Mérida Initiative
Encyclopedia
The Mérida Initiative is a security cooperation agreement between the United States
and the government of Mexico
and the countries of Central America
, with the declared aim of combating the threats of drug trafficking, transnational organized crime and money laundering
. The assistance includes training, equipment and intelligence.
In seeking partnership with the United States, Mexican officials point out that the illicit drug trade is a shared problem in need of a shared solution, and remark that most of the financing for the Mexican traffickers comes from American drug consumers. U.S. law enforcement officials estimate that US$12 to 15 billion per year flows from the United States to the Mexican traffickers, and that is just in cash, i.e., not including the money sent by wire transfer
s. Other government agencies, including the Government Accountability Office and the National Drug Intelligence Center, have estimated that Mexico's cartels earn upwards of $23 billion per year in illicit drug revenue from the United States.
U.S. State Department officials are aware that Mexican President Felipe Calderón
’s willingness to work with the United States is unprecedented on issues of security, crime and drugs, so the U.S. Congress passed legislation in late June 2008 to provide Mexico with $400 million and Central American countries with $65 million that year for the Mérida Initiative. The initiative was announced on 22 October 2007 and signed into law on June 30, 2008.
Mexico remains a transit and not a cocaine production country. Marijuana and methamphetamine
production do take place in Mexico and are responsible for an estimated 80% of the methamphetamine on the streets in the United States, while 1100 metric tons of marijuana are smuggled each year from Mexico.
In 1990, just over half the cocaine imported into the U.S. came through Mexico. By 2007, that had risen to more than 90 percent, according to U.S. State Department estimates.
Although violence between drug cartels has been occurring long before the war began, the government used its police forces in the 1990s and early 2000s with little effect. That changed on December 11, 2006, when newly elected President Felipe Calderón
sent 6,500 federal troops to the state of Michoacán
to put an end to drug violence there. This action is regarded as the first major retaliation made against cartel operations, and is generally viewed as the starting point of the war between the government and the drug cartels. As time progressed, Calderón continued to escalate his anti-drug campaign, in which there are now well over 25,000 troops involved.
During president Calderón's administration, the Mexican government has spent approximately $7 USD billion in an 18-month-old campaign against drug cartels. It is estimated that during 2006, there were about 2000 drug-related violent deaths, about 2300 deaths during 2007; more than 3,725 people have during 2008. Many of the dead were gang members killed by rivals or by the government, some have been bystanders.
At least 450 police officers and soldiers have been killed since January 2007.
The National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) has noted that cocaine availability decreased in several U.S. drug markets during the first half of 2007, mostly because of record 33.5 ton cocaine seizures by the Mexican Navy
. However, it is estimated that the major drug trafficking organizations are currently reorganizing and readjusting to the new challenges facing their trade; as a result, drug availability in 2008 is once again on the rise. One of the new adaptations is the use of home-made narco submarine
s; in 2006, American officials say they detected only three; now they are spotting an average of ten per month, but only one in ten is intercepted. Another recent development is the consolidation of the smaller drug trafficking organizations into powerful alliances, escalating the violence between the groups vying for control of the narcotics trade to the U.S. Some 300 tons of cocaine are estimated to pass through Mexico to the U.S. yearly.
The U.S. Congress approved $465 million in the first year, which includes $400 million for Mexico and $65 million for Central America, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. For the second year, Congress approved $300 million for Mexico and $110 million for Central America, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. A FY09 supplemental appropriation is providing an additional $420 million for Mexico; and $450 million for Mexico and $100 million for Central America has been requested for FY10.
Only about $204 million of that, however, will be earmarked for the Mexican military for the purchase of eight used transport helicopters and two small surveillance aircraft. No weapons are included in the plan. The bill requires that $73.5 million of the $400 million for Mexico must be used for judicial reform, institution-building, human rights and rule-of-law issues. The bill specifies that 15% of the funds will be dependent on Mexico making headway in four areas relating to human-rights issues, and on which the U.S. Secretary of State will have to report periodically to Congress.
An additional $65 million was granted for the Central American countries (Belize
, Costa Rica
, El Salvador
, Guatemala
, Honduras
, Nicaragua
and Panama
); the House also included Haiti
and the Dominican Republic
in this bill for Central America, which is a comprehensive public security package that seeks to tackle citizen insecurity in Central America by more effectively addressing criminal gangs
, improving information sharing between countries, modernizing and professionalizing the police forces, expanding maritime interdiction capabilities, and reforming the judicial sector in order to restore and strengthen citizens’ confidence in those institutions.
Much of the funding will never leave the United States. It will go toward the purchase of aircraft, surveillance software, and other goods and services produced by U.S. private defense contractor
s. While this request includes equipment and training, it does not involve any cash transfers or money to be provided directly to the Government of Mexico or its private contractors. According to U.S. State Department officials, 59% of the proposed assistance will go to civil agencies responsible for law enforcement, and 41% to operational costs for the Mexican Army
and Mexican Navy
. While the initial cost for equipment and hardware that the military required is high, it is expected that future budget requests will focus increasingly on training and assistance to civil agencies.
As of November 2009, the U.S. has delivered about $214 million of the pledged $1.6 billion.
With the Mérida Initiative set to expire on September 30, 2010, the U.S. State Department has proposed a major renewal and expansion of the program. If approved, starting in 2011, $310 million would be granted to Mexico, another $100 million for the Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI), and $79 million for the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI).
]
The Mérida Initiative will provide funding for:
Since 1996, the ATF
has traced more than 62,000 firearms smuggled into Mexico from the United States. Mexican government officials suspect that corrupt customs officials, on both sides of the border, help smuggle weapons into Mexico; as reported by ATF, the most common "traced" firearms now include the Colt AR-15 .223 caliber rifle, the AK-47
assault rifle
, FN 5.7 caliber semi-automatic pistol and a variety of armor piercing
.50 caliber
long range sniper rifles and machine guns. Also, there have been occasions where grenade launchers were used against security forces and twelve M4 Carbine
s with M203 grenade launcher
s have been confiscated. It is believed that some of these high power weapons were stolen from U.S. military bases.
An analysis of firearms trace data by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
(ATF) over the past three years shows that weapons are being traced to dealers in virtually every state, as far north as Washington state, and that Texas
, Arizona
and California
are the three most prolific source states, respectively, for firearms subsequently illegally trafficked to Mexico. Since 1996, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
(ATF) has traced more than 62,000 firearms smuggled into Mexico from the United States. ATF officials report that 90% of the firearms recovered in Mexico came from U.S. gun dealers, and about 55% of these guns were identified as assault rifle
s. However, the Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General reported only 18,585 seized Mexican firearms were successfully traced to the United States in the last five years (2005–2009) out of 66,028 firearms submitted by Mexico to ATF for tracing. In response to the majority claim in a 2009 GAO
report, the DHS
pointed out that the "majority" were 3,480 U.S. origin guns of 4,000 successfully tracable by ATF out a total of 30,000 firearms seized in Mexico 2004 to 2008. Mexican officials submitted some 32% of the guns seized to the ATF for tracing. The ATF was able to trace less than half of the weapons submitted. Overall, 83% of the guns seized by Mexican authorities could not be traced.
ATF has computerized millions of firearms sales transactions from dealer "out of business" records, and multiple sales reports, effectively creating a large de facto national firearms registry. If the firearm cannot be found in the computerized records, agents contact the manufacturer or importer with a make and serial number, then work their way down the supply chain by telephone or on foot. ATF agents found that one in five of the seized Mexican guns could not be traced.
In 2008, the ATF
received 2 million USD to assist in the expansion of Spanish language eTrace
software to Mexico and Central America region to assist them with firearms tracking issues, and their immediate goal is to deploy Spanish e-Trace software to all thirty-one states within Mexico. ATF has provided Mexico (and Colombia) with its own centralized tracing center, staffed by nationals, with direct access to United States firearms transaction records maintained by the ATF National Tracing Center.
Since more work is required to make sure those guns stay in the U.S., the U.S. Senate proposes to stop firearms' smuggling now, which will allow Mexican law enforcement to fight drug trafficking more effectively; more importantly, it also takes the Mexican military out of the law enforcement role it has been assigned. The ATF and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) recently implemented two enforcement initiatives named, Operación Armas Cruzadas (ICE) and Project Gunrunner
(ATF). In early August 2008, the FBI is engaged in 146 task force investigations, 12 of them in Texas, aimed at drug-smuggling groups and gang activity.
, through which the U.S. has heavily funded the Colombian military, yet cocaine production has steadily increased and registered a 27% rise in 2007, before declining in 2008 and 2009
The current plan will require Mexican soldiers accused of human rights
abuses in their country to face the civil courts rather than courts-martial
. In response, members of the Mexican Congress raised objections because the conditions requiring monitoring of human rights violations are an infringement and violation of Mexican sovereignty, a particular point of sensitivity because Mexico is concerned in exercising its right to govern over its own country without foreign intervention.
Mexican authorities are understood to be much happier with the final wording of the package, which contains the phrase “in accordance with Mexican and international law” in at least three of the conditions relating to human rights. The bill requires that $73.5 million must be used for judicial reform, institution-building, human rights and rule-of-law issues.
Already some are concerned with the current amount of human rights abuses committed by the armed forces, some 800 in the first five months of 2008, double the rate from the year before. Most claims are filed for misconduct or illegal searches; yet some, though far fewer, are as serious as rape and torture. A growing number of citizens are concerned that the Mexican military is "becoming too powerful in the face of state weakness – a chilling reminder of a more repressive era." Calderón's use of the army in fighting drug cartels has been questioned by rights groups, but political analysts say troops are his only real option in a country where as many as half the police could be in the pay of drug gangs.
Some recent examples of Mexico’s paramilitary abuses include the sexual assault and rape of dozens of female detainees
by police in San Salvador Atenco
, and the disappearances
of dozens of teachers in the rebellious state of Oaxaca
in 2006, as well as the killings of seven innocent bystanders, including the American journalist Brad Will
by off-duty policemen. Almost half of Mexican police officers examined in 2008 have failed background and security tests, a figure that rises to nearly 9 of 10 policemen in the border state of Baja California.
Others criticize the continued support of combating the supply of drugs rather than focusing on prevention, treatment and education programs to curb demand. Studies show that military interdiction efforts fail because they ignore the root cause of the problem: U.S. demand. During the early to mid-1990s, the Clinton administration
ordered and funded a major cocaine policy study by the Rand Drug Policy Research Center; the study concluded that $3 billion USD should be switched from federal and local law enforcement to treatment. The report said that treatment is the cheapest and most effective way to cut drug use. President Clinton's drug czar's office rejected slashing law enforcement spending. The Bush administration proposed cutting spending on drug treatment and prevention programs by $73 million, or 1.5%, in the 2009 budget. The Fiscal Year 2011 National Drug Control Budget proposed by the Obama Administration will devote significant new resources to the prevention and treatment of drug abuse.
activists and other policy groups criticize the Initiative's lack of a robust framework for institution building and the existence of coerced confessions, often through the use of torture
. In early July 2008, a video emerged of city police officers from León, Guanajuato
, being taught torture methods by a U.S. security firm instructor; the video created an uproar in Mexico, which has struggled to eliminate torture in law enforcement. It is still unclear how this event will affect the Mérida Initiative, as it can be used both to reinforce the need to train security forces on human rights or to cancel the initiative altogether. The training took place in April 2006 and lasted for 12 days. León Mayor, Vicente Guerrero Reynoso, initially insisted that the training would continue, justifying the training as a means of withstanding torture under kidnapping scenarios. However, because of the public furor and under pressure from federal and state authorities, he suspended the program.
A portion of the funding under the Mérida Initiative will be released only if the U.S. Secretary of State reports that Mexico bars the use of testimony that has been obtained through torture, a policy that is in line with Mexican law but often is not observed.
force in order to reduce the role of the military in combating drug trafficking. The plan, known as the Comprehensive Strategy Against Drug Trafficking, also involves purging local police forces of corrupt officers. Elements of the plan have already been set in motion, including a massive police recruiting and training effort intended to reduce the country's dependence in the drug war on the military. As part of the initiative, Mexico is already receiving information about suspicious ships leaving ports in Colombia
and Ecuador
.
On August 2008, Mexico announced that two states, Chihuahua and Nuevo León, are pioneering public trial
s, in which the state must prove its case. Before, the accused bore the burden of proof, and trials were secret. Mexico's president hopes this will bring transparency and accountability to the legal process and to end a tradition of corruption, shoddy investigations, coerced testimony, and an extremely low conviction rate.
Early December 2008, the US released $197 million of aid to Mexico. Most of this aid will pay for helicopters and other equipment to fight violent drug cartels. By early 2009 the US government released another $99 million which will go toward buying aircraft and inspection equipment for the Mexican military. The US has thus far released $300 million of the $400 million appropriated for Mexico.
During the 5th Summit of the Americas
in April 2009, the leaders of several Caribbean
nations stated to a group of U.S. congressmen that they have a desire to join the Mérida Initiative, as a crackdown in Mexico could push drug traffickers' operations into their island nations. This directly led to the formation of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) as a complement of the Mérida Initiative.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the government of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and the countries of Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, with the declared aim of combating the threats of drug trafficking, transnational organized crime and money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
. The assistance includes training, equipment and intelligence.
In seeking partnership with the United States, Mexican officials point out that the illicit drug trade is a shared problem in need of a shared solution, and remark that most of the financing for the Mexican traffickers comes from American drug consumers. U.S. law enforcement officials estimate that US$12 to 15 billion per year flows from the United States to the Mexican traffickers, and that is just in cash, i.e., not including the money sent by wire transfer
Wire transfer
Wire transfer or credit transfer is a method of electronic funds transfer from one person or institution to another. A wire transfer can be made from one bank account to another bank account or through a transfer of cash at a cash office...
s. Other government agencies, including the Government Accountability Office and the National Drug Intelligence Center, have estimated that Mexico's cartels earn upwards of $23 billion per year in illicit drug revenue from the United States.
U.S. State Department officials are aware that Mexican President Felipe Calderón
Felipe Calderón
Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa is the current President of Mexico. He assumed office on December 1, 2006, and was elected for a single six-year term through 2012...
’s willingness to work with the United States is unprecedented on issues of security, crime and drugs, so the U.S. Congress passed legislation in late June 2008 to provide Mexico with $400 million and Central American countries with $65 million that year for the Mérida Initiative. The initiative was announced on 22 October 2007 and signed into law on June 30, 2008.
Background
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
production do take place in Mexico and are responsible for an estimated 80% of the methamphetamine on the streets in the United States, while 1100 metric tons of marijuana are smuggled each year from Mexico.
In 1990, just over half the cocaine imported into the U.S. came through Mexico. By 2007, that had risen to more than 90 percent, according to U.S. State Department estimates.
Although violence between drug cartels has been occurring long before the war began, the government used its police forces in the 1990s and early 2000s with little effect. That changed on December 11, 2006, when newly elected President Felipe Calderón
Felipe Calderón
Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa is the current President of Mexico. He assumed office on December 1, 2006, and was elected for a single six-year term through 2012...
sent 6,500 federal troops to the state of Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
to put an end to drug violence there. This action is regarded as the first major retaliation made against cartel operations, and is generally viewed as the starting point of the war between the government and the drug cartels. As time progressed, Calderón continued to escalate his anti-drug campaign, in which there are now well over 25,000 troops involved.
During president Calderón's administration, the Mexican government has spent approximately $7 USD billion in an 18-month-old campaign against drug cartels. It is estimated that during 2006, there were about 2000 drug-related violent deaths, about 2300 deaths during 2007; more than 3,725 people have during 2008. Many of the dead were gang members killed by rivals or by the government, some have been bystanders.
At least 450 police officers and soldiers have been killed since January 2007.
The National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) has noted that cocaine availability decreased in several U.S. drug markets during the first half of 2007, mostly because of record 33.5 ton cocaine seizures by the Mexican Navy
Mexican Navy
The Mexican Navy is the naval branch of the Mexican military responsible for conducting naval operations. Its stated mission is "to use the naval force of the federation for the exterior defense, and to help with internal order". The Navy consists of about 56,000 men and women plus reserves, over...
. However, it is estimated that the major drug trafficking organizations are currently reorganizing and readjusting to the new challenges facing their trade; as a result, drug availability in 2008 is once again on the rise. One of the new adaptations is the use of home-made narco submarine
Narco submarine
A narco-submarine is a type of custom-made ocean-going self-propelled submersible vessel built by drug traffickers to smuggle drugs. They are especially known to be used by Colombian drug cartel members to export cocaine from Colombia to Mexico, which is often then transported overland to the...
s; in 2006, American officials say they detected only three; now they are spotting an average of ten per month, but only one in ten is intercepted. Another recent development is the consolidation of the smaller drug trafficking organizations into powerful alliances, escalating the violence between the groups vying for control of the narcotics trade to the U.S. Some 300 tons of cocaine are estimated to pass through Mexico to the U.S. yearly.
Funding
The U.S. Congress has now authorized $1.6 USD billion for the three-year initiative (2007–2010).The U.S. Congress approved $465 million in the first year, which includes $400 million for Mexico and $65 million for Central America, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. For the second year, Congress approved $300 million for Mexico and $110 million for Central America, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. A FY09 supplemental appropriation is providing an additional $420 million for Mexico; and $450 million for Mexico and $100 million for Central America has been requested for FY10.
Only about $204 million of that, however, will be earmarked for the Mexican military for the purchase of eight used transport helicopters and two small surveillance aircraft. No weapons are included in the plan. The bill requires that $73.5 million of the $400 million for Mexico must be used for judicial reform, institution-building, human rights and rule-of-law issues. The bill specifies that 15% of the funds will be dependent on Mexico making headway in four areas relating to human-rights issues, and on which the U.S. Secretary of State will have to report periodically to Congress.
An additional $65 million was granted for the Central American countries (Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
); the House also included Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
and the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
in this bill for Central America, which is a comprehensive public security package that seeks to tackle citizen insecurity in Central America by more effectively addressing criminal gangs
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
, improving information sharing between countries, modernizing and professionalizing the police forces, expanding maritime interdiction capabilities, and reforming the judicial sector in order to restore and strengthen citizens’ confidence in those institutions.
Much of the funding will never leave the United States. It will go toward the purchase of aircraft, surveillance software, and other goods and services produced by U.S. private defense contractor
Private military company
A private military company or provides military and security services. These combatants are commonly known as mercenaries, though modern-day PMCs refer to their staff as security contractors, private military contractors or private security contractors, and refer to themselves as private military...
s. While this request includes equipment and training, it does not involve any cash transfers or money to be provided directly to the Government of Mexico or its private contractors. According to U.S. State Department officials, 59% of the proposed assistance will go to civil agencies responsible for law enforcement, and 41% to operational costs for the Mexican Army
Mexican Army
The Mexican Army is the combined land and air branch and largest of the Mexican Military services; it also is known as the National Defense Army. It is famous for having been the first army to adopt and use an automatic rifle, , in 1899, and the first to issue automatic weapons as standard issue...
and Mexican Navy
Mexican Navy
The Mexican Navy is the naval branch of the Mexican military responsible for conducting naval operations. Its stated mission is "to use the naval force of the federation for the exterior defense, and to help with internal order". The Navy consists of about 56,000 men and women plus reserves, over...
. While the initial cost for equipment and hardware that the military required is high, it is expected that future budget requests will focus increasingly on training and assistance to civil agencies.
As of November 2009, the U.S. has delivered about $214 million of the pledged $1.6 billion.
With the Mérida Initiative set to expire on September 30, 2010, the U.S. State Department has proposed a major renewal and expansion of the program. If approved, starting in 2011, $310 million would be granted to Mexico, another $100 million for the Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI), and $79 million for the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI).
Equipment
- Non-intrusive inspection equipment such as ion scannersIon mobility spectrometerIon-mobility spectrometry is an analytical technique used to separate and identify ionized molecules in the gas phase based on their mobility in a carrier buffer gas...
, gamma ray scannersGamma cameraA gamma camera, also called a scintillation camera or Anger camera, is a device used to image gamma radiation emitting radioisotopes, a technique known as scintigraphy...
, X-ray vans and canine unitsPolice dogA police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...
for Mexico and Central America. - Technologies to improve and secure telecommunications systemsTelecommunications Systems ManagementTelecommunications Systems Management is an interdisciplinary area of study offered at some universities to fill the need for a liaison between the technical aspect and the business aspect of telecommunications...
that collect criminal information in Mexico. - Technical advice and training to strengthen the institutions of justice, case management software to track investigations through the system, new offices of citizen complaints and professional responsibility, and witness protection programs to Mexico.
- Thirteen Bell 412 EPBell 412The Bell 412 is a utility helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It is a development of the Bell 212 model, the major difference being the composite four-blade main rotor.-Design and development:...
helicopters (5 with INCLE funds for the Federal Police and 8 with FMF funds for the military). - Eleven UH-60 Black Hawk transport helicopters (three with INCLE funds for the Federal Police and 5 with FMF funds for the Mexican Air Force), and three for the Mexican Navy.
- Up to four CASA CN-235CASA CN-235The CASA/IPTN CN-235 is a medium-range twin-engined transport plane that was jointly developed by CASA of Spain and IPTN of Indonesia as a regional airliner and military transport. Its primary military roles include maritime patrol, surveillance, and air transport...
transport aircraft. - Equipment, training and community action programs in Central American countries to implement anti-gang measures and expand the reach of these measures.
Smuggling of firearms
The Mérida Initiative includes $74 million to be assigned for efforts by the U.S. government to stop the flow of illegal weapons from the U.S. to Mexico, but important concerns remain regarding how this will be achieved. According to a Mexican government official, as many as 2,000 weapons enter Mexico each year and fuel an arms race between competing drug cartels.Since 1996, the ATF
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
has traced more than 62,000 firearms smuggled into Mexico from the United States. Mexican government officials suspect that corrupt customs officials, on both sides of the border, help smuggle weapons into Mexico; as reported by ATF, the most common "traced" firearms now include the Colt AR-15 .223 caliber rifle, the AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
, FN 5.7 caliber semi-automatic pistol and a variety of armor piercing
Armor-piercing shot and shell
An armor-piercing shell is a type of ammunition designed to penetrate armor. From the 1860s to 1950s, a major application of armor-piercing projectiles was to defeat the thick armor carried on many warships. From the 1920s onwards, armor-piercing weapons were required for anti-tank missions...
.50 caliber
.50 BMG
The .50 Browning Machine Gun or 12.7×99mm NATO is a cartridge developed for the Browning .50 caliber machine gun in the late 1910s. Entering service officially in 1921, the round is based on a greatly scaled-up .30-06 cartridge...
long range sniper rifles and machine guns. Also, there have been occasions where grenade launchers were used against security forces and twelve M4 Carbine
M4 Carbine
The M4 carbine is a family of firearms tracing its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 designed by Eugene Stoner and made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle, with 80% parts commonality.It is a gas-operated,...
s with M203 grenade launcher
M203 grenade launcher
The M203 is a single shot 40 mm grenade launcher designed to attach to a rifle. It uses the same rounds as the older M79 break-action grenade launcher, which utilize the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low. Though versatile, and compatible with many rifle models, the M203 was...
s have been confiscated. It is believed that some of these high power weapons were stolen from U.S. military bases.
An analysis of firearms trace data by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
(ATF) over the past three years shows that weapons are being traced to dealers in virtually every state, as far north as Washington state, and that Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
are the three most prolific source states, respectively, for firearms subsequently illegally trafficked to Mexico. Since 1996, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
(ATF) has traced more than 62,000 firearms smuggled into Mexico from the United States. ATF officials report that 90% of the firearms recovered in Mexico came from U.S. gun dealers, and about 55% of these guns were identified as assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
s. However, the Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General reported only 18,585 seized Mexican firearms were successfully traced to the United States in the last five years (2005–2009) out of 66,028 firearms submitted by Mexico to ATF for tracing. In response to the majority claim in a 2009 GAO
Government Accountability Office
The Government Accountability Office is the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of the United States Congress. It is located in the legislative branch of the United States government.-History:...
report, the DHS
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
pointed out that the "majority" were 3,480 U.S. origin guns of 4,000 successfully tracable by ATF out a total of 30,000 firearms seized in Mexico 2004 to 2008. Mexican officials submitted some 32% of the guns seized to the ATF for tracing. The ATF was able to trace less than half of the weapons submitted. Overall, 83% of the guns seized by Mexican authorities could not be traced.
ATF has computerized millions of firearms sales transactions from dealer "out of business" records, and multiple sales reports, effectively creating a large de facto national firearms registry. If the firearm cannot be found in the computerized records, agents contact the manufacturer or importer with a make and serial number, then work their way down the supply chain by telephone or on foot. ATF agents found that one in five of the seized Mexican guns could not be traced.
In 2008, the ATF
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
received 2 million USD to assist in the expansion of Spanish language eTrace
ETrace
eTrace is an Internet-based firearm trace request submission system, developed by the United States' federal government, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, that provides for the electronic exchange of traced firearm data in a secure internet-based environment...
software to Mexico and Central America region to assist them with firearms tracking issues, and their immediate goal is to deploy Spanish e-Trace software to all thirty-one states within Mexico. ATF has provided Mexico (and Colombia) with its own centralized tracing center, staffed by nationals, with direct access to United States firearms transaction records maintained by the ATF National Tracing Center.
Since more work is required to make sure those guns stay in the U.S., the U.S. Senate proposes to stop firearms' smuggling now, which will allow Mexican law enforcement to fight drug trafficking more effectively; more importantly, it also takes the Mexican military out of the law enforcement role it has been assigned. The ATF and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security , responsible for identifying, investigating, and dismantling vulnerabilities regarding the nation's border, economic, transportation, and infrastructure security...
(ICE) recently implemented two enforcement initiatives named, Operación Armas Cruzadas (ICE) and Project Gunrunner
Project Gunrunner
Project Gunrunner is an operation of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives intended to stem the flow of firearms into Mexico, in an attempt to deprive the Mexican drug cartels of weapons....
(ATF). In early August 2008, the FBI is engaged in 146 task force investigations, 12 of them in Texas, aimed at drug-smuggling groups and gang activity.
Criticism
The Mérida Initiative is called "Plan Mexico" by critics, to point out its similarities to Plan ColombiaPlan Colombia
The term Plan Colombia is most often used to refer to U.S. legislation aimed at curbing drug smuggling and combating a left-wing insurgency by supporting different activities in Colombia....
, through which the U.S. has heavily funded the Colombian military, yet cocaine production has steadily increased and registered a 27% rise in 2007, before declining in 2008 and 2009
The current plan will require Mexican soldiers accused of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
abuses in their country to face the civil courts rather than courts-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
. In response, members of the Mexican Congress raised objections because the conditions requiring monitoring of human rights violations are an infringement and violation of Mexican sovereignty, a particular point of sensitivity because Mexico is concerned in exercising its right to govern over its own country without foreign intervention.
Mexican authorities are understood to be much happier with the final wording of the package, which contains the phrase “in accordance with Mexican and international law” in at least three of the conditions relating to human rights. The bill requires that $73.5 million must be used for judicial reform, institution-building, human rights and rule-of-law issues.
Already some are concerned with the current amount of human rights abuses committed by the armed forces, some 800 in the first five months of 2008, double the rate from the year before. Most claims are filed for misconduct or illegal searches; yet some, though far fewer, are as serious as rape and torture. A growing number of citizens are concerned that the Mexican military is "becoming too powerful in the face of state weakness – a chilling reminder of a more repressive era." Calderón's use of the army in fighting drug cartels has been questioned by rights groups, but political analysts say troops are his only real option in a country where as many as half the police could be in the pay of drug gangs.
Some recent examples of Mexico’s paramilitary abuses include the sexual assault and rape of dozens of female detainees
2006 civil unrest in San Salvador Atenco
The civil unrest in San Salvador Atenco of 2006 began on Wednesday, May 3, when police prevented a group of 60 flower vendors from selling at the Texcoco local market in the State of México, about from Mexico City. Police used violence and arrest against resisters...
by police in San Salvador Atenco
San Salvador Atenco
San Salvador Atenco is the municipal seat of Atenco, in the Mexican state of Mexico.The name "Atenco" comes from a Nahuatl phrase meaning "place on the edge of water". -The town:...
, and the disappearances
Forced disappearance
In international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...
of dozens of teachers in the rebellious state of Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
in 2006, as well as the killings of seven innocent bystanders, including the American journalist Brad Will
Brad Will
Bradley Roland Will was an American activist, videographer and amateur journalist affiliated with Indymedia. On October 27, 2006 during a labor dispute in the Mexican city of Oaxaca, Will suffered two gunshot wounds that resulted in his death....
by off-duty policemen. Almost half of Mexican police officers examined in 2008 have failed background and security tests, a figure that rises to nearly 9 of 10 policemen in the border state of Baja California.
Others criticize the continued support of combating the supply of drugs rather than focusing on prevention, treatment and education programs to curb demand. Studies show that military interdiction efforts fail because they ignore the root cause of the problem: U.S. demand. During the early to mid-1990s, the Clinton administration
Presidency of Bill Clinton
The United States Presidency of Bill Clinton, also known as the Clinton Administration, was the executive branch of the federal government of the United States from January 20, 1993 to January 20, 2001. Clinton was the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second full term...
ordered and funded a major cocaine policy study by the Rand Drug Policy Research Center; the study concluded that $3 billion USD should be switched from federal and local law enforcement to treatment. The report said that treatment is the cheapest and most effective way to cut drug use. President Clinton's drug czar's office rejected slashing law enforcement spending. The Bush administration proposed cutting spending on drug treatment and prevention programs by $73 million, or 1.5%, in the 2009 budget. The Fiscal Year 2011 National Drug Control Budget proposed by the Obama Administration will devote significant new resources to the prevention and treatment of drug abuse.
Torture training
Human rightsHuman rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
activists and other policy groups criticize the Initiative's lack of a robust framework for institution building and the existence of coerced confessions, often through the use of torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
. In early July 2008, a video emerged of city police officers from León, Guanajuato
León, Guanajuato
The city of León, formally León de los Aldama is the sixth most populous city in Mexico and the first in the state of Guanajuato. It is also the seat of the municipality of León...
, being taught torture methods by a U.S. security firm instructor; the video created an uproar in Mexico, which has struggled to eliminate torture in law enforcement. It is still unclear how this event will affect the Mérida Initiative, as it can be used both to reinforce the need to train security forces on human rights or to cancel the initiative altogether. The training took place in April 2006 and lasted for 12 days. León Mayor, Vicente Guerrero Reynoso, initially insisted that the training would continue, justifying the training as a means of withstanding torture under kidnapping scenarios. However, because of the public furor and under pressure from federal and state authorities, he suspended the program.
A portion of the funding under the Mérida Initiative will be released only if the U.S. Secretary of State reports that Mexico bars the use of testimony that has been obtained through torture, a policy that is in line with Mexican law but often is not observed.
Progress
On July 10, 2008, the Mexican government announced plans to nearly double the size of its Federal Preventive PoliceFederal Preventive Police
The Federal Police , formerly known as the Policía Federal Preventiva , are the uniformed federal police force of Mexico...
force in order to reduce the role of the military in combating drug trafficking. The plan, known as the Comprehensive Strategy Against Drug Trafficking, also involves purging local police forces of corrupt officers. Elements of the plan have already been set in motion, including a massive police recruiting and training effort intended to reduce the country's dependence in the drug war on the military. As part of the initiative, Mexico is already receiving information about suspicious ships leaving ports in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
.
On August 2008, Mexico announced that two states, Chihuahua and Nuevo León, are pioneering public trial
Public trial
Public trial or open trial is a trial open to public, as opposed to the secret trial. The term should not be confused with show trial.-United States:...
s, in which the state must prove its case. Before, the accused bore the burden of proof, and trials were secret. Mexico's president hopes this will bring transparency and accountability to the legal process and to end a tradition of corruption, shoddy investigations, coerced testimony, and an extremely low conviction rate.
Early December 2008, the US released $197 million of aid to Mexico. Most of this aid will pay for helicopters and other equipment to fight violent drug cartels. By early 2009 the US government released another $99 million which will go toward buying aircraft and inspection equipment for the Mexican military. The US has thus far released $300 million of the $400 million appropriated for Mexico.
During the 5th Summit of the Americas
5th Summit of the Americas
The Fifth Summit of the Americas was held at Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobagofrom April 17 to 19, 2009.Organizers planned for the Fifth Summit to focus on a wide-ranging theme: "Securing Our Citizens' Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental...
in April 2009, the leaders of several Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
nations stated to a group of U.S. congressmen that they have a desire to join the Mérida Initiative, as a crackdown in Mexico could push drug traffickers' operations into their island nations. This directly led to the formation of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) as a complement of the Mérida Initiative.
See also
- American Drug War: The Last White HopeAmerican Drug War: The Last White HopeAmerican Drug War: The Last White Hope is a 2007 documentary by writer/director Kevin Booth about the War on Drugs in the United States.- Synopsis :The film states the War on Drugs has become one of the longest and most costly wars in American history...
- Arguments for and against drug prohibitionArguments for and against drug prohibitionArguments about the prohibition of drugs, and over drug policy reform, are subjects of considerable controversy. The following is a presentation of major drug policy arguments, including those for drug law enforcement on one side of the debate, and arguments for drug law reform on the other.-...
- DecriminalizationDecriminalizationDecriminalization or Decriminalisation is the abolition of criminal penalties in relation to certain acts, perhaps retroactively, though perhaps regulated permits or fines might still apply . The reverse process is criminalization.Decriminalization reflects changing social and moral views...
- Demand reductionDemand reductionDemand reduction refers to efforts aimed at reducing public desire for illegal and illicit drugs. This drug policy is in contrast to the reduction of drug supply, but the two policies are often implemented together...
- Drug policyDrug policyA drug policy most often refers to a government's attempt to combat the negative effects of drug addiction and misuse in its society. Governments try to combat drug addiction with policies which address both the demand and supply of drugs, as well as policies which can mitigate the harms of drug...
- Drug Policy AllianceDrug Policy AllianceThe Drug Policy Alliance is a New York City-based non-profit organization, led by executive director Ethan Nadelmann, with the principal goal of ending the American "War on Drugs"...
- Harm reductionHarm reductionHarm reduction refers to a range of public health policies designed to reduce the harmful consequences associated with recreational drug use and other high risk activities...
- Illegal drug tradeIllegal drug tradeThe illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
- Narco submarineNarco submarineA narco-submarine is a type of custom-made ocean-going self-propelled submersible vessel built by drug traffickers to smuggle drugs. They are especially known to be used by Colombian drug cartel members to export cocaine from Colombia to Mexico, which is often then transported overland to the...
- Narcotrafficking in Colombia
- Law Enforcement Against ProhibitionLaw Enforcement Against ProhibitionLaw Enforcement Against Prohibition is a non-profit, international, educational organization comprising former and current police officers, government agents and other law enforcement agents who oppose the current War on Drugs. LEAP was founded on March 16, 2002...
- Legal history of marijuana in the United StatesLegal history of marijuana in the United StatesThe legal history of cannabis in the United States relates to the regulation of marijuana use for medical or recreational purposes in the United States. Regulations and restrictions on the sale of Cannabis sativa as a drug began as early as 1860...
- Legal issues of cannabisLegal issues of cannabisThe legality of cannabis has been the subject of debate and controversy for decades. Cannabis is illegal to consume, use, possess, cultivate, transfer or trade in most countries...
- Office of National Drug Control PolicyOffice of National Drug Control PolicyThe White House Office of National Drug Control Policy , a former cabinet level component of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, was established in 1989 by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988...
- Opium War
- Organized crimeOrganized crimeOrganized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
- Plan ColombiaPlan ColombiaThe term Plan Colombia is most often used to refer to U.S. legislation aimed at curbing drug smuggling and combating a left-wing insurgency by supporting different activities in Colombia....
- Prohibition (drugs)Prohibition (drugs)The prohibition of drugs through sumptuary legislation or religious law is a common means of attempting to prevent drug use. Prohibition of drugs has existed at various levels of government or other authority from the Middle Ages to the present....
- United Nations Drug Control Programme
- Zero toleranceZero toleranceZero tolerance imposes automatic punishment for infractions of a stated rule, with the intention of eliminating undesirable conduct. Zero-tolerance policies forbid persons in positions of authority from exercising discretion or changing punishments to fit the circumstances subjectively; they are...
External links
- Official Mexican web site for the Merida Initiative
- The Mérida Initiative: United States – Mexico – Central America Security Cooperation
- Woodrow Wilson Center's Mérida Initiative Portal Comprehensive site that features several resources
- Plan Mexico Foreign Policy In Focus, 30 October 2007
- Just don't call it Plan Mexico The Economist, 25 October 2007
- La Jornada article on proposal (Spanish)
- The Mérida Initiative and Citizen Security in Mexico and Central America from WOLAWashington Office on Latin AmericaThe Washington Office on Latin America is an American non-governmental organization whose stated goal is to promote human rights, democracy and social and economic justice in Latin America and the Caribbean....
- The Mérida Initiative: "Guns, Drugs and Friends" Minority Staff Report to Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Dec 2007. (PDF) Contains useful breakdown of proposed funding
- A Primer on Plan Mexico by Laura Carlsen of the Americas Program, Center for International Policy - critique of the Mérida Initiative
- Mexico and the Mérida Initiative -- from Amnesty International