Murder Rate Explodes in Mexico

Drug Cartels across Mexico are continuing to terrorize communities across the country. Over the last week, ten people were discovered shot by the Sinaloa Drug Cartel. Three of the bodies had been beheaded - a common practice amongst the drug cartels - with a written note accompanying one of them: "so you know we're not playing around."

Residents of Juarez, Mexico are fearing that the weekend could be especially deadly, as crime escalates in this city that also serves as a haven for the cartels. An anonymous e-mail circulating the area, a city across the border of El Paso, Texas, has promised a particularly violent weekend, and in response the town has been basically shut down, with shops, cafés, and restaurants closing early or leaving the area permanently. Reports from the Associated Press report that shootouts in the area have killed up to seven police officers.

The crime rate in Mexico has sky-rocketed from nearly 940 murders at this time last year to nearly 1,400. Experts unequivocally agree that the primary explanation behind the jump is a increase in violence among the drug cartels. Cartel violence is known to also include hijackings, kidnapping, rape, embezzlement, In response, the Mexican government is sending military troops across the country to crackdown on police corruption and drug cartel.

What is going on in Mexico is all out war, the drug cartels violently battling one another with the Mexican People caught in between as human shields and bystanders. In the meantime, tourists from around the world are being warned about traveling to Mexico. The State Department released this statement:

"Violent criminal activity [is being] fueled by a war between criminal organizations struggling for control of the lucrative narcotics trade continues along the U.S.-Mexico border. Attacks are aimed primarily at members of drug-trafficking organizations, Mexican police forces, criminal justice officials and journalists. However, foreign visitors and residents, including Americans, have been among the victims of homicides and kidnappings in the border region." from chicagotribune.com

Just one more reason why many "Illegal" Mexican immigrants should be granted refugee status.

Read stories of Mexican Refugees here.