REP. MICA: DECERTIFY MEXICO by John L. Mica

Congressman Clay Shaw and I introduced the House
Resolution disapproving of President Clinton's decision to
certify Mexico as a cooperative partner in the war on
drugs.

As a staff member to U.S. Sen. Paula Hawkins during the
1980s, I was involved in drafting the law under which the
administration decides which countries have cooperated in
the drug war and are worthy of U.S. aid. The law requires
the president to prevent smuggling, punish money
laundering, achieve maximum reductions in drug productions
and facilitate the prosecution of traffickers to the
maximum extent possible. By any stretch of the imagination,
these criteria have not been met, and the president should
not have certified that Mexico has "cooperated fully with
the United States," to quote the standard set by law.

Mexico has not extradited record numbers of drug dealers
to the United States. The facts are that, of the 150
extradition requests by the United States, the Mexican
government extradited three individuals, two of whom were
not wanted on drugrelated matters and the other of whom
had dual citizenship.

Mexico has failed to arrest highprofile figures accused
of corruption, and even Mexico's top officials are corrupt.
Just days before the certification decision was made, Drug
Enforcement Administration Chief Tom Constantine testified
before the U.S. House of Representatives' National Security
subcommittee on which I sit that "(t)here is not one single
lawenforcement institution (in Mexico) with whom DEA has a
trusting relationship." Mexican officials did arrest their
own drug czar, Gutierrez Rebolla, but only after the news
media were about to expose his sevenyear connection with
major drug cartels.

Mexico has also failed to crack down on illegal drug
shipments or to cooperate with the United States Drug
Enforcement Administration. Not one ounce of cocaine is
produced in Mexico, but nearly 70 percent of all cocaine
and more than 50 percent of all illegal drugs entering the
United States now transit through Mexico. Nearly onethird
of all heroin entering this country is transported through
Mexico.

We are willing to assist Mexico both in the drug war
and economic development. However, all we ask for is real
action on its part in stemming the tide of illegal drugs.
Even if the president decertified Mexico, the law also
gives him the power to waive export and trade sanctions.
Unfortunately, the resolution passed by the House suspends
the disapproval of Clinton's certification for 90 days.
Even worse, the U.S. Senate has passed a toothless
resolution chiding Mexico and ignoring the certification
process outlined in law. Mexico has not complied with our
past requirements to curtail drug trafficking, and more of
our children will suffer while Congress checks its spine in
the cloakroom.

As I said on the House floor, if Mexico were to lob
missiles across our borders, it could not do as much damage
as it has done in expediting the drug flow. Friends do not
sit idly by when their neighbors' children are being
slaughtered. We must just say no to those who have failed
to aid us in the war on drugs. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

Copyright (c) 1997, Sentinel Communications Co.