Americans in Mexico: Where Art Thou?

[The_Professor]

Is it safe and/or any less safe for Americans in Mexico now versus earlier?
White House, State, DOJ: No Further Data on Americans Killed in Mexico
Penny Starr
Senior Staff Writer

(CNSNews.com) - The White House has joined the Justice Department and State Department in stating it has no information on arrests, prosecutions or convictions related to the murder or execution cases of 128 American citizens in Mexico from 2005 to 2007.

At a press briefing at the White House on Friday, Press Secretary Dana Perino told Cybercast News Service that the President Bush might now know about the travel alert issued in April by the State Department, which warned travelers that violence "equivalent to military small-unit combat" was taking place along the southern U.S. border with Mexico.

"I'm not sure if he does (know about the alert) or not," Perino said. "Obviously, State Department travel alerts come out quite often and I don't think he's alerted to every single one of them."

The alert, issued Apr. 15 and still listed as valid as of today, also says, "Dozens of U.S. citizens were kidnapped and/or murdered in Tijuana in 2007" and that "in some cases, assailants have worn full or partial police or military uniforms and have used vehicles that resemble police vehicles." (Read the travel alert.)

Cybercast News Service e-mailed a follow-up question to the White House press office on Friday asking if the president had assigned anyone in his administration to the task of making sure that justice is being served in the cases of Americans murdered in Mexico and, if so, what specifically had that person done to that end.

As of press time Monday, the White House had not responded to several requests for an answer. But the White House did join the Department of Justice (DOJ) in referring Cybercast News Service to the attorney general of Mexico for information on the status of the 128 murder and execution cases.

A call to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico also resulted in a referral to the Mexico Attorney General's office.

An e-mail and several phone calls to Fernando Castillo, public affairs officer for the Mexican attorney general, have not been returned. An embassy employee who identified herself as someone who works with the international press, told Cybercast News Service that the attorney general's office would only deal with federal crimes and that other criminal cases would come under the jurisdiction of the city or state where the alleged crime took place.

Cybercast New Service's question at a State Department press briefing on May 20 was answered with a link posted on its website of its report on non-natural deaths in Mexico from January 2005 to December 2007. An analysis of the report revealed that128 American citizens had been murdered or executed in Mexico over that time period. (Read the report.)

The report indicated that 667 Americans had been killed in Mexico by non-natural causes during the three years covered. An analysis showed that 128 of those deaths were listed as either "homicides" (126) or "executions" (2) and that a majority of those murders (68) had taken place in Mexican cities immediately on the U.S.-Mexico border. Another 12 Americans, the report indicated, were murdered in other locations in Mexican states bordering the United States.

In addition to the State Department's travel alert for Mexico, the department's Bureau of Consular Affairs maintains a Web page providing information for Americans considering travel to Mexico. "Low apprehension and conviction rates of criminals contribute to the high crime rate," the page warns. "U.S. citizen victims of crime in Mexico are encouraged to report the incident to the nearest police headquarters and to the nearest U.S. consular office."

The same page warns that Americans have been victimized by Mexican law enforcement officials.

"In some instances, Americans have become victims of harassment, mistreatment and extortion by Mexican law enforcement and other officials," it says. "Mexican authorities have cooperated in investigating such cases, but one must have the officer's name, badge number, and patrol car number to pursue a complaint effectively. Please note this information if you ever have a problem with police or other officials. In addition, tourists should be wary of persons representing themselves as police officers or other officials."

http://www.crosswalk.com/news/11576696/

[The_Professor]

US Report Says 128 Americans Murdered in Mexico in 3 Years
Penny Starr
Senior Staff Writer

(CNSNews.com) - A U.S State Department report on "non-natural deaths" of U.S. citizens abroad says that 128 Americans were victims of homicides or "executions" in Mexico between Jan. 1, 2005 and Dec. 31, 2007, and that a majority of these murders took place in Mexican cities located on the southern border of the United States.

All told, during the period in question, 667 Americans were killed in Mexico by "non-natural" causes, including by drowning, auto accidents, and suicides, according to the report.

It is unclear how accurate these numbers are, however, because the State Department says the report "is based solely on cases reported by American citizens to our posts abroad."

Sixty-eight of the 128 murders and executions of Americans cited in the report took place in Mexican cities immediately on the U.S. border. Another 12 took place in other locations within Mexican states that border the United States.

Thirty-one Americans were reportedly murdered in Tijuana; 21 in Nueva Laredo; six in Ciudad Juarez; four in Matamoros; two in a Mexicali, and one each in Reynosa, Tecate, Puerto Palomas and Nogales.

Two Americans were murdered in San Felipe, Baja California Norte; two in Rosarito, Baja California Norte; two in Ensenada, Baja California Norte, and two in Magdalena, Sonora. One American was murdered in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon; one in Bahia Kino, Sonora; one in Agualeguas, Nuevo Leon; and one in San Quintin, Baja California Norte. Each of these towns is in a Mexican state that borders the U.S.

The two deaths described in the State Department report as "executions" both occurred in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, which borders the United States. One of those executions was reported to have taken place on Jan. 21, 2007 in Ciudad Juarez, just across the border from El Paso, Texas.

No specific city was listed for the other execution, which was reported to have occurred on March 27, 2007.

The State Department issued a written statement pointing to its report on "non-natural deaths" in response to a question that Cybercast News Service asked at a department press briefing on Tuesday. (See statement)

Last month, the State Department issued a travel alert for the border region of Mexico, which remains current as of today.

It says: "Recent Mexican army and police force conflicts with heavily-armed narcotics cartels have escalated to levels equivalent to military small-unit combat and have included use of machine guns and fragmentation grenades. Confrontations have taken place in numerous towns and cities in northern Mexico, including Tijuana in the Mexican state of Baja California, and Chihuahua City and Ciudad Juarez in the state of Chihuahua. The situation in northern Mexico remains very fluid; the location and timing of future armed engagements there cannot be predicted."

The alert also indicates that "foreign visitors and residents, including Americans, have been among the victims of homicides and kidnappings in the border region."

It specifically notes the violence in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, stating, "Dozens of U.S. citizens were kidnapped and/or murdered in Tijuana in 2007." (See travel alert)

When Cybercast News Service asked at Tuesday's State Department press briefing how many Americans had in fact been murdered or kidnapped in the border region in 2007, the department responded by posting a statement on its Web site and providing a link to its report of non-natural deaths of Americans around the world between 2005 and 2007. (See report on "non-natural deaths")

On the question of abductions, the statement said: "We do not currently publish information on kidnappings."

The report on "non-natural" deaths, however, indicates that between Jan. 1, 2005 and Dec. 31, 2007, a total of 667 American citizens died in Mexico. During the same period, 35 Americans died in Canada. Only two of the Americans killed in Canada were reported to have been homicides.

Deaths in the report are listed by country and where in a particular country they happened. The cause of death is given, but the victims' names, ages, occupations and other personal information is not provided.

Other non-natural causes of death for Americans in Mexico, according to the report, included auto accidents, drowning, suicide, "drug related," air accidents and "other" accidents.

http://www.crosswalk.com/news/11576241/