Merida Initiative to Combat Illicit Narcotics and Reduce Organized Crime Authorization Act of 2008

MERIDA INITIATIVE TO COMBAT ILLICIT NARCOTICS AND REDUCE ORGANIZED CRIME AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2008 -- (House of Representatives - June 10, 2008)

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Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Let me associate myself with the words of our chairman. This is in the interests of the American people. I thank Chairman Berman for introducing this legislation and the ranking member, as well, for the collaboration that our committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, always engages in.

I think it is important to note that this is an initiative that was entered into by the United States and Mexico that announced a multiyear, $1.4 billion plan to use U.S. assistance to combat drug trafficking and other criminal organization activities. This has been labeled the ``Merida Initiative,'' and the administration has requested $500 million.

Some would ask why? Because we are at a crisis. And I come from the State of Texas. There is bloodshed on the border. The violence is enormous. The wars between drug cartels have caused some 1,800 to 1,900 deaths to Mexicans in the first 9 months of 2007. And it is attributable to the cartel-related violence. More than 60 American citizens have been kidnapped in Nuevo Laredo, a Mexican town directly across the border from the city of Laredo, a fine, wonderful city. And the mayors of those cities have come and asked for relief. But unfortunately, it hasn't been listened to in the way that I believe it could be. Recognizing that the violence or the cause is not Laredo or the border towns as much as it is the violence that is now spilling over.

So I hope as we move forward in our initiative it will have a number of elements to it, and certainly one of the elements has to be the war against drugs here in the United States. It is important to note that Mexico is, in fact, the main foreign supply of marijuana and meth, and as well even though there is a small production of heroin, interestingly enough, they are a large producer of the heroin supply here in United States.

And for this reason, there needs to be a number of collaborations. I disagree, for example, with the Secretary of Homeland Security, who says that we can't put the virtual fence at the border because he realizes that we are being conflicted by the questions of a barrier fence, reasonably so, because we are used to the ingress and egress of trade in that area. And so I hope this initiative will have a balance and recognize that we have to look at many options to secure the border.

I want to also make mention of the fact that I am a member of the Homeland Security Committee and will hope, as this legislation moves forward, that we will have a collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security with this effort. You cannot make this work unless DHS is involved.

And I was prepared to offer an amendment that dealt with assessing the role of the relevant United States Government departments and agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, in supporting the Merida Initiative, providing specific information on what staff, equipment and other resources the relevant United States Government departments and agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security would need to support this initiative, and assessing the impact of the initiative on the border security operations of the relevant United States Government departments and agencies.

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Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I thank the chairman.

Assessing the impact of the Merida Initiative on the border security operations of the relevant United States Government departments and agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, and identify additional resources, if any, that the relevant United States Government departments and agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, need to make available to carry out this initiative.

I recall specifically as a member of the Subcommittee on Border Security writing legislation and the ranking member on the Immigration Subcommittee in our past Congresses on providing more resources for our Border Patrol. It was interesting that the administration was always voicing their leadership on the idea of border security, and our Border Patrol agents were suffering. There were not enough. They didn't have the kind of speedboats, night goggles and computers. Now you see it is like night and day because of legislation carried by members of the Democratic Caucus.

And so it is important that as we go forward we find a collaboration of the Department of Homeland Security because human trafficking and drug trafficking are intertwined. The violation of the borders is intertwined with all we are doing here, and we need to have a collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security. I support this initiative, and I know it can be expanded.

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I rise today in cautious support of H.R. 6028, the ``Merida Initiative to Combat Illicit Narcotics and Reduce Organized Crime Act of 2008.'' I would like to thank my colleague

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Congressman Berman for introducing this legislation, as well as for his ongoing leadership as Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. While I do support this bill, I am extremely disappointed in the manner in which it was brought to the floor today. Like many Members, I have outstanding concerns about this legislation that have not yet been addressed, and I believe Members should have been given the opportunity to offer amendments to this important and far-reaching bill. I remain concerned about human rights in the region and I believe that the United States must do far more to address the demand for drugs in the United States, but I also believe that this legislation represents a positive step toward partnering with our southern neighbors to combat a problem that we share.

Mr. Speaker, I had planned to introduce an amendment to this legislation that will require the President to submit a report

(1) assessing the role of the relevant United States Government departments and agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, in supporting the Merida Initiative;

(2) providing specific information on what staffing, equipment, and other resources the relevant United States Government departments and agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, have provided for the Merida Initiative;

(3) assessing the impact of the Merida Initiative on the border security operations of the relevant United States Government departments and agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security; and

(4) identifying additional resources, if any, that the relevant United States Government departments and agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, need to make available to carry out the Merida Initiative.

As a senior Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, I am cognizant of the fact that the Department of Homeland Security will play a major role in the implementation of the Merida Initiative. Among other things, Customs and Border Patrol will be involved in the procurement and training of non-intrusive inspection equipment (scanners, x-ray vans) and rescue and communications equipment, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be involved in modernizing Mexico's immigration database and the training of vetted units focused on anti-gang and anti-money laundering.

In short, Mr. Speaker, the Merida Initiative will not be complete or successful without the cooperation of the Department of Homeland Security and the dedication of its brave men and women. The report required by my Amendment would have made sure Congress knows what resources DHS is contributing to the Merida Initiative and whether more are needed. It would also have

let Congress know how the Merida Initiative is affecting DHS's ability to carry out its other missions, including border security. As we continue to fight criminal syndicates and terrorism organizations around the world, we must ensure that there is accountability for our precious resources and that we are not losing focus of the needs at home. I am extremely disappointed that this legislation has been brought up under suspension, as I believe that my amendment would have improved the legislation.

On October 22, the United States and Mexico, in a joint statement, announced a multi-year, $1.4 billion plan to use U.S. assistance to combat drug trafficking and other criminal organizations. As part of this plan, known as the Mérida Initiative, the Administration has requested $500 million for Mexico and $50 million for Central America in the FY 2008 Supplemental Appropriations. Since March 2007, when Presidents George W. Bush and Felipe Calderon met in Mérida, officials of both governments, without the input of the legislative branch of either country, have been working on an initiative to expand bilateral and regional cooperation, in order to combat organized crime and criminal gangs in the region.

Mexico has, in recent years, experienced an increase in drug violence. Much of the recent violence has been attributed to turf wars between drug cartels, with between 1,800 and 1,900 deaths of Mexicans in the first nine months of 2007 alone being attributed to cartel-related violence. More than 60 American citizens have been kidnapped in Nuevo Laredo, a Mexican town directly across the border from the city of Laredo, in my own state of Texas. Some of this violence is reportedly spilling over the border into the United States.

Spill-over violence and attacks on Americans are not the only reasons Mexico's drug trade is of intimate interest to the United States. Mexico is the main foreign supplier of marijuana and a major supplier of methamphetamine to the United States, and, though it produces only a small share of global heroin production, it produces a sizeable proportion of the heroin distributed in the United States. In addition to production of drugs, Mexico is also a major transit country. According to State Department estimates, 90% of the cocaine entering the United States transits through Mexico.

With the demise of powerful cartels in Colombia, Mexican drug cartels have recently become increasingly significant. According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, Mexican cartels now dominate the illicit U.S. drug market, using ``well-established overland transportation networks to transport cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and heroin--Mexican and increasingly South American--to drug markets throughout the country.'' Though Colombian groups retain a significant share of smuggling and distribution operations in the United States, the operations of Mexican groups continue to account for an increasingly large percentage of the market.

Recent years have indicated that much more needs to be done to address issues of drug production and trafficking in Mexico. While I certainly agree that the Mérida Initiative represents an important and much needed effort, I am extremely disappointed

that neither members of the U.S. nor the Mexican congress were included in the discussion process. In addition, I have significant concerns about the initiative itself, and I believe there are many outstanding issues that remain to be addressed.

Mr. Speaker, I do not believe we can address the problem of drug trafficking by combating the supply side alone. This legislation does require the President to submit a report on efforts to reduce demand in the United States, and I believe that this language is extremely important, acknowledging that this is not just a foreign issue. I would like to see this Congress take a more active role in reducing the prevalence of drug use and addiction in our own communities, in conjunction with working to eliminate the flow of drugs across our borders.

Mr Speaker, it is essential that this Committee stay engaged with this program after it is implemented, particularly monitoring its effects on human rights. U.S. dollars absolutely should not be going to fund abuses; they should be used to build a culture of respect for fundamental human rights. To this end, I am pleased that this legislation states that one of the purposes of this initiative is to ``strengthen respect for internationally recognized human rights and the rule of law in efforts to stabilize the security environment relating to the illicit narcotics production and trafficking and organized crime.'' Further, this legislation restricts funding to any units known to commit gross violations of human rights, provides assistance for human rights training in relevant law enforcement units, and, perhaps most crucially, requires the President to report to Congress on the human rights impact of the equipment and training provided in this bill. Mr. Speaker, this language is important, but alone it is not enough, and I fully expect that this committee will remain engaged in this important issue following the implementation of this program.

Mr. Speaker, despite my outstanding concerns and my disappointment over the manner in which this legislation was brought before us today, I do believe that this legislation will strengthen the bonds of cooperation with our southern neighbors on an important issue in which we all share a stake. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.

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