Juarez Police will be keeping an eye on their side of the border as well as ours in an attempt to prevent another murder of one of their citizens
The mayors of El Paso and Juárez and law enforcement officials met Monday morning to discuss ways to stem problems on the international boundary between the cities.
The meeting at El Paso City Hall took place a week after the murder of Sergio Adrián Hernández Güereca, 15, who was executed by a Border Patrol agent who claimed to being attacked with rocks while trying to make an arrest on the Rio Grande in Downtown El Paso. Videos of the incident contradict the agents account.
The meeting included leaders of the Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Juárez and Chihuahua state police.
The 15-year-old boy’s murder on the Mexico side of the mostly-dry river near the Paso del Norte Bridge sparked protests, vigils and investigations by the FBI and Mexico’s attorney general’s office.
Hernández’s family wants the Border Patrol agent tried in Mexico for homicide. The agent’s supporters say he was defending himself, the usual response in a case like this. The FBI also opened a civil rights inquiry into the shooting.
Juárez Mayor José Reyes Ferriz said his police will work with the U.S. to add patrols to conflict spots on the border. Reyes said Mexican authorities also will reach out to young people warning them to stay away from the borderline and to not become involved in smuggling or immigrant trafficking.
“One of the important things that came out of the meeting was the recognition by Juárez that they have to offer other things to young people to involve people who hang around the bridges,” El Paso Mayor John Cook said.
The shooting, captured on cell phone video, gained international attention. There has been heated debate whether the agent was justified in shooting the teenager.
“I think everyone at the table (during the meeting Monday) wants to see cooler heads prevail and give the FBI the opportunity to do their investigation,” Cook said.
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