Thursday, May 29, 2008

U.S.-Mex. governors meet; worry over border corruption

Governors from border states in the U.S. and Mexico are meeting today with the aim of addressing several issues with Mexico's president. One of the main topics for discussion will be drug-related violence that is affecting the border states though the governors will also talk about trade and border security.

Speaking of border security, today’s New York Times mentioned of the growing number of corruption investigations among U.S. Border Patrol officers. Homeland Security officials worry that the increased number of officers could lead to dangerous security breaches:

James Tomsheck, the assistant commissioner for internal affairs at Customs and Border Protection, said the agency was “deeply concerned” that smugglers were sending operatives to take jobs with the Border Patrol and at ports…

Although bad apples turn up in almost every law enforcement agency, the corruption cases expose a worrisome vulnerability for national and border security. The concern, several officials said, is that corrupt agents let people into the country whose intentions may be less innocent than finding work.

Sources- BBC News, CNN, UPI, New York Times, International Herald Tribune, The Latin Americanist

Image- New York Times (“The Mexican side of the fence in Naco, a village that straddles the border with Arizona.”)

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