Warning to Marines: Stay Out of Mexico!

[thedrifter]

Warning to Marines: Stay Out of Mexico!

Updated 4:31 PM PST, Wed, Jan 14, 2009

Camp Pendleton Marines from First Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) are ordered not to travel to Tijuana or any part of Mexico under tough new restrictions because of recent border violence.

A Public Affairs Officer with the First Marine Expeditionary Force confirms a note went out Jan. 9, updating the policy for travel to Mexico.

“I MEF has continued to carefully monitor the violence in Mexico associated with the ongoing war between rival drug cartels and assess the associated risk to reward for I MEF personnel travel. Due to the degree of prolonged, escalating violence, I MEF will extend the current liberty policy to a standing policy for all travel to Mexico,” the Marine Corps said in a message sent to all Marine units in Southern California.

Marines now have to have sign-off from a Lt. Colonel or higher to cross the border and that includes Marines living in Mexico or visiting immediate family members there.

“This is a prudent step in addressing the real threat to our personnel by ensuring a baseline level of oversight for any travel into the area,” the Marine Corps said.

The troops also have to complete an on-line level one anti-terrorism training class or train with a certified trainer.

“It is the Commanders priority to ensure their safety and well-being,” Marine Corps spokesperson Mike Alvarez said. "It provides an opportunity also for the officer to ensure that the Marine has taken the proper training."

The policy is in effect until further notice.

I MEF, as it's known to Marines, is the command for almost all Marines based in this region.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Last modified Wednesday, January 14, 2009 8:05 PM PST




MILITARY: Marine Corps places tight restrictions on visits to Mexico

By MARK WALKER - Staff Writer

CAMP PENDLETON ---- Continuing drug-related violence in Tijuana and the Baja Peninsula has led to an extension of an order that makes it a lot harder for local Marines and sailors to sojourn over the border for a little fiesta time.

The directive from Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland mandates that any troops who want to visit Mexico must first obtain written permission from a lieutenant colonel or above and complete several other tasks.

The policy, first put in place on Christmas Eve, has been extended indefinitely by Helland, who commands about 40,000 Marines and sailors from Camp Pendleton's I Marine Expeditionary Force.

"This is a prudent step in addressing the real threat to our personnel by ensuring a baseline level of oversight for any travel into the area," the policy states.

Expeditionary force spokesman Mike Alvarez said Wednesday that Mexican officials should not interpret the policy as an insult.

"We are not pitting ourselves against Mexico," Alvarez said. "The sole intent is to look out for the safety and well-being of our Marines and sailors."

Alvarez said requiring a lieutenant colonel or above to sign a "liberty chit" to visit Mexico will "probably do a lot toward reducing the list of Marines going down there."

The policy followed discussions between the U.S. Marine Corps and law enforcement agencies, Alvarez said.

Any Marine or sailor who wants to visit Mexico must first complete anti-terrorism training.

Troops who get the OK to cross the border must be at least 18 and follow "the buddy system," which requires them to travel with at least one other person who is 18 or older.

They also must carry the telephone numbers of the American Consulate in Tijuana, the border Shore Patrol and their unit command.

And before they go, they must register online with the office of the American Consulate.

For those with homes or close relatives in Mexico, the policy is a little more lenient, allowing travel for up to 30 days.

Commanders are required to keep a roster of all their troops visiting Mexico as well as those who have a residence or next of kin in the country. Anyone violating the policy is subject to unspecified punishment, the order states.

At Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, spokesman Maj. Jay Delarosa said the policy also applies to those stationed at that northeastern San Diego base.

A spokesman for the Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego, Alberto Diaz, was unaware of the policy and had no immediate comment.

The Marine Corps has long cautioned its troops about visits to Tijuana and easy access to alcohol and prostitutes. After a series of incidents in 2001, it imposed a rule similar to Helland's but not nearly as onerous. The 2001 rule simply required that junior Marines get approval from their superior officers.

At least 5,300 people died in drug violence in Mexico in 2008, authorities there have reported.

Several hundred were killed last year in Tijuana, a city of about 1.3 million, and so far this year at least 12 homicides believed tied to the drug wars have been reported. No U.S. service members have been slain.

The local Marine Corps restrictions on travel to Mexico come in the wake of a military report that lists Mexico as one of the countries in the world that could see its government collapse.

"In terms of worst-case scenarios ... two large and important states bear consideration for rapid and sudden collapse: Pakistan and Mexico," says the report from Joint Forces Command, a Virginia-based military planning and coordination center headed by Marine Gen. James Mattis.

"The Mexican possibility may seem less likely, but the government, its politicians, police and judicial infrastructure are all under sustained assault and pressure by criminal gangs and drug cartels."

Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Thursday, January 15, 2009
Marines need to get permission before visiting Mexico
Officials say the requirement is due to an ongoing drug war in Tijuana.
By SALVADOR HERNANDEZ
The Orange County Register
Comments 6 | Recommend 1


CAMP PENDLETON – An order that requires Marines to get written permission before visiting Mexico has been extended indefinitely for the base's 40,000 Marines.

On Dec. 24, Marine commanders issued the order to personnel requiring that they get written permission from a lieutenant colonel before heading south of the border. The order also made it mandatory for Marines to meet other requirements before taking he trip.

On Wednesday, the order was extended indefinitely by Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland, who commands the Marines and sailors at the base.

Officials said they decision was made due to several violent deaths that have occurred in Tijuana because of an ongoing drug war.


Ellie