Mexico Trucker Online

NUEVO LAREDO - The federal government is taking no chances on seeing a recurrence of the drug-fueled violence that once plagued this major land port, sending additional military troops and federal police to the area.

After the deadly confrontation earlier this week among police, soldiers and para-military criminal squads in the Rio Bravo Valley cities of Río Bravo and Reynosa, federal authorities dispatched an unspecified number of extra soldiers and federal agents to cities all along the Tamaulipas-Texas border, including Matamoros, across from Brownsville; Reynosa, near McAllen; Río Bravo, across from Donna; Miguel Alemán, across from Roma; and Nuevo Laredo.


Brigadier Gen. Rigoberto García Cortez, commander of the border troops, confirmed the arrival of the additional troops and equipment. While the public may not notice their presence, he said, soldiers are now forming a ring around the city with an extra layer of protection.

“We are organized to fight all criminal activity,” the general said. “It will take time, but they (criminals) will not be able to handle the government and the Army. We are fighting for the security of the nation and its people.”

Military personnel will continue their regular routines, he added.

Gen. García declined to say how many more soldiers and federal agents have arrived in Nuevo Laredo but he assured the public that they are in place.

“It is not our intention to cause uncertainty. It is our responsibility to ensure security - we will fulfill our presidential mandate,” García said. “We are sealing the area to prevent outbreaks of violence. We must protect the safety of our families.”

Usually, soldiers travel in groups of three military vehicles, patrolling various sectors of the city. They are armed and have a variety of military equipment at their disposal.

García said the increased military presence is part of the federal government’s strategy to protect the community.

Mexican President Felipe Calderón said Wednesday in a live televised statement to the nation that he is serious about fighting the drug traffickers and that the Army has been doing an “excellent” job in defending the nation.

García would not discuss whether gun battles such as the ones in Reynosa and Rió Bravo have occurred in Nuevo Laredo, but he noted that soldiers have died here in the pursuit of their duties.

The general said his soldiers and the federal agents have orders to arrest those violating federal law and those who would act against national security.

He also said that raids of suspicious houses are continuing and that the Army has reinforced its patrols across the city.