LAREDO, Texas – Back in June, Tamaulipas Governor Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca spoke in Hidalgo about instigating the largest ever binational effort against criminal groups operating along the Tamaulipas-Texas border.
The aim was to bring more criminal charges in Mexico and/or the United States for extortion, money laundering, homicide, kidnapping, extortion and drug trafficking, among others.
Now, García Cabeza de Vaca has delivered the same message in Laredo, pointing out that his administration is collaborating with seven U.S. federal agencies under a program called the Safety and Prosperity Campaign.
“At the end of the day what is good for Mexico is good for the United States and if we work together to guarantee the safety of citizens we will achieve each and every one of our objectives,” García Cabeza de Vaca said, during a news conference held on the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge.
Since the campaign’s launch, García Cabeza de Vaca said at least four criminals on Tamaulipas’ “most wanted” list had been captured and that, because of the exchange of information between agencies on both sides of the border, safe houses have been located and innocent migrants rescued.
García Cabeza de Vaca said new a program has been introduced in Nuevo Laredo titled “Se Busca.” The program encourages anonymous tips to locate criminal objectives identified as responsible for different crimes against the community in Texas and Tamaulipas.
As with the news conference at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge back in June, García Cabeza de Vaca was joined in Laredo by Joint Task Force-West Chief, Manuel Padilla, Jr.
Padilla said: “We are seeing both sides of the border as a single field of operation because these criminal organizations impact our community in a negative way.”
Among the dignitaries at the Laredo news conference was U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar.
The Tamaulipas government entities involved in the program are the Attorney General’s Office and the Public Security Office.
Through the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. agencies involved are the Air Marine Office, Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations and Border Patrol; Department of State, Drug Enforcement Agency, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Tips can be made to 956-333-0370 (via call or WhatsApp message) and to 800-343-1994.
