MEXICO'S SOUTHERN BORDER HAS SIMILAR WOES

CANCUN, Mexico -- Mexico's southern border with Guatemala and Belize
experiences the same kind of problems seen in the El Paso-Juarez area:
illegal immigration, drug trafficking, explosive growth, and environmental
and water disputes.

Recently, Mexican military authorities intercepted two groups of
undocumented immigrants from South and Central American countries. Had they
not been caught, they would have made their way to the northern border,
perhaps crossing through El Paso. The undocumented immigrants paid a
smuggler about $4,000 each to help them get to the United States.

The beach resort community of Cancun also sees undocumented immigrants from
Cuba and other parts of the world, including Europe. They don't have
immigration papers that permit them to be in Mexico or the United States. In
some cases, they are trying to get jobs in the tourist industry but don't
have Mexican work permits.

The Drug Trade

Mexican marine police patrol the coastline, much like our Border Patrol
spends its time watching the desert, looking for contraband activity. The
Juarez drug cartel, which imports cocaine from Colombia, controls the drug
trade in Cancun.

Drug dealers often use small motorboats and yachts to ferry cocaine to
Mexico's beaches. Federal investigators say that some Cancun hotels that
cater to tourists offer "room service" on small cocaine orders, which
adolescents as young as 14 years old deliver.

If fact, it was in Cancun that Rafael Aguilar, a former Juarez law-
enforcement official and founder of the cartel, was shot to death, allegedly
on orders of the late Amado Carrillo Fuentes, who wanted to control the
organization.

Pope's Visit

Pope John Paul II may have left Mexico, but politicians and some church
organizations are still fuming over President Vicente Fox kissing the pope's
ring in public during the pontiff's fifth visit to the country.

Officials of the Revolutionary Democratic Party and evangelical Protestant
leaders contend that Fox's gesture was one of submission by one head of
state to another. They also alleged that he violated a Mexican federal law
that prohibits government officials from participating in any kind of
religious service while acting in an official capacity.

Fox denied any wrongdoing. Along with a couple of state governors and
federal Cabinet members, he attended the July 31 canonization Mass for Juan
Diego. Fox is Catholic.

Was it devotion or a photo opportunity?

After all, the pope seems to enjoy the kind of celebrity status that no
Mexican politician has managed to attain. His picture was everywhere -- on
posters, bumper stickers, pins and lottery tickets. His popularity was
undeniable. Fox and the other politicians suffering from weak poll numbers
probably wanted to find out his secret.