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handle is hein.crs/govequs0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congr Infrnrniru &onoI F? search Service Ierui I tive I ba e sii ce 1914 Updated October 1, 2024 U.S.-Mexico Security Cooperation: From the Merida Initiative to the Bicentennial Framework Elevated drug overdose deaths in the United States and homicide rates in Mexico have led some in Congress to question the efficacy of U.S.-Mexican security cooperation. U.S. drug overdose deaths rose from 27,700 in 2007 to some 107,450 in 2023, 69.4% of which were linked to fentanyl. Since 2019, Mexico has surpassed China as the United States' primary source of fentanyl (with precursor chemicals coming mostly from China). Crime groups battling for control of drug and other illicit markets have fueled violent crime in Mexico. The homicide rate in Mexico tripled from 2007 to 2023. These trends have continued despite U.S.-Mexican security cooperation under the Mrida Initiative, an effort for which Congress appropriated $3.5 billion from FY2008 to FY2021. Congress may use lessons learned from the Mrida Initiative to inform funding, oversight, and potential conditions on U.S. security assistance to Mexico under the new Bicentennial Framework. The Mida nt iatve Prior to FY2008, 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 more U.S. cooperation to fight drug cartels. In response, the Mrida Initiative, a package of U.S. antidrug and rule- of-law assistance to Mexico, began. As part of the Mrida Initiative's focus 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. First Phase: FY2008-FY2010. Congress appropriated $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 required the State Department to withhold 15% of certain U.S. aid for the Mexican military and police until the agency submitted an annual report stating that Mexico was taking steps to meet human rights requirements. U.S. assistance focused on counternarcotics, border security, and counterterrorism; public security; and institution building. U.S. intelligence supported Mexico's strategy of arresting (and extraditing) kingpins from each of the major drug trafficking organizations, which inadvertently contributed to intra-cartel violence. Four Pillars: FY2011-FY2017. In 2011, the U.S. and Mexican governments broadened the scope of bilateral efforts under four pillars: (1) combating transnational criminal organizations (TCOs); (2) strengthening criminal justice sector institutions while protecting human rights; (3) creating a 21st-century U.S.-Mexican border, while improving immigration enforcement in Mexico; and (4) building resilient communities through pilot projects aimed at violence prevention and reducing drug demand. Observers initially praised the initiative's breadth but later concluded that the governments adopted new priorities without allocating adequate funding for them. For example, pillar two received significant U.S. funding for courtroom infrastructure, training, and equipment to support Mexico's 2008-2016 transition to an accusatorial justice system at the federal and state levels. The new criminal justice system has thus far failed to reduce impunity rates, possibly due to subsequent underinvestment in improving the investigative capacities of Mexican police and prosecutors. Final Phase and Demise: FY2018-FY2021. U.S.-Mexico security cooperation decreased after President Andr6s Manuel L6pez Obrador took office in December 2018. L6pez Obrador criticized the Mrida Initiative. He gradually reduced federal security cooperation with the United States, with the exception of migration enforcement (a key priority of the Trump Administration). In 2019, the L6pez Obrador administration disbanded the federal police, which had received significant U.S. equipment and training under the Mrida Initiative. Instead, the government created a National Guard drawn mostly from the military with limited investigative capacity that the defense ministry directed. Security cooperation further declined following the October 2020 U.S. arrest of a former Mexican defense minister on drug charges based on investigations by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. In response, Mexico's Congress enacted a law requiring foreign law enforcement officials to share information they gather with designated Mexican federal authorities. The Mexican federal government stopped approving most Mrida Initiative programs. Nevertheless, intelligence sharing and cooperation continued in some states and municipalities, including in Mexico City, when President Claudia Sheinbaum then served as head of government. icentenna Framework (2021 Present) The Biden Administration has sought to rebuild the U.S. security relationship with Mexico. In October 2021, Mexico hosted the first High-Level Security Dialogue (HLSD) since 2016. After the dialogue, the governments announced a new Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Health, and Safe Communities (the Framework) with three pillars: