"Why Border Violence Spillover Needs To Be Defined."

Sylvia Longmire — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:22:47 -0600

Here's an excerpt from my latest article for Homeland Security Today's Correspondents Watch:

"If you asked Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano or El Paso Mayor John Cook if the violence associated with Mexico’s bloody drug war has spilled over into the United States, their answer would be a resounding “No!” But if you asked Southwest border region sheriffs and ranchers whose properties run along the border, some would answer with a resounding “Yes!” So who’s right? Unfortunately, no one can say. Because there is no official, standardized definition of spillover border violence spillover, its existence is in the eye of the beholder. During a time when US agencies and politicians are struggling to figure out what a secure border looks like and how to make it happen, the disagreements over spillover violence is tantamount to throwing fuel on a fire."

To read the rest of the article on HSToday.us, please CLICK HERE!

"Hezbollah Presence In The United States Is No Surprise."

Sylvia Longmire — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:15:32 -0600

Here's an excerpt from my latest article in Homeland Security Today's Correspondents Watch:

"One of the biggest concerns for officials involved in border security is the potential for members of terrorist groups to sneak into the United States from Mexico. Elected officials and counterterrorism authorities believe that members of Hezbollah have entered our country this way, and have used this possible security risk as a basis for initiating stronger border security measures. Such statements tend to make headlines, and those headlines tend to shock Americans into thinking the next 9/11 will come from Mexico. The real response to such statements reasonably could be, 'so what?' What many people don’t know is that thousands of people associated with Hezbollah have been quietly making a living in various parts of the United States for a long time, and sending money back to the Middle East to help fund terrorist activities there. The real kicker is that we’re helping them, and have been for quite a while."

To read the rest of the article at HSToday.us, please CLICK HERE!

Mexico's Drug War

"Why Border Violence Spillover Needs To Be Defined."

"Hezbollah Presence In The United States Is No Surprise."