Cuellar Works To Strengthen US-Mexico Relations

Press Release

Cuellar Works to Strengthen US-Mexico Relations

Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) voted late Wednesday in support of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act which includes sweeping measures to crackdown on small arms trafficking from the United States to Mexico by increasing existing penalties to unprecedented new standards. The bill also establishes a "Merida Coordinator" to track all Merida Initiative-related efforts throughout the U.S. government and allows for new information sharing between U.S. federal agencies and Mexico.

"I'm pleased to see the President will be appointing a Merida Initiative coordinator to oversee how we carry out those important programs, and by allowing our countries' law enforcement agencies to engage in information sharing we're maximizing our efforts and resources on both sides of the border," said Congressman Cuellar. "These new standards strengthen our working relationship with Mexico as both countries work to contain the violence along the border and stop the flow of illegal firearms headed south."

The bill creates an interagency task force to coordinate U.S. government efforts to prevent illegal firearms trafficking from the United States to Mexico and throughout the Western Hemisphere. The small arms trafficking measure increases existing fines from $1 million to the upwards of $3 million and increases potential prison time for such trafficking from 10 years to 20 years. In addition, it grants the Mexican Congress access to critical U.S. border related information to coordinate and improve drug-related oversight activities.

After participating in the 48th Mexico-U.S. Interparliamentary Group Meeting last week, Congressman Cuellar worked diligently with his colleagues Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Congressman Ed Pastor (D-AZ), Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA), the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, to craft a provision to address numerous concerns expressed by Mexican officials. The provision, ultimately included in the manager's amendment by Chairman Berman, seeks to enhance Mexico's law enforcement agencies' access to valuable information instrumental in addressing border-related issues.

"I'm very pleased that this provision will help the United States partner up with Mexico in a more effective way to solve our common problems. It gives these officials information we already have, information they can use," said Congressman Cuellar. "This is a major enhancement to our existing partnership as we both continue working towards better securing our borders and protecting our communities."

The Foreign Relations Authorization Act (HR 2410) passed the House late Wednesday by a vote of 298-119 and supports a wide range of U.S. national security goals. It authorizes resources necessary to diplomacy efforts abroad and supports the President's request to close a "diplomacy gap" in overseas posts. It also provides a significant number of resources for public diplomacy officers, arms control experts and counterterrorism specialists.

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