|
Costa Ricans Visit New Mexico to
Learn More About Securing
Borders
A delegation from Costa Rica, is
touring New Mexico this week
meeting Tuesday with the U.S.
Border Patrol in Deming. Costa
Rica is the sister state of New
Mexico.
The Costa Rican delegation was
hosted for lunch Tuesday by the
New Mexico National Guard at the
Guard's Forward Operating Base
on Peralta Street.
Costa Rica and New Mexico share
common problems in battling
illegal immigration and
narcotics.
"Costa Rica is right in the
middle of the transit zone," Rob
Copley, of the U.S. Embassy in
Costa Rica, said of the
country's location between
Panama and Nicaragua.
Twenty-five tons of cocaine were
intercepted by Costa Rican
authorities in the past year.
"The reason New Mexico was
selected," Rafael Gutierrez, the
vice-minister of public
security, said of the
delegation's visit, "is there
are similarities in areas of
border patrol."
Costa Rica created a border
patrol unit last week, after
such responsibilities for
numerous years falling under the
country's Fuerza Pública (police
force).
Drugs are moved through, over
and past Costa Rica by land, air
and sea, Copley said, leading to
the country changing its tactics
in trying to deal with
shipments.
"They wanted to come here," said
Rick Moody, agent-in-charge of
the Deming Border Patrol
Station, "because they wanted to
look at our operation,
especially our joint support
operation with the National
Guard and OJS (Operation Jump
Start). Again, they are starting
up their unit that will be
protecting the country's borders
and they wanted to get a
first-hand look at the operation
here in Southern New Mexico.
"We gave them briefings and gave
them aerial tours."
The Costa Rican delegation
includes Rigoberto Rodriguez, of
the Fuerza Pública; Jose Torres,
viceministro de Seguirdad; Ana
Duran, also a vice-minister of
public security; Oldemar
Madrigal Medal, the air
component commander; Carlos
Rovering-Rojas, director of the
police academy; Francisco
Castanina Bustillos, the
immigration police chief; and
Osvaldo Alpizar-Nuñez, special
advisor to the minister of
security.
The statehood program is
important, said U.S. Army Major
Samuel Lopez-Santiago, who is
stationed in Costa Rica, for
contact with the U.S. military
and the U.S. Embassy.
Costa Rica abolished its
military in 1948.
|
|
