MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s foreign minister and the visiting governor of California questioned yesterday plans by Texas to deploy troops to stem the flow of immigrant children, saying they need humanitarian aid instead.
Governor Jerry Brown, on a visit focused on boosting trade with California’s southern neighbor, said the Texas plan must be a short-term measure and that he hopes “wiser minds will prevail over the next several months.”
The Democratic politician was referring to a plan announced last week by Texas Governor Rick Perry, a Republican seen as a potential 2016 presidential election candidate, to send 1,000 National Guard reservists to the enormous and porous border US-Mexico border.
More than 57,000 children, mostly from Central America, have entered the United States illegally and without adult supervision since October, many fleeing unrelenting gang violence in their home countries.
Brown said the phenomenon should be handled with “humanitarian considerations,” a position that Mexican Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Meade shared after talks with California’s governor.
“We agreed that when unaccompanied minors are involved, the humanitarian aspect must be the guiding principle of our actions,” Meade said.
“You can never justify the use of public military force,” he said, adding that troops should only be involved for medical assistance or for logistical support to transport people.
Meanwhile,more than 30 police officers have been arrested in Mexico for alleged organized crime ties and possible involvement in the killing of fellow cops, authorities said yesterday.
Those detained include a former top public safety chief from the town of Tarimbaro, an ex-commander of the same unit and 18 more active duty agents, a public safety source in the troubled state of Michoacan said
Authorities are investigating whether those taken into custody were involved in the recent murders of three senior officials in Tarimbaro’s public safety unit, the source added.
A second operation netted 12 municipal police officers in Charapan, authorities said.
AFP
