Governors of California, New Mexico, Arizona skip border conference on security, economy

3 US governors no-show at border conference

MONTERREY, Mexico — Mexico’s interior secretary says escalating violence along the U.S. border is a reaction to the country’s crackdown on organized crime.

The border region is plagued by violence as drug cartels fight turf wars over valuable smuggling routes, including the killing of 17 people Wednesday at a Ciudad Juarez rehab center.

Interior Secretary Fernando Gomez Mont is among U.S. and Mexican officials attending a cross-border summit on border security, economic development and health issues.

All six Mexican border governors and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual are scheduled to attend the meeting, which began Thursday.

Three U.S. governors were absent, including California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who stayed home to cope with wildfires.