Now, with thousands of vehicles entering Mexico each day, and no passport required of U.S. citizens, it is as easy as ever to get in without leaving a trace. But it is getting harder to fade into the Mexican sunset. But no longer, he said, citing this year's surge in the number of fugitives handcuffed. Macedo met here today with U.S. Attorney General John D. Ashcroft and the two outlined further steps for closer law enforcement cooperation. In the past, the FBI said, it has never had the level of Mexican government support it now has.
Mexican cooperation is critical because U.S. authorities have no arrest powers here.
He said the United States has increased its efforts at returning them. FBI agents are stationed in three Mexican cities, and the U.S. Marshals Service recently opened an office in Mexico City. And other major cities, including Los Angeles, are now devoting personnel specifically to look for fugitives in Mexico. The Internet is also helping. The FBI's increasingly popular Web site, which includes mug shots of fugitives, receives up to 1.5 million hits a month, many from overseas.