Canseco on Calderon, Obama, and the Border

Israel Ortega / March 03, 2011

Today, President Barack Obama will welcome Mexican President Felipe Calderon to the White House.  As Senior Latin American Policy Analyst, Ray Walser, aptly described in his latest WebMemo, the atmosphere will be tense given the February 15 murder of U.S. immigration agent Jaime Zapata and recent Wikileaks revelations from the U.S. embassy in Mexico City questioning the coordination and effectiveness of Mexico’s security team dealing escalating violence and bloodshed because of narco-violence.

And yet, there are so many critical issues at stake of mutual concern for both countries beyond the headline grabbing security concerns.  As our third largest trading partner while sharing a 2,000 mile plus border, trade, border management, environmental and energy issues are all of vital importance to healthy US-Mexico relations.

We recently had an opportunity to interview Rep. Francisco Canseco (R-TX) representing the 23rd congressional district in Texas, that includes close to 750 miles of the US-Mexico border, to ask him about today’s White House meeting between President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon. (more…)