Dec. 12, 2009
The Dallas Morning News, in a front-page story entitled, “Ambassador: Cartels’ threat to U.S. not just a border issue,” reports an interview it conducted with U.S. Ambassador Carlos Pascual in Mexico City. Mr. Pascual stated that the drug cartels are threatening not only U.S. border cities with Mexico, but have linkages to hundreds of American cities. Dallas is reported to be a U.S. hub for two of the cartels, the brutal paramilitary group called the Zetas, and the fast-expanding group called La Familia.
In another violent week in Mexico, hand grenade attacks occurred in the northern state of Sonora (with only minor injuries) and dozens of people were killed in Ciudad Juarez, just across the Rio Grande River from El Paso, Texas. So far, 7,100 people have died this year in drug related violence in Mexico.
It is reported that criminal groups now control or have influence in 40% of Mexican territory.The new strategy to combat the cartels includes studying and attempting to disrupt their corporate organization and distribution systems, strengthening the rule of law in the nation, and helping communities develop economically so that there will be less temptations for the young people to be recruited as hit men and drug pushers by the cartels.
Ambassador Pascual states he sees hope on the horizon as the Mexican society is waking up to the serious threat that is engulfing their country and that the common people are beginning to organize themselves to combat the threat. So states Ambassador Pascual, “…I think we’re seeing a greater, growing consensus that there must be a fight not just from the state, but from the bottom up, and that’s healthy.”
Note: the first National Prayer Meeting for the Mexican nation is scheduled for May, 2010. Contact us about organizing a prayer meeting in your city. We held the first prayer meeting in Dallas on November 20.
If you have documented prayer information please forward it to us and we will post it as it is deemed appropriate.