Problems south of the border

We have been fine, but we are still having serious problems south of the border:

Parents are keeping their children out of school and police are arming themselves with automatic weapons in two border towns south of Deming because of recent bloodshed from a drug war.
“We’re afraid it’s going to spill over onto this side because many of the people that work over there live here,” says Columbus, New Mexico, Mayor Allen Rosenberg of the violence occurring in Palomas, Mexico, just two miles away.

In Luna County, all deputies carry assault rifles because of the Palomas violence: This past weekend, shells littered the streets of Palomas after seven people were killed.
The local newspaper reports that children from Palomas who attend school in Columbus have recently been staying home.

Recently, the police chief of Palomas sought asylum at the border because he feared he would be assassinated. In the past year, 10 Mexican nationals with bullet wounds have tried crossing into New Mexico.

In Palomas, which is heavily dependent on New Mexico senior citizens who cross the border for inexpensive medication and dental work, the economy is taking a hit.
“I had a restaurant,” said Palomas resident Gabriel Navarez. “It’s closed because I don’t have enough customers.”

The Mexican federal government has recently stepped up to put a lid on the drug violence. On a recent day, a caravan of Federales – Mexico’s national police force – was seen patrolling Palomas. They pile in on top of jeeps and pickups wearing black ski masks and really, they look like gangsters. Of course, they carry AK47s.

Following a recent bout of violence, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson announced he’s asking for more funding for border law enforcement.