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November 1, 2001
Elorduy to Become Governor of Baja California Today
Elected on July 8, 2001, Eugenio Elorduy Walter will be sworn
in as governor of Baja California at 6:00 p.m. local time today.
In attendance will be Mexican President Vicente Fox and his wife
Marta Sahagún, other elected officials, business leaders,
political leaders, and representatives from various social organizations.
In all, more than 4,000 people will attend the event to be held
in Méxicali's State Auditorium. Méxicali is the
capital of Baja California.
The former mayor of Méxicali, Elorduy was the third member
of the Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) to be elected to
the position of governor in Baja California. The previous two
PAN governors were Ernesto Ruffo Appel (1989-1995) and Héctor
Terán Terán (1995-1998). Terán died half
way through his six-year term and PAN-member Alejandro González
Alcocer took his place as governor.
Security for the event will be tight. More than one hundred
guards will be at the State Auditorium where preparations have
been taking place for a month.
Two groups are expected to protest outside the auditorium,
the Movimiento Indígena por la Unificación y la
Lucha Independiente (Indigenous Movement for Unification and
the Fight for Independence, Miuli) and city counselor Lucina
Guadarrama accompanied by a group of people that want lower,
fair electric rates.
Source: Frontera, November 1, 2001. Article by Eneida Sánchez
Zambrano.
October 29, 2001
Baja California: 1,232 Guns Exchanged for Food
A federally-financed, gun turn-in program in Baja California
resulted in the destruction of 1,232 firearms, an anti-tank rocket,
fragmentation grenades, and thousands of bullets, according to
the Tijuana newspaper Frontera (no relation to FNS). As with
past programs, vouchers for food were given to people that surrendered
weapons to the Army. All of the above mentioned weapons were
destroyed in Ensenada by the Mexican Army.
Thousands of families from all over BC participated in the
program which guaranteed that the Army would not launch investigations
into any of the surrendered weapons.
Federal funds for the exchange program have been exhausted but
state citizens hope that the program can continue in the future.
Source: Frontera (Tijuana), October 29, 2001. Article by Oscar
Genel.
October 25, 2001
Tijuana to Reduce Winter-Related, Respiratory-Disease Deaths
among Children
The Tijuana newspaper Frontera states that the high infant
mortality rate for respiratory infections is due to improperly
trained doctors and parents that do not recognize early warning
signs of respiratory problems. In 1999, 100 children under the
age of 5 died from respiratory infections, the large majority
of them during Tijuana's cold, winter months. In 2000, the number
of deaths dropped to 65, according to Enrique Chacón Cruz,
head of a chronic respiratory infection program in Tijuana.
Because 70% of the children that later died from respiratory
disease were seen by doctors, Chacón believes that doctors
lack the necessary training for effectively dealing with respiratory
disease. To remedy the situation, Chacón's program organized
a free training program for doctors from all over the state.
The program was held at Tijuana's Camino Real hotel on October
23 and 24, 2001.
To help parents recognize the warning signs of respiratory disease,
Chacón's office will start the "A Winter without
Deaths" program in November. In this program, groups of
health educators will go to preschools around Tijuana to teach
mothers about respiratory disease. There will also be free medical
exams and vaccinations at the preschools.
Most of the respiratory-disease related deaths occurred in Tijuana's
"zona Oriente" (Eastern zone). in neighborhoods like
Mariano Matamoros, Buenos Aires, El Pípila and El Florido,
according to Chacón.
Source: Frontera (Tijuana), October 18, 2001. Article by Luis
Adolfo San.
October 22, 2001
Man Related to 14 Crossing Deaths Pleads Guilty
Jesús López Ramos, age 20, pleaded guilty to
immigrant smuggling on Thursday, October 18, 2001 in Phoenix.
López was one of the "polleros" or immigrant
smugglers that led 28 people through the desert into Arizona
in May, 2001. Fourteen people in the group died near Yuma, Arizona
from a lack of water and the desert heat which exceeded 115 degrees
Fahrenheit.
López faces a minimum of 14 years in prison, according
to Liliana Ferrer, a spokesperson for Mexico's Secretaría
de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE). Ferrer said that cooperation
between Mexican and US authorities helped lead to López's
arrest for immigrant smuggling.
Roberto Rodríguez, the adjunct director of consular
affairs for the SRE, said that so far this year 331 Mexican citizens
have died trying to cross the border into the US. He contrasted
this to last year's 491 deaths.
October 16, 2001
Cipro Sales Up in Tijuana, Iraqis Arrested in Rosarito
Tijuana health authorities are warning the public about the
risk of taking antibiotics like Ciprofloxacin (Cipro) as a precautionary
measure against anthrax. Enrique Chacón, a government
epidemiologist in the Tijuana area, warned that Cipro may not
be safe for minors.
Cipro sales have taken off in Tijuana after people became
alarmed over anthrax attacks in the US, according to Chacón.
He also said that people are coming from the US to buy Cipro
as a prescription is not needed to purchase the drug in Mexico.
Chacón fears that people on both sides of the border may
not know enough about the risks and effects of anthrax or Cipro.
The Baja California Secretary of Health is currently analyzing
the possibility of prohibiting the sale of Cipro on the border.
Four Iraqi citizens were detained in Playas de Rosarito were
they were living in a hotel while planning to illegally enter
the US. Raúl Zárate Rivera, spokesperson for the
Instituto Nacional de Migración (National Migration Institute,
INM), stated that the Iraqis did not have permits to be in Mexico
and were sent to a migrant facility in Mexico City. The INM did
not tell the local press about the case because it was worried
about possible attacks against the four given the state of alert
that currently exists in the US.
Zárate also said that the four people demonstrated
that in Iraq they were from wealthy families. They also told
the INM that they were seeking to illegally enter the US to join
family members that were already living there.
Now, once the Iraqis reach Mexico City, the process of returning
them to Iraq will begin. Zárate said that so far this
year more than 90 Iraqis have been arrested in Baja California.
October 12, 2001
High-Ranking Member of Arellano Cartel Pleads Guilty in San Diego
On October 11, in a San Diego federal court, Arturo Everardo
Páez plead guilty to the crimes of importing and distributing
cocaine and money laundering. Tijuana's newspaper Frontera (no
relationship to Frontera NorteSur) reported that, in court, Páez
indicated that he had been associated with the Arellano Félix
drug cartel. Páez admitted that between 1988 and 1996
he had transported drugs to San Diego and Los Angeles and had
handled money laundering for the Arellano cartel.
Páez was arrested by Mexican authorities in December,
1997 in Tijuana. In May, 2001, Páez was extradited to
San Diego.
Laura Duffy, the attorney that prosecuted the case, said that
Páez faces a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and
a fine of US$4,000,000.
US authorities praised the efforts and cooperation of US and
Mexican law enforcement in this case.
Source: Frontera (Tijuana), October 12, 2001. Article by Abraham
Nudelstejer.
Correction: In our Oct. 10, 2001 Tijuana news article, Raúl
Zárate Rivera should have been identified as the INM Tijuana
spokesperson, not director.
October 10, 2001
Mexico Reports that Emigration is Mostly Unchanged Since September
11
Raúl Zárate Rivera, Tijuana director of the
Instituto Nacional de Migración (National Migration Institute,
INM), stated that migrant flows through Tijuana have not changed
since the September 11 attack against the US. However, Zárate
said that in the past few days, since the US bombardment of Afghanistan,
there may have been a drop in the number of Mexicans seeking
to enter the US.
Zárate also said that the Beta migrant-aid and rescue
group has been performing an average of six migrant rescues per
day. On average, Beta directly assists 96 people per day, he
stated. The group helps migrants in need find food, clothing,
and shelter. It also assists them in applying for more help from
the government.
Finally, Zárate also said that the federal government
has told Mexican authorities to collaborate with their US counterparts
in watching the nations' borders. The goal of this action is
to create a climate of tranquility, he said.
October 8, 2001
Increased Waits at Border Change the Lives of Tijuana Residents
Due to heightened border security following the September
11 attack against the US, waits at the international points of
entry have increased significantly. These longer crossing times
have affected the lives of many Tijuana residents that commute
to early morning jobs in the San Diego area, according to an
article in the Tijuana newspaper, Frontera (no relationship to
Frontera NorteSur).
Armando González, who has worked in San Diego for ten
years, said that he used to arrive at the San Ysidro international
port of entry at 4:30 a.m. Now, he must get to the crossing at
2:30 a.m. González told Frontera newspaper that the company
where he works told employees that they have to arrive at work
on time or they will be replaced. González also said that
getting to the border earlier means that he has less time to
spend with his family. Other drivers that share González's
situation complain that they are only sleeping three or four
hours per night.
At the border, where people wait with their vehicles turned
off until the gates open at 5 a.m., commuters deal with the wait
in different ways. Some try and rest on the car seat or slumped
over the steering wheel. Others watch small black-and-white,
battery-powered TVs or listen to the radio as they wait. Some
drivers have made new friends at the border and stand around
and talk with them. Others sip coffee that they brought with
them or bought from sidewalk coffee vendors that arrive at 2:00
a.m.
Unsure of how long the increased waits will last, some drivers
said that they have thought about moving to "el otro lado,"
the other side, the US. Carlos Cardel told Frontera newspaper
that, "I am thinking about going to live in the United States
because, although I'll pay a little more rent, I will not have
to get up early." Other commuters stay one night a week
with friends in San Diego so that they do not have to spend so
much time in their cars.
Source: Frontera (Tijuana), October 8, 2001. Article by Said
Betanzos.
September 26, 2001
Tijuana Maq Organization Wants Predictability, Not Tax Break
Like Juárez
While in late August, 2001, Ciudad Juárez maquiladoras
asked for a state and federal tax amnesty until the the US economy
begins to recover, the director of the Tijuana Asociación
de la Industria Maquiladora (Maquiladora Industry Association),
Daniel Romero Mejía said that maquiladora economic problems
are not related to tax obligations. Romero said that companies
need predictability, according to the Tijuana newspaper Frontera
(no relation to Frontera NorteSur).
Romero also stated that before considering tax exemptions,
it is necessary to create a legal structure that will let investors
know what their financial obligations are for a period of at
least six years. This would help avoid the constant change in
laws which is troublesome for the maquiladora industry. Romero
added that legal certainty will let businesses plan and grow.
Mario Aguirre Ibarra, president of the Asociación de
Maquiladoras de Hermosillo, told the Frontera newspaper, "Maquiladora
companies that are having problems are obliged to cut personnel
to lower their costs because they are not sufficiently liquid
to maintain their operations."
Aguirre says that it will be hard to pass a tax amnesty but
not impossible. He also stated that the amnesty is just and necessary.
Aguirre's plan to attract new companies is to give them a
three-year long exemption from state and federal income and payroll
taxes.
Source: Frontera (Tijuana), September 26, 2001. Article by Rosa
Arce & Alejandro Romero.
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