Mexican authorities deny reports that border state's female police chief fled
Marisol Valles Garcia made headlines last year when she became police chief of one of Mexico's most violent municipalities.
March 4th, 2011
04:36 PM ET

Mexican authorities deny reports that border state's female police chief fled

[Updated at 4:03 p.m. ET] A spokesman for the attorney general of Chihuahua State denied reports Friday that Marisol Valles Garcia - the 20-year-old woman who made headlines when she became the police chief of Praxedis, Mexico - has left the country for the United States.

Spokesman Arturo Sandoval was referring to comments in El Diario newspaper attributed to Jorge Gonzalez Nicolas, the attorney general for the northern district of Chihuahua.

"He did not give a press conference," Sandoval told CNN. "We negate reports that Nicolas said she fled to the United States."

[Posted at 2:51 p.m. ET] Marisol Valles Garcia, the 20-year-old woman who made headlines when she became the sheriff of Praxedis, Mexico, has left the country for the United States, the attorney general of Chihuahua State told reporters Friday.

Valles Garcia, a criminology student, was the only person who accepted the job of police chief in the city whose police officers had been abducted and killed.

She is reportedly seeking asylum in the United States after receiving death threats, CNN affiliate KVIA said, citing Mexican media reports.

Valles Garcia accepted the job in October. At the time, she said she was tired of everyone being afraid.

She recruited three other women to join the unarmed, 13-member force in the small municipality of 8,500 people, the government-run Notimex news agency reported. She said the force would employ non-violent tactics with the goals of winning back security in public spaces and fostering greater cooperation among neighbors so they can form watch committees.

"The weapons we have are principles and values, which are the best weapons for prevention," she told CNN en Español. "Our work will be pure prevention. We are not going to be doing anything else other than prevention."

- CNN's Arthur Brice and Nick Valencia contributed to this report.

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Filed under: Drug violence • Mexico
soundoff (161 Responses)
  1. MattGMD

    "Unarmed?" Hasta la vista, baby.

    March 4, 2011 at 5:06 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Offtopic

    Let her in. Shes just a kid that had enough backbone to try and do something good. I remember the initial reports and I'm actually surprised she lasted this long.

    March 4, 2011 at 5:08 pm | Report abuse |
    • NPhxAz

      Oh no, she has so far stuck to the plan. 12mil illegals and one lazy puta too lazy to walk here like all the rest.

      March 4, 2011 at 6:06 pm | Report abuse |
  3. Centrist

    Why hasn't she fled? I would. Until we [US+Mexican Govts] enact policies that attack the problems for real and not pretend there's no need to waste anymore good people's lives on this sham. America needs to legalize pot while at the same time using herbicide to destroy the cocaine/heroin plantations in Colombia/Afghanistan where 80-90% of those drugs are manufactured. That takes a HUGE amount of $ away from cartels and eases the Dea's workload + budget. For those that blame Americans 100% for using drugs I would agree that America needs better programs to combat drug use, but most people who use start at a young age. Kids are targeted almost exclusively by dealers and popular culture encourages it. When a kid tries pot and sees it's pretty harmless then they start to believe dealers more than their parents about the dangers. Pot dealers generally have access to other drugs so that's how kids start expanding to other stuff. Pop culture needs to change as does our way of approaching problems. If pot were sold in stores by people under close watch whom didn't sell anything else, then you'd see a decline in harder drug use like Amsterdam. Drug dealers are predators and to suggest 100% of Americans just seek out an 8ball for no reason is flawed thinking. There are many areas to blame. The govt COULD, but chooses not to take drugs seriously, so now more innocent people in both countries have to suffer just so the sheriff has his bad guy to chase and victim to heal. Sad

    March 4, 2011 at 5:10 pm | Report abuse |
  4. SHOOOOOO

    I just farted. Shooooooo : )

    March 4, 2011 at 5:20 pm | Report abuse |
  5. johntherealman

    Every single person on this comment page who is talking crap about this young women are a bunch of S*** talkers! This young woman has more Balls than all of you! So talk all the crap you want to say, but you all wouldn’t be brave enough to do what she is doing!

    March 4, 2011 at 5:28 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Cody

    Fighting these people unarmed will solve absolutely nothing.

    March 4, 2011 at 5:30 pm | Report abuse |
    • NPhxAz

      But DC will come after us.

      March 4, 2011 at 6:03 pm | Report abuse |
  7. leebo

    she has a child.Mothers will do amazing things to get their kids away from dangerous situations.her choice was a very brave and smart gamble to either fix her city ,die trying ,or haul it to U.S. on celebrity status.not bad for a twenty yr. old.

    March 4, 2011 at 5:33 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Priapus

    Well, she will be sent back home as she does not qualify for asylum, like the hundreds of other Mexican law enforcement, journalists, and politicians who have tried the same thing these past couple years.
    What did she really expect, change without weapons? What an idealist.
    The reality is the US military needs to go in and clean things out like we did beforw with Pancho Villa.

    March 4, 2011 at 5:39 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Jason

    Why is this police department unarmed? If there is a police department that should be armed, it's this one.

    March 4, 2011 at 5:40 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Suzthegoose

    Plain and simple she comes off as a hero by taking a job no one in their right mind would take especially in Juarez Mex, she gets death threats she seeks asylum in the U.S. Easy access to come into the country play the victim this girl was after the green card all the way....

    March 4, 2011 at 5:45 pm | Report abuse |
    • Smallmansion

      Asylum based on credible fear to return to one's home country is almost never granted to mexican nationals. You must be from a country where its government persecutes its citizens based on political views, religion, etc.

      March 4, 2011 at 6:38 pm | Report abuse |
  11. nl

    what if it just wasn't to come to us what if she's working for drug lords and came this way to either get way out for drug lords or to bring more drugs to us for her life. also the woman she trained are they three females from her family?

    March 4, 2011 at 5:49 pm | Report abuse |
  12. I. Mold

    The article does point out that there are conflicting reports about the young police chief; but regardless of what she does, she's hardly typical for Mexico and only the American press would make it seem like a big deal.

    March 4, 2011 at 5:49 pm | Report abuse |
  13. TriumPatriot

    I don't blame her. 'Principles and values' crumble before assault rifles and grenades.

    March 4, 2011 at 5:56 pm | Report abuse |
  14. ArmyWife

    For all you geniuses who think she "planned" it. Do you KNOW how easy it is to get a student visa? She's a student and the University of Texas @ El Paso is in her backyard. If she wanted to get in, all it would have taken would be a few forms.

    March 4, 2011 at 5:59 pm | Report abuse |
  15. Rune

    Mexico should allow their citizens to be armed, how stupid can one be?

    March 4, 2011 at 6:01 pm | Report abuse |
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