The Texas/mexico Border Blues

It seems that our border situation with Mexico gets worse by the day. I recently picked up a copy of the Houston Chronicle, and the front page featured stories of several Americans recently killed in the surge of drug-cartel-related violence that has been spilling over the border from our now not-so-friendly neighbor. Washington must take note and act. But Congress' plate is full of stimuli and bail-outs. So Texas will have to act first to stop the worst from happening.

With 200 American deaths in Mexico since 2004 the situation in Mexico is hitting home hard for Texans. The Houston Chronicle reported that this haunting statistic comes out to an average of a killing a week. Paula Valdez, whose son was killed in Mexico, says "I'm no longer the same person". Stories such as these are all too familiar, and thus the question surfaces: what can our government do to help protect Americans who choose to travel to Mexico?

This sudden surge in deaths has led to a change in attitude of Texas lawmakers, specifically GOP leaders, toward state and federal legislation regarding Mexico. In 2006, President Bush proposed a $560 million plan that would help Mexican law enforcement crack down on the deadly drug cartels. However, Texas Republicans quickly opposed the idea stating that this money cannot be trusted due to the amount of corruption within the Mexican government. But with the number of deaths only rising, it is clear that Texas lawmakers have no choice but to take action. GOP legislators are now working closely with Governor Perry to devise a plan to help save Mexico in the event that this situation becomes uncontrollable.

Texas is developing a rapid-reaction plan, supplementing those already in place. This strengthened plan must ensure that our state will protect its citizens along the border in the event that the Mexico situation quickly decays. Regarding the plan, a spokeswoman for Gov. Perry, Katherine Cesinger, recently observed: "You hope for the best but plan for the worst. We've got a contingency plan that's in development."

The Texas border emergency plan, among other things, will provide aid to the thousands of immigrants who might flee north to the United States in the event of a governmental collapse in Mexico. It also incorporates rapid-response procedures to protect Texans if chaos breaks out a few miles down the road from them. The plan will focus primarily on security efforts to help restore order during a meltdown. Security seems to be the focus of the plan as opposed to other relief efforts designed to help immigrants.

While it is important to "plan for the worst," Texas should also act to prevent it. As the state devotes time and money to preparing for a border emergency, we should also deploy our good offices to preventing the worst from happening. It is wise for Governor Perry and the Texas legislature to carefully evaluate and respond to the volatile situation bubbling up in Mexico; but they should take their efforts a step farther. Texas has the capacity and power to provide vital advice and support to our neighbor now in desperate need.

Our legislature, currently mired in the middle of an overwhelmingly busy session, faces huge issues in higher education, transportation and the economy. It will not be an easy task to add another critical issue to their extensive list of priorities. But the border problem cannot wait. The Governor and the legislative leadership must take action to help our troubled neighbor. The millions of Texans with family living in Mexico expect and need them to do so.

Time could quickly bring our troubled border situation to a boil-over state. Texas has some time to prevent that dire outcome. But the leaders of Texas must act.