The United States today announced steps to crack down on smuggling of narcotics, guns and money by gangs that threaten security on both sides of the border with Mexico.
The strategy aims to fight the growing power and violence of Mexican cartels, which ship billions of dollars worth of drugs into the United States and bring back weapons and cash.
The $184 million plan adds 360 federal security agents to border posts and the Mexican interior. It will intensify inspections of southbound traffic, with 100 percent inspections of rail lines, mobile X-ray units for cars, and advanced license-plate readers to identify smugglers.
The US plan adds to $700 million already handed out by Congress to help Mexican law enforcement and military.
"What we want to do is to better secure the border area against further violence and make it a safe and secure area where the rule of law is upheld and enforced," said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano who unveiled the plan at the White House.
She spoke a day before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leaves on a trip to Mexico to discuss border, economic and climate-change issues.
Turf wars between the cartels and battles with law enforcement killed more than 6,000 people in Mexico last year. They spread fear in much of Mexico and raised US concerns for the stability of Mexican President Felipe Calderon's government and over violence spilling into the United States.
Mr Calderon has made controlling the violence his top priority and sent 45,000 troops across the country to fight the gangs.
Some said the new strategy did not do enough to stem illegal immigration.
"With hundreds of federal law enforcement officers being relocated to the border, we must ensure that we do not undercut our national security and immigration enforcement responsibilities," said Republican congressman Lamar Smith.
Deputy Attorney General David Ogden said a U.S.-Mexican prosecution effort would be modelled after successful efforts to smash Mafia crime syndicates in the United States.
Mexico is the United States' second largest export market and and third largest overall trading partner. Trade between the two totalled $367.5 billion last year.
Reuters