US: MEXICO, U.S. PLAN TO FIGHT BORDER VIOLENCE

SAN ANTONIO - Law enforcement from the United States and Mexico have
formed a partnership aimed at quelling drug-related violence on the border.

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Mexican counterpart Daniel
Cabeza de Vaca stood side by side Thursday to announce the security plan.

The Violent Crime Impact Team will target the most violent members of
warring drug cartels. Armed with high-powered weapons, the warring
cartels have been blamed for more than 140 murders this year alone in
Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.

The new partnership will double the current presence of federal law
enforcement in Laredo and the border, Gonzales said.

There are 22 anti-violence teams operating nationwide. The Laredo
chapter is the first to meld law enforcement agencies from outside
the United States.

"In order to have an effective relationship with Mexico, there has to
be a level of trust," Gonzales said. "That's why operations like this
are very important."

The plan calls for police agencies to keep working as they have, and
within their geographical boundaries, but also to increase
information sharing and be ready to offer support when asked.

Anti-violence teams typically operate for six months and are led by
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Other
federal agencies involved include the U.S. Marshals Service; FBI; and
Drug Enforcement Administration.

Both attorneys general said new cooperation would include sharing
technology for securing ports of entry, locking down prisons and the
ability of inmates to send messages to the outside world, and
engaging in joint training exercises.

"This helps us target specific offenders, the worst of the worst, and
take them off the streets," said Donnie Carter, special agent in
charge of the Houston AFT office overseeing the Laredo team.