Guard Troops Will Help, but Goddard Says U.S. Needs to Go on Offense

(Phoenix, Ariz. -- Aug. 30, 2010) Attorney General Terry Goddard welcomed the arrival of the first wave of National Guard troops to the Arizona-Mexico border today, but said the border cannot be effectively secured until the federal government goes on the offense against the Mexican drug cartels.

"These soldiers will work with the Border Patrol and will be put to good use," Goddard said. "But the federal government needs to do more to take the fight to the organized criminals who bring most of the drugs and illegal immigrants across our border. We need to hit the cartels in Mexico with decisive, overwhelming and binational force. Defensive steps alone will not stop these deeply entrenched, heavily armed and well-funded organizations. We need to target their leadership and dismantle them."

Goddard added that though cartels remain based in Mexico, their presence in the U.S. is growing. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that the cartels today operate in more than 200 American cities.

For more information, contact Press Secretary Molly Edwards at (602) 542-8019.