Nation

Violence cuts travel across Texas border; fiesta may quell fears

HIDALGO, Texas - Day trips across the Rio Grande to Mexico used to be part of the allure for Harry and Audrey Kelley, retirees who migrate each winter from Kansas to a sunny mobile home resort here. With headlines about drug war murders and police robbing tourists, they haven't made the trip to nearby Reynosa in years. "Shoot, I wish I could be more at ease," said Audrey, 75. "But it's a little iffy right now." Violent crime has erupted in recent months across the border from several Texas towns. U.S. officials have issued travel advisories after reports of more than a dozen slayings, over 20 kidnappings, and assaults with machine guns and grenades. And that's just since August. While Mexican officials are trying to quell fears among U.S. residents crucial to the border economy, experts warn a long-running drug war will continue as cartels scramble to replace those busted up by authorities. "This is a kind of brutal, bloody civil war, they're jockeying for monopolies, control, turf," said Bruce Bagley, a professor of International Studies at the University of Miami. Things are so bad that U.S. consuls have issued advisories against travel to Reynosa and Nuevo Laredo, which is across the border from Laredo, Texas. Twenty-two Americans were recently kidnapped there, and several turned up dead. "Because Mexican authorities are saying this is a drug war brewing, the U.S. consulate wants to wait a little while longer before we consider softening our caution," said John Naland, the consul for the state of Tamaulipas. But Reynosa's new mayor, Francisco Javier Garcia Cabeza de Vaca, said that's not true. "I feel the problem starts with the drug war, which is all over the world, not just in Tamaulipas, not just the Rio Grande Valley," said Garcia, who held a news conference this week in Harlingen to tell U.S. citizens they are safe in Mexico. "Please worry those of you who aren't up to any good, but it has nothing to do with the normal, common citizens." The new mayor boasted that since he took office Jan. 1, he's rid the city police force of dishonest officers. He announced new services for visitors, including two 24-hour toll-free numbers for complaints. By way of welcome, Garcia announced a street festival for winter Texans, with food, vendors, music and dancing. The peddlers, pharmacists, dentists, and restaurateurs who depend on visitors from the United States and Canada are hoping the message works. Heightened border security after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks backed vehicles up for miles at the border, keeping customers away for several months. "Business has been very low," Jesus Campos said, shaking his head. "But we are hopeful because there are new authorities, new representatives. It's been a little better already. We will all be part of the Winter Texan party."