The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' controversial Fast and Furious program took another hit yesterday as Kenneth E. Melson, the acting director of the program’s Phoenix office, stepped down along with the U.S. Attorney in Arizona, Dennis K. Burke. The two were implicated in an ongoing investigation into the undercover operation that allegedly allowed for thousands of guns to get into the hands of Mexican drug cartels.
The United States may be behind the drug-related violence in Mexico, more than we think. According to a new Congressional report released yesterday, more than 70 percent of the guns detained in Mexico the past two years, originated in the U.S. On top of this, the ATF is under fire for reportedly supplying more than a 1,000 illegal firearms to gun traffickers in Mexico, in an operation called "Fast and Furious." They hoped selling the guns to "straw purchasers," would lead them to the crime organizations. Unfortunately, many of these guns were lost track of, and some were even tied to the shooting of an American border patrol officer.
Two months ago 24-year-old Juan Francisco, along with six others, was killed by members of a Mexican drug cartel. Francisco’s father is Mexican poet Javier Sicilia. Juan Francisco was just one of the estimated 34,000 people killed in Mexico in drug-related violence in the last four years. Now Sicilia is leading a 900 mile march across Mexico visiting cities where people have been affected by drug violence. Irene Caselli, will join them, she's reporting this story for the BBC.
President Obama is headed to the border town of El Paso, Texas today and is scheduled to speak on the fate of the 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. It has been more than ten months since Obama gave his first big policy speech on immigration at the American University in Washington, where he stressed an administrative policy of border control and easing immigration proceedings for legal immigrants. But the Latino community is waiting to hear whether recent behind-the-scenes meetings have led to a more encompassing framework for federal immigration reform — one of Obama's campaign promises back in 2008.
Examining Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally in Washington, D.C., and what it means for American politics; exploring the relationship between New York City's Muslim community and the NYPD since 9/11; a look ahead to what'll be making the news this week; the danger of concussions in children and adolescents; a continuing look into the possible link between income inequality and financial crises; examining whether the Tea Party is taking a religious turn; more on the Chilean miners, and being trapped with your co-workers; Mexico to begin discussing the legalization of Marijuana in the wake of ongoing drug-related violence; journalist Eliza Griswold talks about her new book "The Tenth Parallel."
Earlier this month, former Mexican president Vicente Fox wrote that Mexico should consider legalizing drugs and current president Felipe Calderon has called for a debate on the idea. More than 28,000 people have died in Mexico in drug-related violence over the last 3 years.
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