October 15, 2008: U.S. State Department issues a travel alert for Mexico, which includes Nogales, Sonora for the first time. "In some cases, assailants have worn full or partial police or military uniforms and have used vehicles that resemble police vehicles," it says. "While most of the crime victims are Mexican citizens, the uncertain security situation poses risks for U.S. citizens as well." It mentions Nogales as one of the cities that "recently experienced public shootouts during daylight hours in shopping centers and other public venues."
November 25, 2008: U.S. Defense Department report says Mexico could become a failed state. The report, Joint Operating Environment 2008, says Mexico's "government, its politicians, police and judicial infrastructure are all under sustained assault and pressure by criminal gangs and drug cartels."
December 2008: New National Drug Threat Assessment highlights power, spread of Mexican drug trafficking organizations. The assessment, published annually by the National Drug Intelligence Center, says the Mexican organizations have a presence in at least 230 U.S. cities, a figure frequently cited afterward. However, the report doesn't originally list Tucson as one of those cities.
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February 10 2009: Associated Press story says Mexican drug violence has crossed the border. The story, published on the front page of the Arizona Daily Star and in other papers, cites the National Drug Threat Assessment's claim that Mexican cartels are present in at least 230 U.S. cities.
February 23, 2009: Arizona Senate's Judiciary Committee holds hearing on border violence. Officials say violence is growing in Arizona connected to illegal immigration and other forms of smuggling.
March 12 2009: Tucsonan testifies on Mexican-border violence before U.S. House subcommittee. State Sen. Jonathan Paton, R-Tucson, testifies that more federal prosecutors are needed on the border. Homeland Security official Roger Rufe says the agency is planning to reinforce border security but says the department is "not so concerned, at least at this point, about that violence spilling over into our cities."
March 17, 2009: U.S. Senate holds committee hearing on violence in Mexico. Senators and other officials acknowledge U.S. drug consumption is a key reason for violence in Mexico and pledge to help by enforcing gun laws at the border.
March 23, 2009: New York Times story cites crime in Tucson as evidence of violent spillover. The story is headlined "Mexican Drug Cartel Violence Spills Over, Alarming U.S." It describes Tucson police investigating a home invasion and says such crimes are evidence that drug-related violence in Mexico is spilling over.
March 24 2009: U.S. government announces new "Mexican Cartel Strategy." The strategy shifts hundreds of federal agents to the U.S.-Mexico border region. It also puts $700 million into helping Mexico's law enforcement and judiciary.
April 7, 2009: U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Tucson, holds law-enforcement summit in Tucson on border violence. More than 60 officials from federal, state and local agencies discuss how to coordinate their efforts to better confront increased drug violence in Mexico.
April 19, 2009: Associated Press story says Mexican drug-war violence is spreading into U.S. interior. The story cites a quintuple murder in Columbiana, Ala., as evidence of spillover violence. But it acknowledges there is no evidence connecting the mass murder to Mexico's drug cartels.
April 20, 2009: U.S. Senate committee holds field hearing on border violence in Phoenix. U.S. Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain, Republicans from Arizona, along with independent U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, meet in Phoenix with Arizona officials. The officials say the threat of violence in Arizona is growing, and Lieberman compares the danger to the threat of terrorism.
