About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

LOG IN
LOG IN


1 1 (February 10, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govebbg0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service 0 Updated February 10, 2020 Mexico: Evolution of the M6rida Initiative, 2007-2020 Congress remains concerned about the effects of organized- crime-related violence in Mexico on U.S. security interests and U.S. citizens' safety in Mexico. Homicides in Mexico have reached record levels in each of the last three years as criminal groups have fought for control of smuggling routes into the United States. A year into his term, Mexican President Andres Manuel L6pez Obrador is under pressure to develop a new security policy. The November 2019 killing of an extended family of dual citizens near the Arizona border in Mexico has led some Members of Congress to call for increased oversight of bilateral efforts. This product provides a succinct overview of the roughly $3.1 billion appropriated for the Merida Initiative, L6pez Obrador's security strategy, and how to assess bilateral security efforts. Origins of the Merida Initiative Prior to FY2007, Mexico did not receive large amounts of U.S. security assistance, partially due to Mexican sensitivity about U.S. involvement in the country's internal affairs. In March 2007, then-Mexican President Felipe Calder6n asked for expanded U.S. cooperation to fight criminal organizations and their cross-border trafficking operations. In response, the Merida Initiative, a package of U.S. antidrug and rule of law assistance to Mexico (and Central America), began in October 2007. As part of the Merida Initiative's emphasis on shared responsibility, the Mexican government pledged to tackle corruption. The U.S. government pledged to address drug demand and the illicit trafficking of firearms and bulk currency to Mexico. Both governments have struggled to fulfill those commitments. The December 2019 U.S. arrest of Calder6n's former public security minister for allegedly taking millions in bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel demonstrated Mexico's endemic corruption. High levels of U.S. opioid-related deaths and rising methamphetamine demand illustrate challenges in addressing U.S. drug consumption. Initial Funding for the Merida Initiative: FY200-FY2OJO During the first three years of the Merida Initiative, Congress appropriated some $1.5 billion, including $420.7 million in foreign military financing (FMF), which enabled the purchase of equipment, including aircraft and helicopters, to support Mexico's federal security forces (military and police). Congress withheld 15% of certain U.S. aid for the Mexican military and police until the State Department submitted an annual report stating that Mexico was taking steps to meet human rights requirements. U.S. assistance focused on (1) counternarcotics, border security, and counterterrorism; (2) public security; and (3) institution building. U.S. assistance and intelligence supported Mexico's strategy of arresting (and extraditing) kingpins from each of the major drug trafficking organizations. This kingpin strategy also fueled violence, as fractured drug trafficking organizations fought to regroup and reorganize. The Four-Pillar Strategy: FY20 I 1-FY201 In 2011, the U.S. and Mexican governments broadened the scope of bilateral efforts under four pillars that prioritized institution building: 1. Combating transnational criminal organizations through intelligence sharing and law enforcement operations; 2. Institutionalizing the rule of law while protecting human rights through justice sector reform, forensic equipment and training, and federal- and state-level police and corrections reform; 3. Creating a 21st-century U.S.-Mexican border while improving immigration enforcement in Mexico and security along Mexico's southern borders; and 4. Building strong and resilient communities by piloting approaches to address root causes of violence and supporting efforts to reduce drug demand and build a culture of lawfulness through education programs. Some analysts praised the wide-ranging cooperation between the governments. Others criticized the increasing number of priorities they adopted. Experts warned it would be difficult for Mexico to implement an accusatorial justice system requiring better evidence collection by police and public trials with oral arguments in only eight years. Mexico's Congress established the eight-year transition to a new justice system in 2008 constitutional reforms. U.S. technology and training under pillar one supported Mexican intelligence-gathering and information-sharing efforts, including biometrics and telecommunications. Under pillar two, U.S. agencies provided more than $400 million in training, courtroom infrastructure, and technical assistance to support Mexico's transition to an accusatorial justice system at the federal and state levels. Pillar three expanded beyond efforts to modernize the U.S.-Mexican border to include more than $100 million in training and equipment for securing Mexico's southern border. Under pillar four, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) implemented $25 million in human rights programs and $90 million in crime prevention projects. FMF has not been part of the Merida Initiative since FY2011, but the State Department and the U.S. Department of Defense coordinate their assistance. Although all U.S. security assistance to Mexico is subject to human rights vetting requirements (known as Leahy Laws), additional human-rights-related aid restrictions only apply to FMF. ;congross.gov