DHS secretary Janet Napolitano, officials from several federal law enforcement agencies, and Mexican officials have signed an agreement to develop a coordinated and intelligence-driven approach to curb smuggling and trafficking.
According to DHS, the agreement has backing from Presidents Obama and Felipe Calderón and will leverage the combined investigative capabilities of ICE, ATF and the attorney general of Mexico to combat violence and criminal activity along the US-Mexico border.
The letter calls for a joint strategic implementation plan to develop cooperative protocols to govern weapons and ammunition trafficking investigations in the US and Mexico and improve information sharing between the two countries to better identify smuggling and trafficking trends and support bilateral investigation efforts, said DHS.
In a related move, DHS announced the formation of a Mexico-based Border Enforcement Security Task Force, similar to the US-based BEST, to coordinate intelligence sharing on both sides of the border to bolster investigations and crack down on illicit trafficking.
