If Violence Escalates in Mexico, Texas Officials Plan to Be Ready

Joshua Rhett Miller
Fox News
February 13, 2009

As drug cartels continue to terrorize Mexico, Texas officials are planning for the worst-case scenario: how to respond if the violence spills over the border, and what to do if thousands of Mexicans seek refuge in the United States.

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Katherine Cesinger, a spokeswoman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry, said a multi-agency contingency plan is being developed, and it will focus primarily on law enforcement issues, including how to handle an influx of Mexicans fleeing violence.

“At this point, what we’re focusing on is spillover violence,” Cesinger told FOXNews.com Thursday. “The immediate concern, if any, would be that.”

More than 5,300 people were killed in Mexico last year in connection to criminal activity, and some experts predict things will get worse. Along with Pakistan, Mexico was identified in a Department of Defense report last year as a country that could destabilize rapidly.

If that were to happen, officials are concerned that the drug violence could cross the Rio Grande into southern Texas.

Cesinger said the plan currently does not address a potential flood of refugees, though “It may be something that comes into consideration.”

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This article was posted: Friday, February 13, 2009 at 10:01 am

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