Puerto Rico’s Luis Fortuño Begins Security Talks With Federal Officials

Above: Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño (Photo: OG)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño met Tuesday afternoon with Assistant Attorney General Tony West, the co-chair of US President Barack Obama’s Working Group on the Status of Puerto Rico.

It was the first in a series of meetings initiated by Fortuño for the coming days with federal government officials focusing on Puerto Rico’s fight against drug trafficking.

“We share the same goal, which is to protect the 3.7 million American citizens in Puerto Rico prevent the entry of illegal drugs and weapons, and to fight crime,” Fortuño said. “The result of these meetings should be a more effective federal response against the violence perpetrated by drug trafficking networks operating in the area.”

Fortuño said his government was “sparing no resources” in its bid to tackle drug-related crime, and he expected the “same level of commitment” from federal law enforcement agencies.

Tuesday’s meeting was one of several on the agenda for thsi week, including one with Betsy Markey, co-chari fo theX, and David Aguilar, Acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Patrol.

On Friday, Fortuño is set to meet with US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, who will be making her first visit to Puerto Rico.

In testimony before Congress last month, Fortuño called on the White House to support a Caribbean Border Initiative aimed at tackling the growing of drug-related violence on America’s Caribbean border in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.