FIGHTING DRUG WAR REQUIRES U.S.-MEXICO COOPERATION

As violence associated with narcotrafficking and Mexico's warring drug
cartels escalates in Mexico, we must cooperatively work with our
southern neighbor to prevent it from spilling over the border and 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 Juarez, and across Mexico. These cartels battle one
another for turf and drug smuggling routes. President Felipe Calderon
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 community residents, and
bringing a new level of barbarism to their tactics.

This year, the Mexican government has reported 1,200 drug-related
killings, which is on track to surpass last year's record of nearly
2,500 murders. As a testament to their ruthlessness, drug lords
recently posted a death list of 22 targeted officials at a police
memorial site. Seven of the named individuals 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 gunned down by an assassin.

Narcotic trafficking organizations aren't confined by borders. Cartel
leaders in Mexico have successfully ordered hits on rival drug dealers
on our side of the border. And U.S. lawmen are increasingly becoming
targets. After all, most of the drugs being trafficked through Mexico
are bound for the United States. U.S. Customs and Border Protection
reported that, on a typical day in 2007, they confiscated 2,250 pounds
of narcotics in 69 busts at ports of entry, and 5,138 pounds of
narcotics were seized in U.S. territory.

The violence that accompanies this illicit merchandise could be
carried over into U.S. cities that share a border with our neighbor to
the south. We must work vigilantly and forcefully in concert with
interagency and international partners to quash this violence at its
source. On May 20, 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 Calderon 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 Calderon laid the groundwork
for a coordinated response. They created the Merida Initiative, a
sweeping program 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. The initiative also leverages technology to
improve and secure communications systems so we can better collect
information.

While the Merida Initiative is a key component in cracking down on
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 U.S. firearms into Mexico
and thereby deprive the cartels of weapons.

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 that drug cartels seek to spread. 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.