WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Tuesday that it would move hundreds of federal agents to the country’s southern border to prevent a spillover of drug-related violence from Mexico, and that it would focus more efforts on stopping weapons and money from flowing south.
In a briefing with reporters on Tuesday, the secretary of homeland security, Janet Napolitano, said that 360 agents would be sent to the Border Patrol and to Immigration and Customs Enforcement units along the 2,000-mile border, and that 100 agents would be sent to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives units there.
Officials said 100 of the redeployed Border Patrol agents, and several new canine teams, would inspect people and vehicles leaving the United States, aided by mobile X-ray units for cars and more sophisticated license-plate readers.
Ms. Napolitano called the redeployment “a very robust movement of personnel.” She added, “If anything, this is really the first wave of things that will be happening.”
Law enforcement personnel will also be added to the United States Embassy in Mexico, and an estimated $30 million in stimulus funds will be spent to support the work of local and state law enforcement agencies along the border.
The plan will also draw on $700 million appropriated by Congress under the so-called Merida Initiative, put into effect by former President George W. Bush, to provide training and equipment to Mexican law enforcement agencies. Many of the measures announced Tuesday expanded on programs that were started by Mr. Bush.
Ms. Napolitano said the administration was still considering requests by the governors of Texas and Arizona to deploy the National Guard — a step she supported when she was governor of Arizona. She said she would discuss the request next week with Gov. Rick Perry, when she stops in Texas on her way to Mexico.
Ms. Napolitano is one of many administration officials who have planned trips to Mexico in response to growing concern in the United States about violence there.
Deputy Secretary of State James B. Steinberg said Tuesday, “We see this as a critical partnership, one that requires as much high-level attention as any bilateral relationship we have.”
Officials said the plans announced Tuesday were a kind of down payment on President Obama’s promise to pursue a “comprehensive strategy” for securing the United States’ southern border and helping President Felipe Calderón of Mexico in a battle against cartels whose bloodletting has touched every corner of Mexico and whose organizations have stretched into many parts of the United States.
During a news conference on Tuesday night, Mr. Obama said the Mexican drug cartels “have gotten completely out of hand,” and he praised Mr. Calderón, saying the president “has been very courageous in taking on these drug cartels.”
In a shift from the policies of previous administrations, Mr. Obama has emphasized that the drug war is a “shared responsibility,” expressing support for Mexico’s fight and vowing to lead one on this side of the border as well.
Ms. Napolitano echoed that thinking on Tuesday, calling the fight against drugs “a demand issue and a supply issue.”
An estimated 90 percent of the illegal drugs that enter the United States pass through Mexico, while some 90 percent of the weapons seized from drug traffickers or at crime scenes in Mexico come from north of the border. Meanwhile, the southbound cash flow is estimated in the tens of billions of dollars.
The White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, said Tuesday that Washington’s relationship with Mexico was getting “sustained, high-level, comprehensive attention.” He said the efforts against traffickers would be led by the White House in coordination with the Departments of State, Justice and Homeland Security.
As a former border-state governor, Ms. Napolitano emphasized the importance of coordinating her agency’s efforts with state and local officials on the front lines of the drug fight. She has sent a high-level member of her staff to meet with law enforcement officials along the southern border. And each week, she confers by telephone with border sheriffs and police departments.
When asked whether the shift in personnel signaled a shift in the focus of Homeland Security away from the threat of terrorism, Ms. Napolitano said, “Absolutely not.”
“Our department has a very broad mission,” she said. “We have to be able to multitask. One of the changes in the threat environment has been what is going on in Mexico. So we need to make changes in order to deal with that particular threat.”
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