7,000 Soldiers and Federal Police Called to Mexican Border City in War Against Drugs

This past week the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez was the scene of what one reporter described as a "green tsunami" when 7,000 soldiers and federal police joined the war against the drug cartels.

WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) - The Mexican border city of Cuidad Juarez was the scene of a friendly invasion this week as 7,000 soldiers and federal police attempted to bring order in the midst of a bloody drug war. The new initiatives included vehicle check points, intensified patrols by masked soldiers, and the presence of police in SWAT gear.

While violence has long-existed among the various drug cartels and against the Mexican government, the hostility has increased against local, state, and federal officials. Just last month, the city's Chief of Police was forced to quit when the cartels promised to kill one policeman a day until he resigned.

The U.S. Consulate in Juarez has cautioned tourists of the problems, especially in the area southwest of the city.

The Consulate used its website to communicate the warning to potential visitors, saying, "There has been a dramatic increase in drug related violence in the Guadalupe Bravo area and there is no indication that the situation will improve in the near future."

Ciudad Juarez police spokesman Jaime Torres Valadez spoke with CNN on Thursday."It's necessary to keep the peace," Torres told them in a telephone interview as he sat in his car at a police checkpoint. "For me, it's safe. If there are more soldiers, I feel safe."

In related activity, 20 prisoners were killed and seven wounded on Wednesday when a fight broke about among rival gangs at the city prison in Juarez.

Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora told Reuters News, in an interview that "Ciudad Juarez worries us deeply."

He disagreed that Mexico is loosing the drug war in the midst of reports, like that from Juarez, that traffickers are increasing in strength and arms.

"We think the Mexican state has much a greater power than any criminal group or any combination of criminal groups," Medina Mora said.

Ciudad Juarez, with 1,600 killings reported in 2008, is not the only place where the government is having renewed problems with the drug cartels. The Western Caribbean city of Cancun has been the scene of escalating violence.

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