Mexico Protests U.S. Military Role in Border Fight on Drugs

Mexico Tuesday protested a Bush Administration plan to use American troops and warplanes against drug traffickers along the U.S.-Mexican border, complaining that the move was made without Mexico’s consent.

“The government of Mexico . . . neither shares nor supports (the) measures announced by the U.S. Department of Defense with regard to the use of its armed forces close to the common border,” the Mexican Embassy said.

The statement said the Administration’s decision “might have negative consequences for the bilateral relationship,” and added that it was unlikely to make a major impact on the drug problem.

The Pentagon formally announced the establishment of the new anti-narcotics task force, to be based at El Paso, Tex., on Monday.

The task force will provide military support--from aerial reconnaissance to ground radar surveillance--to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies struggling to stop smugglers who bring illegal drugs from Mexico into the United States.

The State Department said Mexico was “consulted” on the decision, but a Mexican official said: “We feel that we were not consulted, merely informed.”

Historical experience has made Mexico sensitive to any American military presence on its border.

However, a Mexican official said the issue would only be a temporary irritant in the two nations’ complex relationship. “We will get beyond this,” he said. “This is really not much more than a stone in our shoe.”

Both the Pentagon and the State Department tried to play down the impact of the move.

“U.S. military forces will not conduct searches, seizures or arrests, and they will serve strictly to support law enforcement agencies in their counter-narcotics operations,” the Pentagon said.

“We’re not trying to militarize the border,” a State Department official said. “The reality is pretty tame. The military has a lot of logistical capabilities that can support law enforcement efforts. We’re just doing on land what the Navy is already doing in the Caribbean. It’s not as if we were going to use Marines to shoot down aircraft or something.”