US: The decision by the governors of Arizona and New Mexico to declare states of emergency along their troubled borders with Mexico has embarrassed the US department of homeland security, which has scrambled to defend itself from charges it was not doing enough to combat the crime and violence associated with drug smuggling and illegal immigration.
The action by two Democratic governors and the Bush administration's response reflected the political tensions that surround the nation's conflicting attitudes toward border control.
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger expressed strong support for the actions of his neighbouring governors. He said his state did not need to declare a border emergency, but that he would definitely consider it if conditions changed.
Last Friday, responding to pressure from border communities, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson declared an emergency in four counties he said had been "devastated by the ravages and terror of human smuggling, drug smuggling, kidnapping, murder, destruction of property and death of livestock". On Monday, Arizona governor Janet Napolitano followed suit in four counties, declaring through a spokeswoman that the federal government "has not done what it needs to do and has promised to do".
Mr Schwarzenegger said he supported Mr Richardson's and Ms Napolitano's actions. "Right now, we are having these things somewhat under control, so there was no reason for it yet," he said on San Diego radio station KFMB. "But if there is a reason for it, we definitely will do that."
Rejecting criticism of its work, Mario Villarreal, a spokesman for US Customs and Border Protection (part of the department of homeland security), said the problems Mr Richardson and Ms Napolitano cited were the result of successfully enforcing border laws elsewhere.
Moreover, said Mr Villarreal, trouble in those relatively sparsely populated areas had been anticipated, and additional resources had been dispatched to deal with them.
"This is one indication of gaining operational control of the border." An enforcement drive in the Tucson sector of Arizona has forced illegal immigrants to cross the border in the counties Ms Napolitano had declared disaster areas, he added.
The agency plans to boost staff along the Arizona border this year and has doubled the patrol aircraft there, Mr Villarreal said. The El Paso sector, which covers New Mexico and part of Texas, will get 300 additional agents.
The Bush administration announced a new bilateral programme with Mexico to prosecute human-smugglers - the Operation Against Smugglers Initiative on Safety and Security - although no money was earmarked for the programme.
Some people were quick to accuse the governors of political manoeuvring. Ms Napolitano and Mr Richardson face elections next year, and Mr Richardson is thought to be seeking the presidency in 2008. The Texas governor, a Republican, showed no sign of following his neighbours.
But there was no such partisan edge to the reactions of leading Republican members of Congress from the two states or from Mr Schwarzenegger. "I think that it was terrific that Governor Richardson was the first one to announce this state of emergency, because first of all he's Latino," Mr Schwarzenegger said. "So it was very clear - because so many times when you make a move like that you're considered immediately a racist."
His comments come four months after the governor praised a campaign by a private group known as the Minutemen, which used armed volunteers to patrol the Arizona-Mexico border. He said then that the federal government was not doing enough to secure the border.
Congressman Jeff Flake, who has played a prominent role in Washington's continuing battles over immigration policy, said: "It surprises me that [the governors] have waited this long . . . It's a dire situation in all of Arizona. The federal government has typically acted after the fact. Until we get a guest worker programme, any effort will be marginal."
Mr Flake said Washington's efforts to boost the number of border patrol agents had failed. An intelligence bill in 2004 authorised 2,000 new border agents for the five years, starting in 2006.
However "not a dime reached border patrol; it was all spent in Washington", he said. When President Bush signed the budget for fiscal year 2006, he authorised Customs and Border Protection to hire 210 additional agents.
"I think the governor's approach was called for," said New Mexico Republican senator Pete Domenici. "I find no fault with it, given the turmoil in these communities along the border. I've spoken with the governor and told him so.
"We're finally to a boiling point. But this step is not going to solve the problem either," Mr Domenici added.
"It's an interim step. What we need is an immigration policy. We need to put resources into enforcement, then have a plan for this huge drive of people to come over the border."