Mexico Asks U.S. to Cease Lengthy Border Inspections : Says Delays Won’t Resolve the Problem

Mexico today asked the Reagan Administration to cease its lengthy inspections of Mexican motorists seeking to enter the United States, saying the measure is “seriously hindering” normal flows of people and goods between the two countries.

The United States began the inspections last weekend in the hope of finding clues to the whereabouts of Enrique Camarena Salazar, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency official who was kidnaped in Guadalajara on Feb. 7.

A note delivered to Deputy Secretary of State Kenneth Dam today by Mexican Ambassador Jorge Espinosa de los Reyes expressed the “deep concern” of the Mexican government over the border inspections, the Mexican Embassy said.

Strain on Friendship

The message said that Mexico deems the measures “inconsistent with the spirit of friendship and understanding that both governments have resolved to develop and considers that they do not reflect the level of bilateral cooperation achieved in combating the production and traffic of drugs.”

“Unilateral measures such as this only cause unnecessary irritation for the population of bordering cities in both countries and do not resolve the problem in question,” it said.

The message also complained that the United States undertook the inspection procedures without prior consultation with Mexican authorities. Since the inspections began last weekend, there have been huge backups at border crossing points.

Congressmen Complain

At the same time, four congressmen representing districts along the Texas-Mexico border demanded a stop to the checkpoint inspections.

Democratic Rep. Ron Coleman of Texas said the backup at the border has paralyzed commerce and called the inspections ridiculous.

Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador John Gavin began consultations today at the State Department on how to deal with the problems Americans in Mexico have faced recently. In addition to Camarena, a number of other Americans have been kidnaped in Mexico in recent months.

Gavin’s recall, announced Wednesday by the State Department, was seen as an attempt by the Reagan Administration to pressure Mexico to step up its efforts to locate Camarena.

State Department officials said Mexican authorities have informed them that nearly 100 federal police agents and 200 state policemen have been working on the Camarena case.