The grisly exhumation exercise provides an important opportunity for the two countries' law enforcement agencies to prove they can get along. Relations spiraled to a low point last year when the Mexican government was infuriated by an undercover U.S. sting operation about which they hadn't been informed — a product of concern in U.S. law enforcement circles over high-level corruption in the Mexican security services. As recently as three weeks ago, Mexico appeared to spurn future U.S. military assistance, saying it would rely on its own resources. So their request for assistance in Juarez is a welcome signal that the drug war alliance isn't over. But the purpose of their current mission — to exhume hundreds of bodies — is a sign of the power of the enemy.
Mass Graves May Help Relations with Mexico
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Exhuming corpses is dirty work, but it may help repair relations between Mexico and the U.S. Some 200 U.S. personnel joined 600 Mexican law enforcement and military agents Tuesday for a second day of digging up suspected mass graves on ranches near the city of Juarez. Although some 22 Americans are listed among the more than 200 people who have disappeared in the region over the past four years after running afoul of Mexican drug cartels, U.S. officials emphasized they weren't expecting to find the remains of any DEA or FBI agents in the mass graves. The U.S. officials were invited to provide assistance by the Mexicans, although the original tip-off that led to the investigation came from a Mexican citizen in U.S. custody.