Mexico: #2 in kidnappings world wide! Open borders are bringing the Mexican way of crime to this country...

limitstogrowth.org

**

Five men charged with kidnap for ransom

[6/21/07]

Forget the sentimental blather about hard-working foreigners breaking in to feed their families: America's full refrigerator of riches is an irresistible attraction to criminals looking to upgrade their lifestyle via bigger and better thievery, drug smuggling, what have you. (See Beyond Willie Sutton for an examination of foreign criminals in search of a better life.)

Kidnapping can be a low-rent crime, since it requires little in the way of infrastructure. It has grown in popularity in Mexico, which is #2 in kidnapping per capita in the world, right behind Colombia.

In February, 13-year-old Clay Moore of Parrish, Florida, was grabbed by Mexican Vicente Beltran-Moreno at a school bus stop in a kidnap-for-ransom plot (Mexico's Kidnap Culture Appears in Florida). Fortunately Clay was resourceful enough to escape his captivity, but the crime was an indicator of Mexicans' third-world criminal preferences appearing in America.

Another devolutionary marker is the current kidnapping case in San Diego. Five non-citizens snatched a man for ransom in the Mexican style.
Five men pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of kidnapping and torture in what prosecutors said was a sophisticated kidnap-for-ransom ring.

The five were involved in the kidnapping of Eduardo Gonzalez Tostado, 32, whose family paid $200,000 in ransom, said San Diego Deputy District Attorney Mark Amador. We knew this one was coming because of the earlier reports of Mexicans moving to southern California to escape the escalating crime wave in Mexico. Of course, they just brought it with them, along with the enchiladas.

For the VDARE.com version, see Mexican Kidnapping Diversity Arrives in San Diego.

**

Mexico's hand in illegal immigration

[6/20/07]

The Christian Science Monitor understands that Mexico is not a passive player in the immigration issue and has serious domestic problems that must be addressed. It correctly lauds Presidente Calderon for working to re-establish the rule of law which has been severely eroded by the increasing power of the drug cartels. Some parts of the country are no longer run by the elected officials, but by organized crime. Losing control of territory is one symptom of a failed state.
For the past seven months, Mexico has been at war with itself, literally. A new president, Felipe Calderón, has dispatched 24,000 troops into battle with the most corrosive influence in Mexico's economy: powerful drug cartels.

These violent syndicates, which mainly transport drugs into the US, have exploded in the past decade. They've escalated crime and political corruption, hindering creation of well-paying jobs for would-be migrants. At election time, they provide cash for many campaigns.

This domestic war, which resembles the Iraq war in tactics and killing rates, was Mr. Calderon's opening gambit for wholesale reform. It is widely popular but faces an uncertain future. The cartels are fighting back with gruesome murders. And the Army, one of the few respected institutions in Mexico, is not good at policing, a task it must do to root out local drug networks. Some of its elite soldiers have joined the cartels.

Still, the war gives Calderón enough public support to conduct a quiet and pragmatic battle with the ruling opposition in the legislature. In March, he was able to win reform of state pensions. This week, he will propose tax hikes to reduce the government's risky reliance on oil-export revenues. And he was helped this month by a Supreme Court ruling that struck a blow at the broadcasting giant Televisa, one of many monopolies controlled by powerful, vested interests. According to many economists, including conservatives, Mexico is undertaxed. Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Institute for International Economics, agrees that public coffers need more money for the country to improve its infrastructure.
As a result, he said, "Basic social services and infrastructure are awfully lean for a country that wants to move ahead. While I'm not usually an advocate for larger government, Mexico is a country where public investment, done wisely, could pay huge dividends."

The fundamental problem, Hufbauer said, lies with the Mexican elite.

"Basically, it's up to Mexico to solve its problem, and basically the wealthy classes do not want to tax themselves, period. [Mexican pols press for immigration, neglect home front, critics say San Diego Union Tribune 5/29/03]