CONGRESS MUST PASS THE MERIDA INITIATIVE

Most of the drugs on our streets and in our schools come from or
through Mexico and Central America. Dallas-Fort Worth is a primary
entry and distribution point for drug cartels; more than 540 tons of
marijuana, 28,000 pounds of cocaine and hundreds of pounds of
methamphetamine and heroin were seized in Texas in 2007.

The challenge of confronting the drug trade is enormous, and we share
the responsibility. I am convinced, for the health and security of
Americans who live and work near the border, that it is critical that
the United States support the renewed counter-narcotics efforts of our
partners in Mexico and Central America. The key to increased U.S.
support in 2008 is congressional approval of the Merida Initiative.

As the U.S. ambassador to Mexico for the last five years, I have seen
how narcotics trafficking and the financial power it brings to
organized crime have become the greatest threat to the security and
prosperity of Mexicans. Criminal violence and the corrupting power of
the illicit international drug trade have also become a growing threat
to communities in the United States, especially along the border.

The courageous actions of Mexican President Felipe Calderon's
administration have achieved historic results in taking down narcotics
trafficking organizations. Mexico made record seizures of illicit
drugs, weapons and money in 2007, reducing the illicit drug supply in
major U.S. cities. Arrests of major criminals and extraditions to the
U.S. also set records.

These actions came at a cost. Of the 2,500 Mexicans killed in
narco-violence last year, hundreds were police officers, soldiers, and
local officials taking a stand to defend their communities against the
cartels.

Confronting this threat is not Mexico's challenge alone. U.S. law
enforcement agencies such as the DEA, the ATF and Homeland Security's
Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement work
closely with their Mexican counterparts to halt the flow of arms and
cash that provide firepower to criminal organizations. While we have
made important progress to reduce drug use in the United States, our
demand continues to fuel the drug trade and associated violence.

We must do more to defeat this threat. Last year, in response to a
direct request from Mr. Calderon, President Bush acknowledged our
shared responsibility by requesting an initial $550 million for the
Merida Initiative.

If approved by Congress, the initiative will give Mexican security
forces the material and technical advantages they need to defeat the
criminals. It includes inspection equipment and canine teams to
identify drugs in vehicles and cargo shipments; communications
technology to share law enforcement information; training for police;
technical assistance for civil society organizations; and support for
improving the administration of justice and rule of law.

These are the tools that U.S. law enforcement authorities use on our
side of the border. By sharing standards and developing common
procedures with our counterparts to the south, we can work in closer
cooperation to confront the threat from organized criminal groups
operating across borders.

The Merida Initiative is not a blank check. It will be executed in
close coordination with our embassies in the region and U.S. law
enforcement agencies. It isn't a one-way effort, either; Mexico is
spending billions to fight organized crime.

Our communities, on both sides of the border, are paying a heavy price
as drugs flood our schools and as gang violence takes innocent lives.
Our friends and neighbors in Mexico and Central America are also
paying a high price, as reprisals against law enforcement officers
increase in retaliation to increased law enforcement.

Approving the Merida Initiative will go a long way toward meeting our
responsibility to support our partners in the region as they continue
to confront head on criminal organizations in Mexico and Central America.