When then-Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano was named secretary of homeland security, who knew that one of her most immediate and daunting problems would be right in her old backyard? The violence that has erupted from drug trafficking from Mexico has become, by necessity, a priority for the secretary, as crime spills into the United States and our weapons spill South into recession-plagued Mexico.

Yesterday Napolitano announced a new plan that will beef up security along the 2,000-mile border, adding support from various agencies that monitor the border. Searches of vehicles crossing the border will also be enhanced with new technology. All in all, an estimated $30 million from the stimulus bill could go to funding for local law-enforcement border efforts. Security at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico will be increased as well. Napolitano promised that there would be more efforts to come.

"Every American has a stake in this," Napolitano told USA Today. "Violence on the border easily seeps into our communities. It also creates a fear in border communities that the rule of law doesn’t apply anymore, and that’s just unacceptable."

At his press conference last night, President Obama said that no troop deployments to the Mexican border were planned. But he left some wiggle room, saying, “I think if one U.S. citizen is killed because of foreign nationals who are engaging in violent crime, that’s enough of a concern to do something about it.”

In the meantime, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton goes to Mexico today to meet with leaders there. President Obama will visit next month.