Locals, Feds Prepare for Any Escalation of Mexican Border Violence

March 19, 2009— -- The White House is expected to release its comprehensive border security strategy within days, at a time when violence along the U.S.-Mexican border has become a top priority for law enforcement and Homeland Security officials.

The comprehensive border plan is currently being reviewed at the top levels of President Barack Obama's administration, and Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano told reporters today that contingency plans to confront further escalations of border violence, which would include deploying additional federal assets, are under review by state and local officials from border states.

"There has been, in this department, a contingency plan should we see a great spike in border-related violence as a result of what is going on with the drug cartels in Mexico." Napolitano said. "That plan was prepared but did not have input from the state and local law enforcement officials who actually police the border area."

Napolitano said that she and DHS officials have set up calls with local law enforcement in border areas to gain a better view of the current situation.

"We've been talking and have regular calls set with those border police chiefs and sheriffs," Napolitano said. "They can really tell us, 'We can't really handle this. We now need a larger federal contingent to back us up.'"

Napolitano added that recently some of her top staff had been deployed to areas along the border to assess the situation as part of the review.

"There is a big safety interest for the United States in this battle being conducted in northern Mexico or the United States," Napolitano said. "We're not to the worst-case scenario."

Additional ICE and ATF agents are expected to be deployed as part of the border plans, but Napolitano declined to offer specifics while the final review is under way.