5/21/2014

The Paradigm of Securing Borders and Harnessing

Transnational Organized Crime
By: Jerry Brewer
No strategy for organizing a vision to undertake a solid and coherent plan of action in designing,
developing, and deploying a comprehensive police enforcement action or plan for a homeland can
succeed without first coming to grips with the reality of basic infrastructural weaknesses.
As governments and their security forces in Mexico and the northern cone of Central America appear to
be operationally dysfunctional in terms of having answers or the necessary resources to be proactive in
meeting their monumental challenges, many remain stymied by indecision and mental paralysis due to
the escalating violence and continuing threats.
The border regions between Mexico and the U.S., and Mexico with Guatemala and Belize, are areas
where virtual criminal insurgency wars are being waged. Honduras and El Salvador is the next layer to
the south facing this barbaric transnational insurgency.
Escalating homicides and violence in those northern cone nations of Central America alone continue to
pose misery and despair for all those in the path that leads to the U.S. border and points north, and
continues to resonate in a myriad of new adversities and challenges in all directions and to those
concerned. Mexico has sustained deaths from this murdering rampage far above U.S. losses in the Viet
Nam war.
Unprotected borders are nothing less than a swinging gate or revolving door that filters a somewhat
perceived methodical transition of tolerance.
E D I T O R I A L and O P I N I O N
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Recently, a refreshing and most important proactive idea was again officially articulated in terms of
border security in Mexico. This time the armed violence implications were hushed for a milder warning
that, "Now that Mexico's birth rate has stabilized, and it's economy is improving, Mexico more and more
finds itself victimized by illegal immigrants. Mexico again wants to address their own border security
with Guatemala, Belize, and the U.S.
Illegal immigrants from Central and South America now make up more than half of all illegal entrants
into the U.S.
As this writer has consistently reported since 2005, the deficiencies of Mexicos own wide open
southern borders has facilitated transnational criminal insurgents to contribute to murder with impunity
and all other acts of violent lawlessness on the Mexican homeland, and allow them to achieve power to
at times threaten a complete failure of the Mexican State. Mexicos failures also at the U.S. border
contribute significantly to the illicit criminal Central American pipeline of fluid people and contraband
that essentially flows unimpeded as a somewhat rite of free passage to the U.S. border.
Mexicos borders must achieve the necessary and timely infrastructure and resources to significantly
make an impact on its own adjacent borders and with its neighbors.
Although U.S. Rep Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) should be commended for touting this most important
necessity recently, he fell short by advocating for the U.S. to fund the Mexican border patrol initiative.
He recognized that the, U.S. may also benefit from Mexico having a secured border, and stressed the
importance of U.S. coordination and cooperation and stated, I think we will do a much better job of
securing our common border so drugs and undocumented immigrants don't pass into the United States."
What about the estimated U.S. $80 billion a year flowing back across the U.S. border into Mexico along
with illegal weapons? Can anyone realistically say that corruption at either side of the border will not be
a major concern and a factor? The reality is that border security for all nations concerned must be a
priority now.
Mexico alone faces transnational organized criminals brandishing weapons that inflict mass casualties.
Mexican police have faced grenades, grenade launchers, military-type AK-47 and AR-15 rifles, and tens
of thousands of rounds of ammunition, while witnessing these insurgents wearing sophisticated body
armor. Mexico's police and police leaders continue to be ritually murdered.
The reign of terror continues with police, as well as the military, routinely engaged head-on, ambushed
and killed.
In the history of traditional policing, it is hard to fathom the need to evolve into paramilitary strategies
and war-like engagement that have become necessary for Mexico and some of the Central American
nations. Regardless of public opinion and other pundit conjecture on policing methodology, the rule of
law must prevail within a homeland to safeguard human life and property, and provide a harmonious
quality of life.
It is clear when we all face the facts and realities -- traditional policing and related local law
enforcement entities, whether in Mexico, the U.S., or elsewhere, were never designed, resourced and/or
deployed to confront the paramilitary-like armaments, tactical strategies and espionage-like tradecraft
and surveillance used by many of the transnational organized crime groups.
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Borders must be secured in Mexico this time without fail and as timely as resources and commitment
allow. Mexico will also need a competent core of professionals and experts that can lend technical
support in strategic and tactical border issues and enforcement protocols.
The U.S. also must concentrate on continuing to prop up and effectively structure its own border
security; albeit with its own difficulties that include financial and other resource constraints.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATES
United States of America

jbrewer@cjiausa.org

Jerry Brewer is C.E.O. of Criminal Justice
International Associates, a global threat mitigation
firm headquartered in northern Virginia. His website
is located at www.cjiausa.org BREWER Published archives
TWITTER: CJIAUSA