Mexico Forming Own Border Patrol, U.S. May Aid Efforts

Mexico is developing its own border patrol, as the country is increasingly burdened by illegal immigration from its southern border. 

“Now that Mexico’s birth rate has stabilized, and it’s economy is improving, Mexico more and more finds itself victimized by illegal immigrants,” media outlet WOAI reported. Many immigrants travel through Mexico in order to enter the U.S. illegally; others enter the country illegally with the intention of staying there. 

These immigrants, from Central and South America, are largely known as “Other Than Mexicans.” WOAI reported that these immigrants now make up more than half of all illegal entrants into the U.S. 

The Mexican government apparently plans to use border patrol on both its northern and southern borders. Advocates claim that its border patrol along the U.S. would help curb illegal immigration and drugs headed for Mexican cartels. 

U.S. Rep Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) is allegedly helping the Mexican government in this effort. Cuellar told WOAI, “A lot of people coming in are not Mexicans, they are from Central America and South America. On Mexico’s border with Guatemala it is like a UN in many ways.”

He said that the U.S. may also benefit from Mexico having a secured border. “If we coordinate with them, 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.”

Ultimately, Cuellar is pushing for the U.S. to fund the Mexican border patrol. 

The Congressman’s office did not immediately return calls from Breitbart Texas. 

Cuellar is not the first U.S. politician to advocate working with Mexico. In early April, U.S. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) stressed cooperation between the two nations in curbing drug trafficking across the border.

“We have an opportunity to examine the bilateral cooperation between our two nations that resulted in this progress, and how we can build upon these successes to further combat the cartels,” McCaul said during a hearing. “Because of the threats to both the United States and Mexico stemming from organized crime, both of our nations share security objectives for our borders – keep threats out, but ensure the expeditious flow of commerce. Our respective law enforcement agencies have been working closely together to come to a common understanding of how to synchronize enforcement operations on each side of the border.”

Zack Taylor, Chairman of the National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers, told Breitbart Texas that the U.S. should focus on securing its own border before helping other countries.

“Mexico’s southern border is Mexico’s problem,” Taylor said. “We should not be telling other countries what they should do when we ourselves are not willing to do it. Let’s lead by example, please.”

Taylor concluded, “This is just something to talk about to divert the public’s attention away from the real issue. The security of the nation and our own people come first. Once we have that taken care of, then we can take care of other things.”

Sylvia Longmire, Breitbart Texas contributing editor and border security expert, said “It’s interesting to see how Mexico is reacting–at least according to Rep. Cuellar, anyway–now that the shoe is on the other foot, so to speak. This isn’t the first episode of hypocrisy by the Mexican government with regards to its own illegal immigration problems. In 2010, plans emerged for Mexico to start building a 500 mile-long fence along its southern border with Guatemala in order to curb the growing influx of immigrants from Honduras and El Salvador, but those plans have yet to materialize.”

She added, “And for all the complaints that Mexican nationals have about the way US Border Patrol agents treat them, Mexican immigration authorities are brutal, abusive, and overall incredibly intolerant of illegal immigrants in Mexico. The main reason why there hasn’t been a Mexican border patrol deployed to the northern border is due to the high levels of corruption within past agencies attempting to do that job–by the Mexican government’s own admission. I think it’s incredibly naïve of Cuellar and anyone else, really, to believe that such an agency could work effectively with US agencies to secure either of Mexico’s border.” 

Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate.