El Paso, TX. Population 700,000. 4th largest city in Texas.
Directly across the Rio Grand from El Paso, Texas is Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Population: 2,000,000.
Juarez is a large city of industry, home to manufacturing sites for several US companies that have relocated their operations south of the border. Together with El Paso this makes for the most populated center on any country's border in the entire world.
Its also home to staggeringly high levels of crime. 2008 saw a murder rate climbing well in to the thousands (compare: 500 murders in NYC, with over 8 Million people)
14 days in to the new year, there have been more than 35 deaths in Juarez.
2000 additional Mexican troops sent to the area:
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_11448257
A prominent Mexican congressman warns that efforts to stop the violence and drug trafficking have failed, and that corrupt Mexican customs will continue to feed the flow of crime in to the US (Spanish)
http://www.oem.com.mx/elsoldecuautla/notas/n1004351.htm
Feds "have a plan" if violence spills across border; 5,000 killed in Juarez last year
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ivNbIwMtQTgwPcKIGQUdhnjE10pAD95K8IMO0
U.S. Joint forces concerned about the collapse of the entire country:
http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_11444354
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_11447730
What's on the other side of El Paso, again?
Directly across the Rio Grand from El Paso, Texas is Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Population: 2,000,000.
Juarez is a large city of industry, home to manufacturing sites for several US companies that have relocated their operations south of the border. Together with El Paso this makes for the most populated center on any country's border in the entire world.
Its also home to staggeringly high levels of crime. 2008 saw a murder rate climbing well in to the thousands (compare: 500 murders in NYC, with over 8 Million people)
14 days in to the new year, there have been more than 35 deaths in Juarez.
2000 additional Mexican troops sent to the area:
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_11448257
A prominent Mexican congressman warns that efforts to stop the violence and drug trafficking have failed, and that corrupt Mexican customs will continue to feed the flow of crime in to the US (Spanish)
http://www.oem.com.mx/elsoldecuautla/notas/n1004351.htm
Feds "have a plan" if violence spills across border; 5,000 killed in Juarez last year
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ivNbIwMtQTgwPcKIGQUdhnjE10pAD95K8IMO0
U.S. Joint forces concerned about the collapse of the entire country:
http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_11444354
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_11447730
What's on the other side of El Paso, again?