HELPING MEXICO IN DRUG WAR

Fight Against Drug Criminals Is Also Our Fight

President Felipe Calderon's state visit to Washington on Wednesday
comes at a time when Mexico is under siege by drug criminals as never
before. The violence has claimed some 23,000 lives since Mr. Calderon
declared war on drug gangs.

Traffickers are fighting to control the drug supply into the United
States. Never have the two countries faced a common enemy as powerful
and as dangerous as these gangs.

This puts a premium on mutual efforts to combat narcotics gangsters,
requiring both leaders to go beyond the customary expressions of
friendship and work to defuse the tensions that threaten to drive
Mexico and the United States apart.

Slap in the Face

The principal irritant is illicit immigration.

Mexicans consider Arizona's restrictive new immigration measure a
slap in the face, prompting Mr. Calderon to issue a travel warning to
Mexican tourists visiting Arizona. He will likely have something to
say about it when he addresses a joint session of Congress -- though
Mexico, too, is accused of mistreating its undocumented immigrants.

Lawmakers have been derelict in reforming U.S. immigration law. They
won't get off the dime unless Mr. Obama, who has paid lip service to
immigration reform, makes a strong commitment to enact a measure that
will eliminate the need for laws like Arizona's.

Until the Mexican economy gets stronger, there is little Mr. Calderon
can do to stop illegal immigration, but under his tenure security
cooperation with the United States has improved significantly. He has
sent at least 326 wanted fugitives to stand trial in the United
States, far more than his predecessors.

Honor NAFTA Commitments

The least the United States can do is speed up efforts under an
anti-drug cooperation plan called the Merida Initiative to provide
the $1.12 billion Congress has appropriated. As of December, only $24
million had been spent.

Finally, Mexico can lift its import duties against U.S. fruits and
vegetables. All that's standing in the way is for the United States
to live up to its commitments under the North American Free Trade
Agreement to allow Mexican trucks that meet safety requirements to
carry freight on U.S. highways.

The last official visit by a Mexican president to Washington came on
the eve of 9/11, which destroyed a promising initiative to reform
immigration, as well as other cooperative ventures. The passage of
time has only made our mutual problems worse.