LAREDO, TEXAS HOSTS ANNUAL LAW ENFORCEMENT SUMMIT - APRIL 3,

UNCLAS NUEVO LAREDO 000087 EMBASSY FOR MCCA, POL, RSO DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/MEX, CA/P, CASC MONTERREY FOR PAO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC CASC CMGT KPAO MX SUBJECT: LAREDO, TEXAS HOSTS ANNUAL LAW ENFORCEMENT SUMMIT - APRIL 3, 2009 ¶1. The city of Laredo, Texas its annual Law Enforcement Summit on Friday, April 3, 2009. Participation was limited to American law enforcement authorities and civil authorities. Presentations were made by the Laredo Police Department, Webb County Sheriff, U.S. Border Patrol, DHS/CBP, FBI, Texas Department of Public Safety, and others. Congressman Henry Cuellar also made remarks. Although the meeting was held in Texas and included no participants from Mexico, it dealt primarily with the community's concern over drug cartel operations in Nuevo Laredo and the growing influence of Mexican narcotics traffickers in Texas, potential for spillover violence to the U.S. side of the border, and the need for more resources, mostly federal, to deal with smuggling, arms trafficking, and narco violence. The meeting coincided with the visit later that day of DHS Secretary Napolitano. The meeting was also overshadowed by the ongoing case of two missing, presumed kidnapped, Laredo teens in Nuevo Laredo and the apparent murder of another U.S. citizen in Nuevo Laredo. ¶2. In his opening remarks, Laredo's Mayor described a community hit by two recent major developments, the devaluation of the Mexican peso and the economic downturn in the United States. Both resulted in fewer Mexican nationals visiting Laredo. The Mayor said that the city has already lost over six million US dollars in bridge toll revenues due to the decreased number of visitors from Mexico. The Mayor and City Manager reiterated their commitment to keeping public security a priority. The Mayor continued by reporting that during a recent visit to Washington, D.C., he and other city officials pressed federal officials for a sustainable full-time force at the international bridges, including agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF),and for more federal funding to combat car thefts and to enhance detection of currency smuggled into Mexico. Most importantly, he explained the need for more boots on the ground and investment in the frontline to allow existing laws to be enforced on the border before they are amended in Washington. ¶3. The city of Laredo reported that in 2006 and 2007 respectively, approximately 1,400 felony immigration cases were prosecuted. That number rose to 1,800 in 2008, and as a result of a recent spike, the number for 2009 should reach 2,200. Similarly, the number of federal drug cases rose from 374 in 2007 to an anticipated 600 for 2009. ¶4. FBI Laredo reported on its recent meetings with Post's RSO and consular officers on recent missing persons cases, including the case of two female teenagers that was the major event of the week. The FBI spokesperson said that his agency expects a rise in the number of kidnappings for ransom in Nuevo Laredo, which he described as being very profitable and will enable the cartels to continue to raise funds to corrupt officials and purchase weapons. He claimed that there is evidence that more and more cartel members and their families live in the U.S. which they view as a safe haven, but also provides the USG better opportunities to prosecute. The FBI reported a spike in kidnappings in the Rio Grande Valley, with 13 kidnappings reported in 2008. The spokesman reported that there are greater efforts on the part of the cartels to compromise U.S. federal officials as the border tightens. Corruption efforts begin, he said, when the US official is approached by a family member, friend or former associate seeking assistance, and he ended by claiming that many US officials in the past have sold themselves cheaply. The FBI said that the counter-terrorism threat for the area is based on what and who comes across the border from Mexico. The area's international bridges would be an especially attractive terrorist target because of their importance to the U.S. national economy. He said that there is no evidence of radical Muslim activities or recruitment in the area. He confirmed that FBI is seeing more Cubans reaching the area via Mexico and that some are members of Cuban organized crime. He said it is likely that Cuban intelligence officers are among them as well. ¶5. The presentation by ATF highlighted current trends in the Laredo/Nuevo Laredo area. His agency is making a big push to counter arms smuggling from the U.S. into Mexico. Fortunately, he said, Laredo is not a source city for illegal firearms entering Mexico, but remains a major gateway for the introduction of weapons into Mexico. ATF expects additional manpower resources will be allocated to support gun running interdiction initiatives. The ATF spokesperson predicted a temporary increase in violent crime in the area but said that increases in federal funding in Laredo will help pay overtime to Laredo police and result in improved intelligence gathering and arrests. ¶6. The DHS/CBP Laredo Port Director reported that so far in 2009, over nine million US dollars have been seized from currency smugglers. He said that this amount is only what his officers have seized, and does not include an unknown number of seizures conducted by the Webb County Sheriff and Laredo police department. He reported that in 2008, the POE seized just over two million dollars. ¶7. In his remarks, Congressman Henry Cuellar discussed his efforts to fund a border security institute in Laredo, which will provide training to DHS/ICE and other state, local and federal law enforcement personnel. The institute, which will probably be housed at the Texas A&M International University in Laredo, will also include a federal law enforcement communications center. He said that he expects National Guard elements to be deployed in Laredo by September, 2009. He praised Mexico for what he described as its new paradigm, that it is now seeking assistance to help locate and combat the drug cartels. ¶8. A final presentation was made by the Laredo Police Department and a representative from the Laredo Visitor's Bureau. Speaking about the impact of national media coverage on Laredo, they claimed that Laredo's Mayor received over 1,500 pieces of hate mail following a recent appearance on a television talk show in which he tried to defend Mexico and praised President Calderon's efforts to combat the cartels. They claimed that the national media paints an unrealistic picture of the border and that it is not interested in presenting factual information. They claimed that when people like the mayor attempt to explain the realities of border life, the media is disinterested or does not care because it does not serve their mission, which they described as self-serving and motivated by selling advertising time. They stated that their experience with the national media demonstrated that it is not really serving community interests. The presenters claimed that the real issue, in their opinion, was a national fear of immigration and a loss of what they described as the traditional American way of life. ¶9. Comments: The 2009 Laredo Law Enforcement Summit brought every level of US law enforcement together in one session to share information and success stories. The meeting coincided with the visit of DHS Secretary Napolitano to Laredo later that afternoon, and many of the participants were at an event for her immediately following the conclusion of the law enforcement meeting. The Laredo community remains concerned about the possibility of spillover violence and seeks additional federal funding of local, state and federal agencies to support their efforts to control the border. The meeting might have been more profitable had Mexican counterparts been permitted to observe. The session was closed to the public and the media, although selected media were allowed to enter the conference room at one point to ask questions of willing participants. STONE