The Woodrow Wilson Center's Mexico Institute is deeply saddened by the violence that this weekend took the lives of dozens of Mexicans and, for the first time, of Americans connected to the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez. In February, a delegation from the Mexico Institute and the Trans-Border Institute was in Ciudad Juarez just hours after fifteen people were killed and twelve wounded as they celebrated a sports event at home. We met with U.S consulate officials as well as Mexican authorities and citizens at that time and recognize the extraordinary pressure and sacrifice all are experiencing.

This violence is unfortunately not unique to Ciudad Juarez, but has also exploded in Reynosa, Tamaulipas and Acapulco, Guerrero in recent days. It has also resulted in violence against numerous Mexican journalists, including the abduction of eight journalists in Reynosa; five remain missing.

In keeping with the Mexico Institute's goal to promote greater understanding between our two countries, today we re-launch our Security Cooperation Portal, covering joint efforts to confront organized crime and to strengthen the rule of law in the United States and Mexico. The portal can be directly accessed at wilsoncenter.org/securitycooperation.

Two recent pieces are of particular relevance: a report by the Mexico Institute's Senior Advisor for Security Issues, Eric L. Olson, with findings from our recent delegation to the U.S.-Mexico border, and an article by our colleague David Shirk, Director of the Trans-Border Institute at the University of San Diego, examining the violence that has shaken Mexico over the past several years and providing useful insight into the causes of this phenomenon.