Guest Column

 Border violence
El Paso Times Opinion

August 7, 2005

Mexican authorities have objected strenuously about U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza's action in temporarily closing down most of the functions of the U.S. consulate in Nuevo Laredo, just across from Laredo in South Texas.

According to an Associated Press story, Mexico called the action "extreme" and said that actions such as his should be taken only during war.

In case no one has noticed, there is a war going on in Nuevo Laredo and other places along the border.

So far in 2005, almost 20 police officers have been killed in Nuevo Laredo, including a chief of police. More than 80 other people have been killed. During a recent shootout in the town, attackers leveled part of a house with a rocket launcher, and also used machine guns, rifles and grenades in the battle.

Yes, it's a war, all right, a conflict between drug gangs. And as in any war, the innocent are caught up in it and become casualties.

Mexico has proven singularly unable to quell the violence and has resorted to blaming the United States, with President Vicente Fox's spokesman Ruben Aguilar saying at a daily briefing, "The volume of high-technology weapons that enter Mexico and are in the hands of drug traffickers and other professional criminals are those that come from the United States."

There's undoubtedly some truth to that, but it shouldn't be an excuse for governmental failure to take substantive action.

A case can also be made that if there weren't such high demand for illegal drugs in the United States, there wouldn't be all this violent jockeying for power between drug cartels.

Again, there's truth to that, but again, it must not be used to divert attention from the real problem -- Mexico's inability to control violence throughout its own country.

The closing of the consulate in Nuevo Laredo was only temporary; it reopens Monday. But if the violence continues unabated and Americans' lives are in danger, Garza shouldn't hesitate to take similar steps.

El Paso Times Opinion at: http://www.elpasotimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050807/OPINION/508070322/1008/OPINION

  (In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed by HispanicVista.com (www.hispanicvista.com) without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.)