Press Releases 08
Visit to Ciudad Juarez
Statement by Ambassador Antonio O. Garza
Ciudad Juarez, April 4, 2008 – “Like others, I have been
concerned about the reports of increased violence and crime
in Ciudad Juarez, and felt it was important to come to the
region to see and hear first-hand how the current situation
is unfolding.
“Despite valiant attempts by Mexican law enforcement in the
area, crime and violence is rapidly increasing. The statistics
are alarming: nearly 200 murders have been registered this
year— well on pace to surpass the number of killings last
year; almost 2,000 vehicles were stolen in January and February;
bank robberies are at record levels; and kidnappings for ransom
are also on the rise.
“Last week, members of President Felipe Calderon’s National
Security Cabinet, including the Interior Secretary, Defense
Secretary, Attorney General and others, met with the Chihuahua
Governor Jose Reyes Baeza Terrazas in Ciudad Juarez to announce
the launching of Operacion Conjunta Chihuahua. The
objective of this Presidential initiative is to dismantle
the criminal networks in northern Mexico piece by piece.
“Obviously, we support President Calderon’s initiative and
also take this criminal activity seriously. Narco-violence
and crime affects the lives of citizens on both sides of our
shared border, and we must be resolute in going after these
menaces to our society and way of life.
“Today I met with U.S. government law enforcement agents
and others knowledgeable about the situation in Ciudad Juarez.
They confirmed what I had been hearing by attributing the
escalation of violence in part to competing organized crime
networks vying for control of drug trafficking routes, as
well as the governmental successes in disrupting these crime
organizations.
“Lastly, with our current travel alert due to expire next
week, this trip also gave me the opportunity to evaluate how
we should inform Americans of the dangers associated with
narco-violence in this area. While there is little doubt in
my mind that the travel alert should be re-issued, it may
also be necessary to heighten the alert to better reflect
the increasing insecurity in the state of Chihuahua.”
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