AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program Director Phil Keith sums up the reason behind the massive effort to bring AMBER Alerts into Mexico in a few words: “Our goal is pretty simple: to protect children.”
In 2006, the Department of Justice launched the Southern Border Initiative (SBI) to extend the AMBER Alert Programs into Mexico and develop a seamless network throughout North America. “The experience in Mexico is similar to what was encountered in the United States and Canada with regard to the struggles and challenges of implementation,” noted Keith.
Baja California launched Mexico's first AMBER Alert Program in 2009. The Baja California Attorney General has been instrumental in pushing the program. So far, Baja California has issued two alerts but has received more than 50 requests. Chihuahua has a system that is similar to the AMBER Alert Program but has a different name. Tamaulipas is the second state to develop an AMBER Alert Program, with representatives from health, public safety, transportation, and other government agencies all participating in child recovery training; a mass media campaign for AMBER Alerts will be launched soon. Nuevo León is developing what it hopes will be Mexico's first comprehensive child recovery program, with an AMBER Alert plan also being developed with the help of the state's Attorney General.
The SBI also set some goals for the upcoming year, including developing a best practice guide and translating all AMBER Alert documents into Spanish, starting a help desk for Spanish speaking professionals, continuing joint training sessions and developing online training courses, partnering with international transportation organizations, and creating formal documents to outline responsibilities and protocols.
“There is still much to be done, but the Department of Justice and its partners will continue to work to bring the AMBER Alert Program to Mexico,” said Cecilia Duquela-Fuentes, OJJDP Program Manager.
Representatives from both sides of the border have met regularly since 2006. They also have met with high level decision makers to fully implement AMBER Alerts in Mexico. “Patience, compromise, and partnership are all needed to develop programs across Mexico,” said Tamaulipas AMBER Alert Coordinator Willy Zuniga Castillo.
Isabel Miranda de Wallace, the mother of an abduction victim who was murdered, hopes the AMBER Alert Programs will make a real difference in her country. “You are surrounded by fellow sons and daughters of Mexico, all of whom share the goal of protecting children.”