Unforunately those cops work in Colombia and Mexico. Giving Mexican officials $400 million to fight drug trafficking on the border is problematic for two reasons. First, Mexican drug-fighting efforts have long been characterized by a mind-boggling level of corruption and there’s no reason to think those funds will go where they were intended to go.

But the real issue here is that $400 million belongs to the American taxpayers and the idea that Congress and the White House want to spend it on another country’s law enforcement efforts has a lot of people seeing red. We all know the folks in D.C. live in a bubble and don’t actually know what’s happening – but even for President Bush and his allies in the Senate, this idea seems half-baked at best and downright insulting at worst.

Besieged Texas sheriffs are pressing the White House and Congress to deliver emergency assistance to law enforcement officers who are battling drug cartels along this side of the border. The Lone Star State lawmen said they would seek direct federal assistance, as well as changes in Department of Homeland Security restrictions which would permit local law enforcement departments to use homeland security funds to hire additional officers.

Regulations currently require local police and sheriff’s departments to devote homeland security money to equipment and technology as opposed to manpower. “This is really disappointing and disheartening because Washington seems totally oblivious to what we’re facing on the Mexican border,” said Webb County Sheriff Rick Flores, chairman of the 19-county Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition.

"If they allocate resources and money to Mexico, they should also consider protecting our side of the border first.” Hidalgo County Sheriff Guadalupe Trevino, Jr. lambasted the idea that funds are going only to Mexico.

“You would think there would be a bilateral approach to attack the problem from both angles when we’re giving money to a foreign country to fight a drug problem that greatly contributes to our problems,” Trevino said.

“I consider it kind of disappointing that the federal government saw a greater need for foreign aid than for helping local law enforcement.”

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