"Homeland Security Implications Of Los Zetas Attack On ICE Agents."

Here's a brief excerpt from my latest article in the News Analysis section of Homeland Security Today's website:

"On February 15, 2011, the landscape of Mexico’s drug war shifted in such a way that it couldn’t help but grab our attention. Two American law enforcement officers—agents with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE—were shot, and one killed, by members of a major Mexican drug trafficking organization. While they weren’t necessarily attacked because they were US federal agents, they were definitely left for dead in spite of it. Much to our national chagrin, this event has dramatic implications for our role in the drug war, and for our national security as a whole."

To read the full article, please CLICK HERE.

Comments

[Charles Motowski]

do you really think america's gonna change our stance on the war going on right beneath our nose finally?

I can't believe that we're allowing this violence to occur in our neighboring country, why aren't we concerned with this at all? Instead we're worried about immigration laws and terrorists 4000 miles away???

what the hell's wrong with our country...

[P]

Sylvia ... I have not noticed any political rhetoric in the USA that would indicate that America is scaling up the drug war in Mexico. I am confident that US law enforcement will avenge the death of Mr. Zapata. They will probably spare no efforts to hunt down his killers - which is a perfectly reasonable reaction. But it's not clear that the response goes beyond that level.

The most likely impact is that changes will be made to how US agents travel around Mexico. Maybe our agents will be told to avoid all road travel in northern Mexico, and take air flights instead. Or possibly they may be instructed to drive only in large convoys of vehicles.

The situation in northern Mexico is now hopeless. For ordinary people (both Mexicans and foreign visitors) it makes NO sense to be driving on those roads unarmed. The current gun ownership laws in Mexico work in FAVOR of the cartels. Do you think that is an accident? I doubt it.

P.

[Hola]

Sylvia, I enjoy reading all you have to say about the Mexican Drug Cartels. I was curious have you heard of a drug group in San Jose, CA that call themselves Los Reyes Del Cerro......

[KL]

@Hola: My brother has been a SJPD officer for 5 years, and although he was not on the recently dismantled anti-gang Violent Crime Enforcement Team (VCET), he does assist with anti-gang efforts because he's bilingual. He has not heard of Los Reyes Del Cerro.