Mexico closely watching 'militarization' of U.S.-Mexico border

By Will Weissert
ASSOCIATED PRESS
1:43 p.m. May 17, 2006

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico – Mexicans dismiss U.S. plans to send National Guard troops to the border as a futile effort that will only fuel the booming drug- and migrant-smuggling industry.

And with heavily armed Mexican soldiers in this violent border city, some worry the U.S. troop buildup could spark confrontations in an area where it is often difficult to tell where Mexico ends and the United States begins.

Gilberto Areola, who lives about 20 feet from the border in the Mexican city of Nogales, near Arizona, said he will feel uneasy with soldiers patrolling the other side.

“It makes me a little scared,” said Areola, 54, looking at the walled border as he stood in his doorway. “A stray bullet could affect us since we live so close to the line. I think this could cause more violence.”

Tensions in both countries have been rising over increased violence spawned by drug battles, the human-smuggling industry and recent border scuffles.