Weekly Report - 10 January 2006

The US government appears to have concluded that the best defence is to go on the offensive and has started highlighting the increase in acts of violence against members of the Border Patrol over the past year and talking about not tolerating any more - in an oblique exculpation of the agent who recently killed a Mexican border crosser. Meanwhile, Mexico is being joined by more Latin American nations determined to adopt a common stance towards US immigration policy, and particularly on 'the wall'.