" Central America wants to open borders"

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) - Central American nations are putting aside border bickering to allow the relatively free movement of people and goods between nations - a goal that has U.S. officials worried about a jump in smuggling of drugs and people in a region already plagued by crime and on the lookout for terrorists...

...Costa Rica, Belize and Mexico have declined to participate, in part because all three countries are already struggling with an influx of illegal Central American migrants who come to either look for work or, in the case of Mexico, pass through to the United States.

Citing the illegal migration, drug trafficking, corruption and gang activity that thrives in Central America, U.S. officials have expressed concern about removing the border checks. Michael O'Brien, the head of the U.S. federal Drug Enforcement Administration in Guatemala, said the old border controls, complete with drug-sniffing dogs and car searches, often were the strongest safeguard against criminal activity.

The United States is also keeping a close eye on the region after several recent terrorism scares. U.S. officials have said that an alleged top al-Qaida operative, Adnan El Shukrijumah of Saudi Arabia, spent 10 days in Panama in April 2001. Honduran officials said he was spotted more recently at an Internet cafe there.

But Central American leaders say the new border plan won't hamper their fight against drugs and other crime. So far, El Salvador and Guatemala have put up more highway checkpoints to keep a closer eye on traffic through the two countries...

Immigration2004 · Tue, 12/14/2004 - 15:07 · Importance: 1