Sierra Vista Herald Published: Sunday, March 15, 2009

By Keith J. Allen

SIERRA VISTA – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has called on two top federal officials to address a rise in “border violence and drug trafficking.”

In letters to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Thursday, Giffords also invited the two Cabinet members or representatives of their departments to a closed-door summit on April 8 in Southern Arizona to discuss the border issues.

“A comprehensive approach to addressing the crisis on our southern border is imperative and I stand committed to working with you to make the U.S.-Mexico relationship a top priority in the Obama administration,” the final paragraph of the Arizona Democrat’s letter says.

The Eighth Congressional District that Giffords represents is one of 10 districts that borders the U.S.-Mexico border. Cochise County is part of Giffords’ district.

The district, which is within the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector, has been the nation’s busiest sector for illegal immigrant apprehensions and marijuana seizures.

The congresswoman, who also is a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, notes in her letter that more than 1,000 deaths have occurred in Mexico this year and about 6,000 last year due to drug cartel violence.

“In addition, Phoenix now ranks second in the world – after Mexico City – in kidnappings. This is unacceptable and it is clear that bold and collaborative action by the U.S. and Mexican governments is needed,” her letter says.

Giffords uses the November killing of Sonoran police director Juan Manuel Pavon Felix as an example of the need to “strengthen our international partnership with Mexico against the current increase in border violence impacting both of our countries.” She said she met the police director during a November ceremony highlighting the cooperative anti-crime operations being done by U.S. and Mexican law enforcement.

The congresswoman also tells Clinton and Napolitano that she voiced concerns about the Bush administration’s funding request for the Merida Initiative, a program that provides aid to Mexico to battle drug trafficking. Those concerns, she said, range from lack of coordination between U.S. agencies and no “measurable benchmarks” to determine success.

“I remain dismayed that this plan has not produced any clear results in stemming the flood of drugs, guns, fugitives and violence that continues to spill into our country, and my district,” she writes.

Giffords’ letters come just a day after Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer sent a letter to the U.S. Defense Department requesting 250 National Guard troops be stationed along the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona.

During an interview with the Herald/Review editorial board on Thursday, the Republican governor said she would be negligent if she didn’t ask for federal assistance, and that she is concerned about the drug cartel violence in Mexico. She said it is the federal government’s responsibility to protect the nation’s borders.

“We should be able to feel safe in our country,” she said.

In her letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Brewer said Arizona faces “a number of unique and/or disproportionate challenges relative to other states.”

Napolitano, who held the Arizona governorship before resigning to take the homeland security role in the Obama administration, also asked for federal assistance regarding illegal immigration, including urging the Bush administration last year not to remove National Guard troops from working on the border.

During a visit to Cochise County last month, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard also expressed concern about the deadly drug cartel feud in Mexico and that it could spread into Arizona. He noted there have been a higher number of kidnappings in the Phoenix area related to smuggling, and that smugglers were adjusting their tactics along Arizona’s border with Mexico.