Group: Border fence threatens wildlife

NF Reporter · 05-21-2007, 06:31 PM

AP - Nancy Brown drives the government truck slowly past mossy ponds, thick shrouds of beard-like Spanish moss and majestic ebony trees, gleefully identifying the song of the kiskadee and the gurgling call of the chachalaca.

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waltky · 05-02-2008, 04:04 AM

Not much progress on border fence...

Only 12 Miles of Real Border Fence Completed
May 01, 2008 - Two years after President George W. Bush signed the Secure Fence Act into law, requiring 700 miles of double-layer fencing to be constructed along five stretches of the southern U.S. border by May 2008, only 90 miles of fencing have been built -- and just 12 miles of it is double-layered.

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"By eliminating the double-fence requirement, the Democratic Congress is going to make it easier for drug and human smugglers to cross our Southern land border," Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), who wrote the original fencing specification in the Secure Fence Act, said when the U.S. House passed a resolution altering the language of the act, including eliminating the double-layer requirement for the fencing. The resolution also said that "at least" 370 miles of fencing should be built, with no time table given.

Now, with a new administration coming in eight months, the future of the border fence may be linked to who wins the presidency. "In the minds of many it should be the goal to get as many miles of fencing built before the end of the Bush administration," Hunter told Cybercast News Service. "It's difficult to predict what position the next administration is going to take on border fencing." In January, Hunter introduced new legislation to reinstate the original Secure Fence Act, but no action has been taken.

Hunter has been critical of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and and his department, which is in charge of the project. But in recent weeks, the former presidential candidate who built a fence along the border of San Diego County that is credited with reducing the number of people and drugs coming into the country by 90 percent since its completion in 2000, has been more complimentary of Chertoff and his agency. In recent months Chertoff took advantage of Homeland Security's authority to waive laws that impeded construction of the border fence.

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waltky · 09-11-2008, 04:06 AM

Gonna cost a lot more money too...

Bush's Border Fence to Cost Extra $400M
WASHINGTON September 9, 2008 - Bush's Border Fence To Cost Extra $400 Million To Finish

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The Bush administration needs an extra $400 million to complete its fence along the country's southwestern border, and government investigators say that may not even be enough to finish construction by the end of this year. To complete the 670-mile fence — already half built — the administration has asked Congress to approve the use of $400 million set aside for other programs, mostly surveillance technology projects along the U.S.-Mexico border, Jayson Ahern, the deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, told The Associated Press Tuesday. Higher costs of fuel, steel and labor have led to the $400 million shortfall, Ahern said.

"If we run out of money, unfortunately the construction will have to stop," Ahern said. He said it is not known exactly how much extra it will cost to build each mile of the fence, because the costs differ due to varying terrain and environmental issues. Ahern is scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill Wednesday about the fence's funding shortfalls. At the same hearing, Congress' investigative arm, the Government Accountability Office, will also tell lawmakers that the administration risks not meeting its deadline to complete the fence by the end of the year because of staffing shortages and complications with acquiring the land necessary to build the fence.

The concept of a border fence took on new life after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which revived the heated immigration debate. Intelligence officials have said the gaps along the southwestern border could provide opportunities for terrorists to enter the country. Critics have said the fence presents an inconsistent message about a country founded by immigrants and priding itself on opportunity. The fence is not intended to stop illegal immigration altogether, but rather make it more difficult for people to enter the country illegally, administration officials say.

More ABC News: Bush's Border Fence to Cost Extra $400 Million

waltky · 09-13-2008, 07:23 AM

More drug murders in Mexico...

24 corpses found shot in Mexico
13 Sept.`08 - Investigation under way to determine if killings were a result of organized crime; Bodies found in Atlapulco, just south of Mexico City; Estimated 1,500 killings in Mexico this year linked to organized crime

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Twenty-four corpses were found bound and shot execution-style in the Mexican city of Atlapulco on Friday, according to Humberto Benitez, secretary-general of government in the State of Mexico.

A criminal investigation is now under way to determine if the killings were a result of organized crime, a news release from Mexico's attorney general said Friday. Atlapulco is just south of Mexico City. The killings come roughly two weeks after tens of thousands of Mexicans marched on the nation's capital calling for greater government action to prevent the wave of violent crime sweeping the country.

Non-governmental groups estimate there have been more than 1,500 killings in Mexico this year linked to organized crime. In late August, Mexican President Felipe Calderon met with the country's 32 governors to develop a plan to battle the nation's alarming rise in violent crime.

Source

waltky · 09-18-2008, 05:28 AM

Uh-oh, now the druglords got grenades...

7 Killed In Mexico Grenade Attack
Sept. 16, 2008 - 2 Grenades Thrown Into Crowd Of Mexican Independence Day Revelers; More Than 100 Injured

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Assailants threw two grenades into a huge crowd of Independence Day revelers, killing seven and injuring more than 100 in a brazen attack that escalates the war between Mexico's army and drug gangs. The military fragmentation grenades shattered a family friendly gathering of thousands in the cobblestone streets not far from where President Felipe Calderon grew up. He urged Mexicans not to be afraid and met with Michoacan Gov. Leonel Godoy, promising to find those responsible and redouble security efforts in the violent state. However, in a country increasingly terrified and outraged by both drug violence and common crime, the attack drove home a tragic message: No place is safe.

"These illegal acts were clearly attacking our national security, committed by true traitors who have no respect for others or for the country," Calderon said. "Those who believe they can use fear to hold our society hostage and immobilize us are mistaken. ... They are doomed to fail." Since taking office in 2006, Calderon has sent more than 25,000 soldiers to confront the cartels that move marijuana and cocaine into the United States, and the gangs have responded with daytime shootouts, assassinations, beheadings and massacres.

Calderon first deployed troops to Michoacan, where two of Mexico's major drug gangs are fighting for control of lucrative smuggling routes that include the large Lazaro Cardenas port, stretches of Pacific coastline and remote pine-covered mountains. The fighting has made Michoacan one of the most violent states in Mexico, with frequent shootouts and gruesome decapitation-killings. The latest attack came during the traditional "grito," or shout for independence, late Monday night. Godoy had just finished shouting "Viva Mexico!" from a balcony, when the two grenades exploded simultaneously in the crowd, blocks apart. At first, the throngs of families thought the explosions were part of the fireworks display. Then thick, black smoke rose from the crowd, people started screaming and the cathedral's bells fell silent. As the crowd cleared, rescuers attended to the wounded and dead.

Both state emergency officials and state prosecutors said seven were killed, although there were earlier reports that the death toll had risen to eight. Godoy, who was unhurt, said witnesses saw a heavyset man wearing black throw one of the grenades, then beg forgiveness for what he had done. But he provided no more details, and there were no immediate claims of responsibility. Authorities made no arrests. "Without a doubt, we believe this was done by organized crime," he said.

More 7 Killed In Mexico Grenade Attack, 2 Grenades Thrown Into Crowd Of Mexican Independence Day Revelers; More Than 100 Injured - CBS News

waltky · 10-02-2008, 02:57 AM

Mexican president proposes stronger drug laws...

Mexico's Calderon targets drug traffickers
October 1, 2008 -- Calderon's announcement comes hours after grisly killings in Tijuana; Tijuana is major transit point for drugs from Mexico to the United States; Security plan would better coordinate federal and local police, Calderon says; Calderon has tightened controls on money laundering and corruption in police

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Mexican President Felipe Calderon Tuesday sent Congress a security plan intended to cut the influence of narcotics traffickers. "Drugs just cancel the future of our youth and open the door to illicit activities," he said in a televised address, urging the plan's passage. His announcement came hours after a spate of grisly killings occurred in the western border town of Tijuana, just south of San Diego. Three bodies were found stuffed inside chemical drums on Tuesday, 12 others were found in an otherwise empty lot next to an elementary school on Monday. Some were bound, their tongues cut out. Two other bodies were found during the weekend. Most, if not all, the killings were the result of turf battles between rival drug gangs, officials said.

Tijuana's two main drug gangs, the Arellano Felix cartel and the Gulf cartel, have been vying for control of Tijuana because the city has long been a major transit point for drugs from Mexico to the United States. More recently, it has also become a market for drugs consumed there. Intelligence analysts say that cartels in Colombia have been paying gang members with drugs, meaning the gangs have had to find local marketplaces to sell them. Calderon has unleashed federal police and soldiers in several states across the country and tightened controls on money laundering and corruption among local and municipal police forces, which have allegedly been infiltrated by drug traffickers. The effort has resulted in widespread carnage, with more than 3,000 deaths this year alone.

Calderon's plan would better coordinate federal and local police, seek to root out corruption and establish bases "so we are all integrated into a system of national public security," Calderon said. The plan would establish police crime-investigation processes that would safeguard respect for the law and human rights and would increase the penalty for selling drugs to minors, he said. "Only with stronger laws can we gain on the criminals who threaten the security of our communities and who try to poison the children of [Mexico] with drugs," Calderon said. He called on his fellow Mexicans to help. "To win the battle against crime, it is fundamental that the society get involved in this fight," he said. Last month, tens of thousands of Mexicans filled a massive plaza in front of the National Palace demanding an end to the violence.

Mexico's Calderon targets drug traffickers - CNN.com

waltky · 10-18-2008, 01:31 AM

Drug cartels killing informants...

Mexico: 6 people lined up, gunned down near border
18 Oct 2008, Police say six people were lined up and gunned down outside a business in this violent border city.

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City police spokesman Alejandro Pariente says a written statement “for all rats'' was found among the bodies and declared that the killings “will continue.''

Pariente says investigators found more than 100 bullet shells at the scene. He says no arrests have been made and officials were investigating whether the Thursday-night attack was linked to drugs.

Drug violence has been spiralling across Mexico and especially in Ciudad Juarez, where more than 1,000 people have been killed this year. Ciudad Juarez is located across the border from El Paso, Texas.

Source

See also:

US official: Mexican cartels murder, kidnap in US
Fri Oct 17,`08 - U.S. drug czar John Walters said Friday that Mexico's drug cartels are crossing the border to kidnap and kill inside the United States, and promised that an anti-drug aid package to help Mexico to fight the gangs will be ready soon.

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Walters, the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, was in Mexico for two days to discuss efforts with local officials to stem killings, weapons trafficking and money laundering by Mexican cartels and their U.S. associates. "Some of these groups not only engage in crime and violence not only in Mexico and along the border, but they come across and kidnap, murder and carry out assassinations," Walters told reporters. "These groups do not respect the border." Walters said some of the US$400 million in U.S. drug aid approved for Mexico earlier this year under the Merida Initiative could be ready in a matter of days. Walters praised Mexican President Felipe Calderon for mounting a police and army offensive against the cartels, whom he called "terrorist criminals."

"They have a choice: Come in and face justice, or die," he said of the drug gangs. He also said the United States did not object to the Calderon administration's current legislative proposal to allow people caught with small amounts of some drugs to seek drug treatment rather than prison terms. "There has been an impression left that this is legalizing the possession of amounts of drugs. That is not what Mexican officials tell me the bill does," Walters said. "For the lower quantity, for use, you will still face jail time, you'll be given an option if you're an addict to get treatment."

"I think the parameters and the intentions, that is exactly what we do in the United States." But Walters accused countries such as Bolivia and Venezuela of failing to cooperate in the fight against drug trafficking, and said drug corruption has penetrated Venezuela's government. "I think everybody knows that this rot is setting in on wider and wider portions of Venezuela government, and the Venezuelan government shows no sign it's responding. It's going to get worse," he said. He said Bolivia's cocaine production is not hurting the United States — where little Bolivian cocaine is shipped — but is contributing to drug problems in Brazil, Argentina, Europe and other places. Venezuela and Bolivia both insist they can combat drug trafficking without U.S. help. Venezuela's Hugo Chavez recently called Walters "stupid" for saying cocaine smuggling through Venezuela had quadrupled in four years.

Source

waltky · 10-31-2008, 02:54 AM

The slaughter continues...

Mexico border violence leaves 13 dead
31 Oct 2008, Suspected drug-related violence left 13 dead, including two women, in separate incidents in Mexico's violent northern Chihuahua state, local authorities said.

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Heavily-armed men attacked a man and a woman as they got out of a car in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, forcing them up against a wall and shooting them at least 15 times, including a coup de grace typically used by drug gangs, local police said yesterday.

In a separate incident, police found a young woman's body, also in the city across from El Paso, Texas, in which more than 1,000 have been killed so far this year. Other deaths included a man shot dead in a betting shop in Chihuahua, the state capital, and three male bodies carrying signs of torture and gunshot wounds found outside that city.

The area is the scene of battles between the powerful Juarez and Sinaloa drug cartels and their offshoots, which are fighting for control of key trafficking routes in the United States, the world's biggest drug consumer. The death toll from gangland-style killings around Mexico has escalated this year, with some 4,000 killed so far, according to national media, despite a government crackdown involving the deployment of some 36,000 troops.

Source

waltky · 11-08-2008, 05:13 AM

Barbaric...

Beheaded man hung from overpass
November 07, 2008 - A BEHEADED and handcuffed man was found hanging from an overpass in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez, as violence between rival drug gangs escalates.

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The Associated Press reports police found the victim’s head in a black bag in a nearby plaza. Police spokesman Alejandro Pariente said a banner aimed at rival drug-gang members was hung next to the body.

Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, has one of the highest murder rates in Mexico, with more than 1000 people killed so far this year.

In other violence in Mexico, masked men gunned down two police officers in a convenience store in nearby Chihuahua City. The gunmen left a toy pig next to the bodies.

And on Tuesday, a man wearing a pig mask was found hanging in a house in Ciudad Juarez. A message next to the body threatened to do the same to others.

Beheaded man hung from overpass | World Breaking News | News.com.au