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Arizona hosts border-violence talk
Officials seek federal support on issue
Arizona makes its case Monday for tougher laws and more money for law enforcement to prevent drug-cartel violence in Mexico from further spilling across the border.
Members of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs come to Phoenix as the White House promises Mexico more collaboration to fight the drug war and as local law enforcement agencies ramp up efforts to seek federal money.
The hearing, sponsored by committee chairman Sen. Joe Lieberman, is one of several being held in Washington and other cities during the past few weeks, in part to ease fears over border violence.
Arizona is a main corridor for human- and drug smuggling, and Phoenix now ranks second in the world in kidnappings for ransom. In 2008, Phoenix reported 366 abductions, mostly tied to Mexican human smugglers and narcotics gangs.
Some of those testifying Monday have been sounding the alarm about the rising level of violence out of concern that drug-cartel violence, which has already claimed the lives of 10,000 people in Mexico since late 2006, could further spill into the U.S.
"You fight organized crime with . . . the carefully honed ability to interrupt the most important thing for organized crime, and that's the money," said Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, who plans to ask at Monday's hearing for better laws and more federal support to help reduce cartel money laundering.
Monday's lineup also includes Gov. Jan Brewer and top law enforcement officials from Arizona border communities.
While border-related crime is a longstanding issue in Arizona, the cartel threat has prompted the Obama administration to step up federal action.
In his first official trip to Mexico on Thursday, President Barack Obama backed Mexico's efforts to stop the illegal flow of U.S. guns across the border. Obama also has signaled immigration reform talks could begin later this year. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano visited the border last week and named a new "border czar," Alan Bersin.
Many political players in Arizona see the recent flurry of interest in border violence as a golden opportunity to press Congress for a range of wish-list reforms: from more money for law enforcement to more human rights protection for immigrants.
"With this new interest from the federal government, we have a glimmer of hope that the fight will become much better coordinated, much better funded and frankly has a chance to be successful," Goddard said.
Money and violence
Lieberman wants more federal money to help local law enforcement stem the flow of drugs coming into the U.S. and prevent U.S. guns from ending up in the hands of Mexican cartels.
Local police departments and sheriffs also are eyeing federal funds. For example, the Phoenix Police Department has applied for a $7.2 million federal stimulus grant, to expand a unit that investigates kidnappings and home invasions tied to drug- and human smuggling.
Immigrant rights groups want the new focus on organized crime to lead to more nuanced border policies.
"What we have seen in the past (is) that there has been a one-size-fits-all militarized approach to the border," said Jennifer Allen, executive director of Border Action Network.
Unregulated immigration, organized crime and terrorist threats are separate issues that need different solutions, she said.
"We don't need to treat . . . a woman crossing the border to reunite with her family like she is a member of a drug cartel," Allen said.
Meanwhile, the Mexican government wants Washington to turn up the heat on weapons smugglers. It's a thorny political issue because Americans are reluctant to tighten rules for gun shows and for gun owners, said Consul General Carlos Flores Vizcarra, the top Mexican diplomat in Arizona.
"I think the public in the U.S. needs to be more educated about how this is not only a Mexico problem," Vizcarra said. "This is a problem that, of course, crosses the border so there has to be some responsibility on this side."
Listening to Arizona
Monday's hearing is a good fact-finding tool, but don't expect the homeland security panel to pitch new border legislation anytime soon, an immigration expert said.
Any new bills from Congress would probably be linked to immigration reform talks later this year, said Marc Rosenblum a senior policy analyst at Migration Policy Institute, a non-partisan Washington, D.C. think tank. And typically, the Senate Judiciary Committee addresses immigration issues, he added.
Reporter Michael Ferraresi contributed to this story.
Relevant Link: Border Action Network
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Education for Liberation!
Peter S. Lopez ~aka: Peta
Sacramento, California, Aztlan
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Humane-Rights-Agenda/
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