Mexican governor discusses migration, binational safety issues with U.S. officials

Campos tells U.S. ambassador, CBP commissioner it will cooperate on managing migration crisis and has plan to reduce cartel violence

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – The governor of Chihuahua is telling U.S. federal officials she’s taking steps to curb violence in her border state and to continue to assist in managing an international migration crisis.

Gov. Maru Campos met late last week with Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Rachel Poynter in Washington, D.C. The meetings focused on migration, public safety, border crossings and economic development, according to her office.

Chihuahua in the past three years has seen widespread drug violence; the state is one of several corridors in Northern Mexico where the deadly drug fentanyl and half a dozen other illegal drugs enter the United States.

Campos told Salazar she’s about to deploy a statewide public safety platform – reportedly, a network of security cameras with facial recognition and license plate reading technology – to reduce crime. She is also moving the state police headquarters from the state’s capital of Chihuahua City to Juarez, which is the epicenter of cartel violence.

With Magnus, the governor discussed continued cooperation on managing migration flows and training agreements involving local Mexican police officers, according to her office. Last year, Juarez police came across dozens of migrant stash houses where more than 1,000 Central and South American citizens were being held by smugglers.

The two also talked about possible developments on the Title 42 public health order, though no details were disclosed.

In her meeting with Salazar and Poynter, Campos pitched improvements to border crossings in her state that funnel manufactured goods and parts to Texas and New Mexico. Her office made reference to port of entry modernization projects in El Paso and New Mexico.