The Real War in Mexico:How Democracy Can Defeat the Drug Cartels

em>Shannon 0’Neil, 6/28/2009
Brazen assassinations, kidnappings, and intimidation by drug lords conjure up images of Colombia in the early 1990s. Yet today it is Mexico that is engulfed by escalating violence.
Over 10,000 drug-related killings have occurred since President Felipe Calderón took office in December 2006; in 2008 alone, there were over 6,000.
Drug [...]

Mexico opposition holds lead in July election

Reuters, 6/30/2009
Mexico’s opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, held a firm lead heading into congressional elections on July 5, according to a poll by Consulta Mitofsky published on Tuesday.
The centrist PRI, which ruled Mexico for most of the 20th century until its defeat by the National Action Party, or PAN, in 2000, is set to [...]

ATF, ICE Join Forces to Stop Border Gun Traffic

CNN, 7/1/2009
The two federal agencies most responsible for stemming the flow of firearms to Mexico agreed Tuesday to improve cooperation after they were sharply criticized by a congressional report for lack of coordination.
The agreement between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will result in a more effective fight [...]

Mexico remittances plunge in worst drop on record

Associated Press, 7/1/2009
Money sent home by Mexicans working abroad fell by 19.9 percent in May, the biggest monthly decline on record as the U.S. recession slashed jobs.
Remittances dropped to $1.9 billion from $2.4 billion in May 2008, the central bank said on Wednesday. The amount of money sent home in the first five months of [...]

ICE Launches Workplace Immigration Crackdown

Associated Press, 7/1/2009
The Obama administration launched investigations of hundreds of businesses around the country Wednesday as part of its strategy to focus immigration enforcement on the employers who hire illegal workers.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun notifying businesses of plans to audit their I-9 forms — employment eligibility documents that employers fill out for every [...]

Mexico’s gamble on biofuels

BBC Mundo, Mexico, 6/25/2009
Mexican authorities intent on tackling the issues surrounding the production of biofuels are faced with one fundamental question. Should they have clean air, or cheap food to feed the country’s poor?
In a country where, according to official estimates, 40 million people live in poverty and 30% of the maize consumed is imported, [...]

Obama could send 1,500 National Guard troops to Mexican border

The Christian Science Monitor, 7/1/2009
With Mexico sliding deeper into violence, President Obama could be preparing to send 1,500 National Guard soldiers to shore up the border.
Senior administration officials say the Defense Department and the Department of Homeland Security are hashing out the plan, according to the Associated Press. If enacted, it would more than double [...]