Monday, August 18, 2008

3000 families flee border violence says “expert”

Approximately 3000 families have fled the border city of Ciudad Juarez and crossed the border into the U.S., according to a “border expert.” Antonio Payan- professor of political science at the University of Texas- claimed that the exodus consisted mostly of middle class families who have left for El Paso, Texas due to “safety reasons.”

According to one Mexican news article, businesses in Ciudad Juarez are forced to spend quite a lot for safety:

(...) businesses have spent more on security by hiring private guards, bulletproofing their vehicles, installing alarms…and demanding increased action in order to feel safe against so much violence. [ed. personal translation]

Despite an increased police presence the rampant violence in Mexico continues to be unabated; 23 people were killed in Chihuahua during a single 24-hour stretch last week while more people have been slain by drug gangs this year more than all of 2006 or 2007.

Image- Univision.com

Sources (English)- AFP, Xinhua, The Australian, Radio Netherlands Worldwide

Sources (Spanish)-Puente Libre


No comments: