Janet Napolitano, who heads the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, was part of an emergency meeting that was held today with security cabinet members in Mexico, according to unofficial sources.

Mexican citizens have questioned Napolitano's participation in the meeting. And it is thought that the main topic of discussion was the wave of violence that reigns in the state of Michoacan, where 22 people were killed yesterday in a clash between Mexican armed forces and criminals.

Napolitano met yesterday with Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, Minister of the Interior in Mexico to discuss the new security measures at the border of Mexico and the United States, one of her last activities before retiring from her current position, and who is expected to serve as president for the University of California system, starting in late September.

Both public officials signed a new agreement to improve the response time of the authorities on both sides of the border, where the joint effort of patrols and the exchange of information between border security agencies were included. The agreement comes after six months of planning that was seeking for a secure border that is divided into four sections: planning, coordination, prevention and evaluation.

Also present in today’s meeting were the Secretaries of Defense and the Navy, Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda and Francisco Soberon Sanz, and the Mexican undersecretary, Luis Enrique Miranda Nava.

Brenda.Colon@Sandiegored.com

Omar.Martinez@Sandiegored.com