported US$50,000
bounty on Border Patrol agents, and state and local police officers.
In addition to the concerns of attacks on police officers, members of the “Texas Border Sheriffs' Coalition”
fear that terrorists could easily slip across the U.S.-Mexico border and carry out deadly attacks. Zapata County Sheriff
Sigifredo Gonzalez was quoted as saying, "If drug traffickers can take 3,000 or 4,000 pounds of marijuana across our bridges
imagine a load of bombs.”
Rick Flores, the Webb County Sheriff, said, "Staging a terrorist attack in Laredo (Texas), America's largest inland
port, would be very simple. We've got 7,000 trucks crossing on a daily basis. What's to say that someone won't stick something
underneath one of the trucks and have it blow up right in the middle of the bridges?
Or terrorists could smuggle across a small dirty bomb, which would spread radioactive material across South Texas."
These Texas officials are expressing real fear about being out manned and outgunned — and rightfully so.
Mexico’s Attorney General, Daniel Cabeza de Vaca, met a couple of weeks ago with Texas Attorney General Greg
Abbott and other state officials to address this violence. Cabeza de Vaca, Abbott
and Gov. Rick Perry also met to discuss joint operations in an effort to attack the issues.
However Washington too must be an integral part, with cooperation and resources to help fight the violence and drug
war.
Recent attacks on law enforcement personnel on both sides of the international border, as well as the movement of paramilitary
units known as “Zetas” across our border as they escort drug shipments, are showing a surprising and alarming
degree of sophistication.
These are organized criminal elements that are well trained and clearly show a working knowledge of what is described
in espionage circles as “tradecraft.” Pre-target surveillance, as
in terrorist’s attacks, must be used to gain an advantage in seeking and ambushing their prey. The aggressors must monitor the habits, conduct and daily movements of potential victims for strategic
purposes. Unlike a suicide-homicide bomber, these attackers need a safe location
to monitor or conduct surveillance, a site to ambush and control the victim, and a method of escape.
Shooting at random or by chance would generally be “drive by” type shootings with no specific targets.
The attacks on U.S. Border Patrol agents in Arizona clearly show tradecraft sophistication with “spotters”
pointing out, via radio, the positions of targeted agents, as does the use of cover and concealment in escape. And there have been other known incidents, like in May of this year in the Laredo area of Webb County,
Texas, when paramilitary types dressed in camouflage, carrying automatic weapons and marching in cadence were spotted crossing
the border by deputy sheriffs. An armed unit of gunmen led on U.S. soil by two point scouts.
However U.S. law enforcement officers, specifically at the state, county, and local levels, are not routinely trained
in “tradecraft” issues such as surveillance detection, counter-surveillance, attack recognition, and related disciplines.
There is a real war taking place on our southern border, by definition a war that is clearly an armed two sided conflict. The stakes are high, and extended talks, stalling and inattention to the escalating
violence will only cause more deaths and the destruction that follows this level of armed aggression.
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Jerry Brewer is Vice President of Criminal Justice International Associates, a global risk mitigation firm headquartered
in Montgomery, Alabama. He can be reached via e-mail at Cjiaincusa@aol.com
