A few years ago Nuevo Laredo was the battlefield for rival drug cartels fighting to control the 1-35 corridors, a prime smuggling route that cuts through South Texas. These days it's peaceful but it's come at a price.

Continue reading "Nuevo Laredo's New Normal under the Zetas"

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With murders topping 2000, the Dia de los Muertos holiday in Juarez is not only a testament to tradition but a reminder of the drug war's toll on so many families in this border city. Photographer Hugo Perez and I went to the largest municipal cemetery, "San Rafael" where thousands of families remembered their loved ones.

Continue reading "Day of the Dead"

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I was in New York at the invitation of Reporters without Borders, the international organization that fights to protect journalists around the world. The group just released its press freedom index , a report ranking countries. For those of us who work on the border, it's no surprise Mexico is ranked low.

Continue reading "Reporters without Borders"

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I recently escaped to a border region, of big skies and open spaces near Big Bend National Park. Our destination this trip: the tiny town of Marfa, known for its country charm and edgy art scene.

Continue reading "Marfa's Magic"

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It's been 40 years since President Nixon used the term war on drugs to describe the U.S. enforcement policy. Four decades later we're coping with the rise of well-armed, powerful drug cartels, an explosion in drug related killings in Mexico and prisons crowded with drug offenders in the U.S.

Continue reading "Decriminalization pushed as War on Drugs turns 40"

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Authorities in Mexico are on alert as the country celebrates Independence Day with drug cartel hotspots under the tightest security.

Continue reading "Security Tight as Mexico Celebrates Independence Day"

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The hijacked Aeromexico flight from Cancun landed in Mexico City with 104 passengers onboard. Federal police boarded the flight and removed 9 the suspects and rescued the crew. The hijackers had released the passengers shortly after landing.

Continue reading "Mexican SWAT team rescues crew of hijacked plane"

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A heavily armed commando gunned down 18 people in a rehab center in Juarez. The mass murders stunned people in a city that has grown nearly numb from all the bloodshed.The amount of blood we saw at the crime scene was shocking.

Continue reading "Massacre at Rehab Center in Mexico"

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Mexico City expects to see its first H1N1 flu cases this month. And as we all prepare for flu season the capital is sharing some lessons learned during the spring outbreak. Some of the changes in strategy may surprise you. I sat down with Mexico City's Health Secretary during a recent visit.

Continue reading "Mexico City shares H1N1 lessons for new flu season"

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They're the uninsured or underinsured, and they've given up on getting care in this country. These are the people at the center of the heated healthcare debate. And as the Congress tries to figure out how to cover more or most Americans, Mexico is catering to their needs now.

Continue reading "Americans seek affordable medical care in Mexico"

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