With a reported 4,700 homicides since 2008, Juarez, Mexico, has been known to many as the most violent city in the world. Gov. Rick Perry recently activated his plan to prevent spillover violence into Texas.
On Tuesday, March 16 Gov. Perry enabled his secret spillover violence contingency plan to increase security along the Texas border. Perry has sent an unknown amount of helicopters to the border and has resources standing by which include Trooper Strike Teams and Texas Ranger Recon Teams ready to deploy based on the threat.
According to Perry's office, a porous border places Texas and the nation at risk from international terrorists, organized crime cartels and transnational gangs.
“With the growing threat of violence in Mexico spilling over the border, we have taken important measures to increase the law enforcement presence along the Texas border and have placed additional resources on standby to combat any potential situation,” Gov. Perry said.
There have already been incidents of drug-related crime spillover. According to the Rio Grande Valley's Sheriff's office, a 32-year-old Mexican national was shot north of the border town of Weslaco, Texas. Investigators found out the man worked for a drug gang and was sent for a debt collection.
Alex Vela, a musician in Weslaco, thinks the violence just adds on the already tense situation.
"My parents cross into Mexico all the time to shop; that is scary enough." Vela said.
Gov. Perry has repeatedly urged the federal government to play a more active role in border security. According to Perry's office, the day before unraveling his secret spillover violence contingency plan Perry wrote a letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. The letter urged for the approval of predator drones in Texas. There are only three active predator drones along the southern border, all which are in Arizona.
According to Perry, a pregnant American woman was killed with her husband early March in Juarez, Mexico. He believes the effort of the federal government plays a key role in the level of border violence.
“Over the weekend, more innocent people fell victim to the increasingly ruthless Mexican drug cartels... How many Americans will have to die before our federal government takes serious action along the Texas-Mexico border?" Perry asked.
Christopher Washington, a student at Texas State University, admits he does not know much about the spillover violence. After being shown some recent border stories his opinion on the subject changed.
"I live as far south as San Antonio and we never hear all of this. The things those drug cartels are doing is sick," Washington said.
Cynthia Ramirez, student and resident of Brownsville, Texas, feels that these incidents of spillover violence in border towns are not being exposed enough on a national level.
"We hear about drug-related kidnappings and murders on the local news almost every day. The border wall is there but it hasn't stopped much," Ramirez said.
The construction of the border wall began in 2008. The objective was to create a solid wall along the border that could not be climbed. There are still many large gaps along the wall and other sections require simply a ladder to climb over.
The location of the wall is not actually on the border, but can be found about one mile north of it. This decision left some houses on the southern side of the fence, as well as many farmers with crops between the new quasi border and the official Texas-Mexico border.
Jeff Loop, owner of Loop Farms in Brownsville, Texas, thinks the border wall has been ineffective and has put a burden on local farmers.
"It feels like a no man's land out there. It is also a hassle to travel back and forth every day," Loop said.
With spillover violence on the rise and lack of federal assistance, Gov. Perry feels that the state government must take action. Juarez, Mexico, is one of the most violent cities in the world and is a walking distance from our border.
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