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                  ------------------4E6F94  061605Z /38

    
R 061605Z APR 09
FM AMCONSUL NUEVO LAREDO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5197
AMEMBASSY MEXICO 
INFO AMCONSUL MONTERREY 
AMCONSUL NUEVO LAREDO

UNCLAS NUEVO LAREDO 000087 
 
 
EMBASSY FOR MCCA, POL, RSO 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/MEX, CA/P, CASC 
MONTERREY FOR PAO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC CASC CMGT KPAO MX
SUBJECT: LAREDO, TEXAS HOSTS ANNUAL LAW ENFORCEMENT SUMMIT - APRIL 3, 
2009 
 
¶1.  The city of Laredo, Texas its annual Law Enforcement Summit 
on Friday, April 3, 2009.  Participation was limited to American 
law enforcement authorities and civil authorities. 
Presentations were made by the Laredo Police Department, Webb 
County Sheriff, U.S. Border Patrol, DHS/CBP, FBI, Texas 
Department of Public Safety, and others.  Congressman Henry 
Cuellar also made remarks.  Although the meeting was held in 
Texas and included no participants from Mexico, it dealt 
primarily with the community's concern over drug cartel 
operations in Nuevo Laredo and the growing influence of Mexican 
narcotics traffickers in Texas, potential for spillover violence 
to the U.S. side of the border, and the need for more resources, 
mostly federal, to deal with smuggling, arms trafficking, and 
narco violence. The meeting coincided with the visit later that 
day of DHS Secretary Napolitano.  The meeting was also 
overshadowed by the ongoing case of two missing, presumed 
kidnapped, Laredo teens in Nuevo Laredo and the apparent murder 
of another U.S. citizen in Nuevo Laredo. 
 
¶2.  In his opening remarks, Laredo's Mayor described a community 
hit by two recent major developments, the devaluation of the 
Mexican peso and the economic downturn in the United States. 
Both resulted in fewer Mexican nationals visiting Laredo.  The 
Mayor said that the city has already lost over six million US 
dollars in bridge toll revenues due to the decreased number of 
visitors from Mexico.  The Mayor and City Manager reiterated 
their commitment to keeping public security a priority.  The 
Mayor continued by reporting that during a recent visit to 
Washington, D.C., he and other city officials pressed federal 
officials for a sustainable full-time force at the international 
bridges, including agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco 
and Firearms (ATF), and for more federal funding to combat car 
thefts and to enhance detection of currency smuggled into 
Mexico.  Most importantly, he explained the need for more boots 
on the ground and investment in the frontline to allow existing 
laws to be enforced on the border before they are amended in 
Washington. 
 
¶3.  The city of Laredo reported that in 2006 and 2007 
respectively, approximately 1,400 felony immigration cases were 
prosecuted.  That number rose to 1,800 in 2008, and as a result 
of a recent spike, the number for 2009 should reach 2,200. 
Similarly, the number of federal drug cases rose from 374 in 
2007 to an anticipated 600 for 2009. 
 
¶4.  FBI Laredo reported on its recent meetings with Post's RSO 
and consular officers on recent missing persons cases, including 
the case of two female teenagers that was the major event of the 
week.  The FBI spokesperson said that his agency expects a rise 
in the number of kidnappings for ransom in Nuevo Laredo, which 
he described as being very profitable and will enable the 
cartels to continue to raise funds to corrupt officials and 
purchase weapons.  He claimed that there is evidence that more 
and more cartel members and their families live in the U.S. 
which they view as a safe haven, but also provides the USG 
better opportunities to prosecute.  The FBI reported a spike in 
kidnappings in the Rio Grande Valley, with 13 kidnappings 
reported in 2008.  The spokesman reported that there are greater 
efforts on the part of the cartels to compromise U.S. federal 
officials as the border tightens.  Corruption efforts begin, he 
said, when the US official is approached by a family member, 
friend or former associate seeking assistance, and he ended by 
claiming that many US officials in the past have sold themselves 
cheaply.  The FBI said that the counter-terrorism threat for the 
area is based on what and who comes across the border from 
Mexico.  The area's international bridges would be an especially 
attractive terrorist target because of their importance to the 
U.S. national economy.  He said that there is no evidence of 
radical Muslim activities or recruitment in the area.  He 
confirmed that FBI is seeing more Cubans reaching the area via 
Mexico and that some are members of Cuban organized crime.  He 
said it is likely that Cuban intelligence officers are among 
them as well. 
 
¶5.  The presentation by ATF highlighted current trends in the 
Laredo/Nuevo Laredo area.  His agency is making a big push to 
counter arms smuggling from the U.S. into Mexico.  Fortunately, 
he said, Laredo is not a source city for illegal firearms 
entering Mexico, but remains a major gateway for the 
introduction of weapons into Mexico.  ATF expects additional 
manpower resources will be allocated to support gun running 
interdiction initiatives.  The ATF spokesperson predicted a 
temporary increase in violent crime in the area but said that 
increases in federal funding in Laredo will help pay overtime to 
Laredo police and result in improved intelligence gathering and 
arrests. 
 
¶6.  The DHS/CBP Laredo Port Director reported that so far in 
2009, over nine million US dollars have been seized from 
currency smugglers.  He said that this amount is only what his 
officers have seized, and does not include an unknown number of 
seizures conducted by the Webb County Sheriff and Laredo police 
department.  He reported that in 2008, the POE seized just over 
two million dollars. 
 
¶7.  In his remarks, Congressman Henry Cuellar discussed his 
efforts to fund a border security institute in Laredo, which 
will provide training to DHS/ICE and other state, local and 
federal law enforcement personnel.  The institute, which will 
probably be housed at the Texas A&M International University in 
Laredo, will also include a federal law enforcement 
communications center.  He said that he expects National Guard 
elements to be deployed in Laredo by September, 2009.  He 
praised Mexico for what he described as its new paradigm, that 
it is now seeking assistance to help locate and combat the drug 
cartels. 
 
¶8.  A final presentation was made by the Laredo Police 
Department and a representative from the Laredo Visitor's 
Bureau.  Speaking about the impact of national media coverage on 
Laredo, they claimed that Laredo's Mayor received over 1,500 
pieces of hate mail following a recent appearance on a 
television talk show in which he tried to defend Mexico and 
praised President Calderon's efforts to combat the cartels. 
They claimed that the national media paints an unrealistic 
picture of the border and that it is not interested in 
presenting factual information.  They claimed that when people 
like the mayor attempt to explain the realities of border life, 
the media is disinterested or does not care because it does not 
serve their mission, which they described as self-serving and 
motivated by selling advertising time.  They stated that their 
experience with the national media demonstrated that it is not 
really serving community interests.  The presenters claimed that 
the real issue, in their opinion, was a national fear of 
immigration and a loss of what they described as the traditional 
American way of life. 
 
¶9.  Comments:  The 2009 Laredo Law Enforcement Summit brought 
every level of US law enforcement together in one session to 
share information and success stories.  The meeting coincided 
with the visit of DHS Secretary Napolitano to Laredo later that 
afternoon, and many of the participants were at an event for her 
immediately following the conclusion of the law enforcement 
meeting.  The Laredo community remains concerned about the 
possibility of spillover violence and seeks additional federal 
funding of local, state and federal agencies to support their 
efforts to control the border.  The meeting might have been more 
profitable had Mexican counterparts been permitted to observe. 
The session was closed to the public and the media, although 
selected media were allowed to enter the conference room at one 
point to ask questions of willing participants. 
 
 
STONE