Mexico violence must not spill over

By Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison / Guest columnist

As violence associated with narcotrafficking and warring drug cartels escalates in Mexico, we must cooperatively work with our southern neighbor to prevent the problem from spilling into the U.S.

Many Americans are unaware of the violent street war that brazen drug lords are waging against Mexican authorities - mere yards away from El Paso in Ciudad Juárez, and across Mexico. These cartels battle for turf and drug-smuggling routes.

President Felipe Calderón is taking unprecedented steps to rout his country of these criminal organizations.

Yet now, in a concerted effort to destabilize the government, the drug cartels are actively targeting and assassinating law enforcement officials, terrorizing communities and bringing a new level of barbarism to their tactics.

This year, the Mexican government has reported 1,200 drug-related killings, ahead of last year’s record pace. Ruthless drug lords recently posted a death list of 22 targeted officials at a police memorial site.

Seven were subsequently killed and three others were injured in failed assassination attempts. Ten more have resigned.

In May, the Mexican government suffered another major blow when the acting federal police chief - who had served only 10 weeks - was assassinated.

Drug cartels aren’t confined by borders. From Mexico, they have successfully ordered hits on rival drug dealers inside the U.S.

And our law enforcement personnel are increasingly becoming targets. After all, most of the drugs being trafficked through Mexico are bound for the U.S.

On a typical day in 2007, U.S. Customs and Border Protection confiscated 2,250 pounds of narcotics in 69 seizures at ports of entry and seized 5,138 pounds of narcotics in U.S. territory.

The violence that accompanies this illicit merchandise could be carried over into our cities bordering Mexico. We must work vigilantly with interagency and international partners to quash this violence at its source.

On Tuesday, I met with Mexico’s ambassador to the U.S., Arturo Sarukhan, and he reiterated his country’s commitment to combating drug trafficking and working cooperatively to address this challenge.

President Calderón has mobilized tens of thousands of police and military personnel to take on the drug cartels.

In 2007, Mexico extradited more than 80 criminals to the U.S. The Mexican government has also made important regulatory reforms to stem the flow of chemicals used in methamphetamines across the border.

Last year, President Bush and President Calderón created the Merida Initiative, a coordinated effort to bolster Mexico’s crackdown on drug and criminal rings. Together, our governments will purchase equipment and provide training in the U.S. to help Mexican law enforcement intercept trafficked drugs, arms, cash, and persons.

This plan emphasizes training to strengthen judicial systems, law enforcement, and witness-protection programs and will improve communications systems.

While the Merida Initiative is a key component in combating narcotrafficking in the Western Hemisphere, I could not support it without added funding for border law enforcement here at home.

American police officers and sheriffs are being shot at from across the border by drug lords. To aid our law enforcement in their defense of our homeland, I added funding to equip local law enforcement along the border and in High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas.

Of this amount, $10 million will be directed to fully fund Project Gunrunner, an initiative to halt the illegal flow of firearms into Mexico.

We share more than just a border with our neighbor, Mexico. We also share the burden of fighting narcotrafficking and protecting our citizens from the terrorism of drug cartels.

Now, through the Merida Initiative, and through my efforts to increase federal funds for U.S. law enforcement agencies, we are beginning to take the necessary steps to meet this challenge.

Kay Bailey Hutchison is the senior U.S. senator from Texas.
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