In addition to having a badge and a car that seemed to scream law enforcement, Mr. Jakob offered federal drug enforcement help, Mr. Schulte said.
The Herkimer police chief, Joseph Malone, said that the fast-unfolding violence, and a gunman on the loose, had "overwhelmed instantly" his small village department, and required "a small army" of state and other law enforcement help.
Mexican officials complain about mixed signals from the United States, noting that even as the administration steps up law enforcement help on the border, Congress has cut back funds for a three-year, $1.4 billion drug countertrafficking campaign called the Merida Initiative.
Local organizations such as Volunteers for Social Justice are using the law to mobilize greater enforcement, help free bonded laborers and save further vulnerable groups from exploitation.
"Ideally, I want TPA to be defeated in the House, because I think even with trade enforcement help for workers, it does more damage passing TPA than the things we want to dress it up with," Brown said.
But what is more remarkable, is that these self-organizing digital citizens have also taken it upon themselves, to remove litter from the streets, protect their national treasures, direct traffic and create local pseudo-police forces in the absence of any credible law enforcement help.
