CONSULATE CLOSES FOR SECURITY REVIEW

EL PASO -- U.S. officials on Friday refused to explain further why the
U.S. Consulate in Juarez was closed or whether it was in response to a
threat of more car bombings if the U.S. did not take action against
allegedly corrupt Chihuahua officials.

The only explanation offered was that the consulate was closing for a
security review, a reason that U.S. officials have not given before.
The previous time the consulate was closed was after the slayings of
two El Pasoans, one of whom worked in the office.

Juarez Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz said Mexican law enforcement
authorities are working with U.S. officials to reopen the consulate as
soon as possible.

"The exterior area around the consulate, which pertains to us, will be
secured immediately," Reyes Ferriz said. "Hopefully this will lead to
it reopening soon."

U.S. officials announced late Thursday that it would be closing for a
security review of its building and that it would soon reopen. No
reopening date was given, and no explanation was offered about why the
security check was needed.

Spokesmen for the U.S. Consulate's office in Juarez and the U.S. State
Department in Washington, D.C., said Friday that they could not
comment further. FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration officials in
El Paso referred all questions to the State Department.

Through a spokesman, U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, would say
only that the closure was needed.

"Ensuring the safety of everyone who uses the facility is paramount,
and the consulate is evaluating its security procedures to protect the
public and consular staff," said Vincent Perez, Reyes' press secretary.

Reyes Ferriz said he did not know why the consulate
closed.

Several media reports in Juarez contend the consulate was closed
because of a threat made in mid-July by one of the drug cartels that
car bombs would soon be used unless the U.S. took action in the
ongoing drug war between the Juarez and Sinaloa drug cartels.

On July 15, the Juarez cartel detonated a car bomb that killed three
people -- a paramedic, a Mexican federal police officer and a decoy
used to lure them to the site.

Later, one of the cartels left a spray-painted message on a wall
asking the FBI and DEA to investigate and arrest the Mexican
authorities who have been helping Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman, the leader
of the Sinaloa cartel.

If the U.S. agencies did nothing, more car bombs would be detonated in
15 days, the message said.

That message was found three days after the car bombing.

Andrea Simmons, FBI special agent and spokeswoman, said the agency is
aware of the message. She said the FBI is prohibited from conducting
investigations in any foreign country, including Mexico.

"We can only assist with investigations alongside Mexican authorities,
and that's if they ask us," Simmons said.

DEA officials have said the same thing.

In an effort to further ensure Juarez residents that the city is
secure, Reyes Ferriz announced Friday that vehicle searches will begin
immediately in various parts of city.

"Anyone driving into the parking lot at City Hall will have their car
checked for explosives," the mayor said. "The same thing goes for all
city employees who drive and park at City Hall."

The vehicle searches may be expanded throughout the city to
high-traffic and high-density areas such as schools, malls and stores.
"This is needed to ensure everyone's safety," the mayor said.

More than 1,500 people have been slain in Juarez this year, and nearly
5,800 people have been slain since the drug cartel war began in 2008.