AFP - A member of the U.S. Agency Customs and immigration (ICE) was gunned down in Mexico Tuesday "in the exercise of his duties" by "unknown assailants" and a second is in a state serious, it was learned from official sources and Mexican American.
In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said she was "deeply saddened by the news" of the assault by bullets with the two victims were American agents, one of whom subsequently died from his injuries .
The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs has "condemned" this act of violence in which "an agency official U.S. Customs and immigraton (ICE) was killed and another injured.
They "have been targeted in the exercise of their functions by unknown assailants while they were driving between Mexico City and Monterrey," Napolitano said, adding that the injured officer "was shot in the arm and leg and is in stable condition. "
"The U.S. agency responsible for law enforcement are working closely with Mexican authorities who are investigating the shooting, to ensure that the perpetrators of this horrendous crime are caught as quickly as possible," adds it.
The shooting occurred in a context of increasing violence in recent days in Mexico, ravaged by war between drug cartels for control of territory and by repression of drug trafficking conducted by the army for four years.
More than 34,600 people died in violence related to drugs since December 2006, when President Felipe Calderon deployed the army and federal police to fight cartels.
"Let me be very clear: an act of violence against personnel from ICE, or anyone working for the Department of Homeland Security, is an attack against all those who serve our country and put their lives at risk to our security "Napolitano wrote.
It was unclear Tuesday night whether the two officers had been specifically targeted because they worked for the U.S. government.
