Chihuahua strengthens ties with US federal agencies

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Chihuahua state officials are trying to strengthen ties with public safety and educational institutions in the United States.

On Tuesday, officials with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive visited the Chihuahua State Police command center in Juarez. The Americans were given a tour of a facility in Juarez where police track stolen vehicles and suspects through surveillance cameras with face-recognition technology.

The tour “had the objective of exchanging ideas and proposals to improve operations” in border law enforcement, the state police said in a statement.

Mexican officials at the highest levels have expressed concerns about gun-smuggling from the United States. Most homicides committed in Mexico with a firearm involve weapons originally sold in the U.S., officials from that country have said on numerous occasions.

However, Department of Justice data shows that more than 10,000 defendants were charged with firearms and explosive offenses in U.S. federal courts in fiscal year 2023. Border agents and officers reported 379 individual weapons and ammunition seizures in FY 2023 of people trying to exit the U.S. at Southwest ports of entry, and another 241 seizures since Oct. 1, 2023.

Separately, Chihuahua Economic Development Department officials met with representatives of the U.S. Consulate in Juarez to discuss binational higher education programs.

Guests and hosts talked about incentives for students of science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, in Juarez, scholarship opportunities at Texas universities and potential binational programs in artificial intelligence.

“These initiatives are focused on academic development and collaboration with the industrial sector. The goal is to ensure that (Chihuahua) remains an international resource” for companies given the abilities of its young professionals, the Economic Development Department said in a statement on Tuesday.

Juarez is home to more than 300 U.S.-run maquiladoras that increasingly are hiring highly specialized professional workers.

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