WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales
and Attorney General of Mexico Daniel Cabeza de Vaca today jointly announced
initiatives to enhance the coordination of U.S. and Mexico law enforcement
efforts that combat the substantial threat of violence posed by narcotics
trafficking groups and their associates operating along the U.S.-Mexico
Border.
Attorney General Gonzales and Attorney General Cabeza de Vaca met in San
Antonio, Texas today with representatives from the federal law enforcement and
criminal justice communities of the United States and Mexico and their state
counterparts from Texas and Tamaulipas. The meetings focused on aggressive,
bilateral, multi-agency law enforcement actions to quell the "narco-violence"
that threatens the security of communities on both sides of the border.
"Day in and day out, our citizens and law enforcement officers confront
the threats and consequences of narcotics trafficking and violence," said
Attorney General Gonzales. "These challenges do not stop on one side of the
border, and neither should our law enforcement efforts. The specific actions
we've agreed to today with the Government of Mexico and the states of Texas
and Tamaulipas will help us find new ways to work together and new methods for
curbing narcotics-related violence."
"Bilateral cooperation, along with information and intelligence exchange,
is the best way to face common problems on our border, such as violence.
Those who break the law and generate violence must be aware that their illicit
activities will not be tolerated on our side of the border," said Attorney
General of Mexico Cabeza de Vaca.
The U.S. and Mexico share 2,000 miles of international land border. The
threat from major drug trafficking and other criminal organizations and the
violence they wreak on border towns is a significant security risk for each
country, affecting the economy and general quality of life in those areas.
Nuevo Laredo, just over the border from Laredo, Texas, has experienced an
increase of narco-related violence in recent months.
Attorney General Gonzales and Attorney General Cabeza de Vaca expressed a
firm commitment on the part of U.S. and Mexico law enforcement to initiate
immediate and sustained operational law enforcement efforts along the border,
separately and in coordination with each other. In addition to the increased
law enforcement efforts, the U.S. and Mexico have agreed to share training and
technical assistance in an array of criminal investigative areas, including
port security, forensics, prison security, victim and witness security, and
firearms and explosives.
Attorney General Gonzales also announced the expansion of the successful
Violent Crime Impact Team (VCIT) to Laredo, Texas. VCIT's are rapid response
teams led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)
and designed to bring together unique aspects, capabilities, and cutting-edge
technologies of participating agencies in federal, state, and local law
enforcement to proactively investigate firearms-related and other violent
crimes. With the addition today of Laredo, VCIT's are now implemented in 22
cities across the United States.
The U.S. and Mexico have also agreed to improve the coordination and
timeliness of law enforcement information and intelligence sharing between
U.S. and Mexican federal and state authorities and agencies on both sides of
the border. The two nations will place special emphasis on the coordinated
and prompt exchange of information about relevant events that occur on either
side of the border that may impact the other country, so that both may
effectively determine and initiate a coordinated law enforcement response.
The U.S. and Mexico will also explore opportunities to coordinate law
enforcement efforts against the movement and transfer of criminal proceeds. In
addition, officials of Texas and Tamaulipas will continue their expert law
enforcement support through the effective and coordinated use of task forces
in both countries.
The enhanced law enforcement efforts were recommended to the Attorneys
General by over 100 federal and state law enforcement personnel from both
countries who met -- at the request of the Department of Justice -- in
Houston, Texas, on September 13, 2005 to address joint concerns of the U.S.
and Mexico governments at every level about the narco-related violence in the
shared border area.
The Attorneys General were joined by the U.S. Attorneys for the Southern
and Western Districts of Texas, as well as representatives from the Justice
Department's Criminal Division, DEA, FBI, ATF, ICE, the Texas Attorney
General's Office, Mexico's Attorney General's Office (the Procuraduria General
de la Republica [PGR]) and the Office of the Attorney General for the State of
Tamaulipas, in whose state the City of Nuevo Laredo is located.
United States Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 514-2008
TDD (202) 514-1888
-- FACT SHEET --
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and Attorney General of Mexico Daniel
Cabeza de Vaca Announce Initiatives to Combat Narcotics-Related Violence on
the Border
The U.S. and Mexican Attorneys General along with officials from the
Offices of the Attorneys General of the State of Texas and the State of
Tamaulipas in Mexico met in San Antonio today to discuss mutual concerns and
to review a series of law enforcement initiatives to strengthen our
coordinated attack on the narco-violence plaguing the communities on both
sides of the border.
Today's high-level meeting followed a meeting in Houston on September 13,
2005 of more than 100 federal law enforcement and criminal justice
representatives of the United States and Mexico and their state counterparts
from Texas and Tamaulipas to focus their attention, experience, and skills on
developing initiatives and additional efforts to confront the increased
violence attributed to narcotics trafficking in the border area. The meeting
resulted in concrete recommendations for action and provided an opportunity
for all to meet personally with counterparts across jurisdictions and across
the border who are working against the troubling increase in narco-violence in
the Southwest Border region.
The recommended and agreed-upon bilateral initiatives, some of which
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and Attorney General of Mexico Daniel
Cabeza de Vaca highlighted at a joint press conference in San Antonio, Texas,
today are as follows:
TACTICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS
- The U.S. and Mexican federal and state criminal justice authorities
have committed to coordinate law enforcement efforts, using all
available legal authorities, to counter and quell the extreme narco-
violence in the border area and to disrupt the flow of illicit proceeds
that fuel that violence.
INFORMATION AND INTELLIGENCE SHARING
- The United States and Mexico will improve the coordination and
timeliness of law enforcement information sharing between and among the
appropriate U.S.-Mexican federal and state authorities and agencies on
both sides of the border relating to narco-violence forces, forensics,
prison security, victim/witness security, cross-border currency flows,
and firearms trafficking.
- As an example, the United States and Mexico will establish points of
contact and a regular course of meetings to improve and expedite
information sharing opportunities that will specifically enhance both
sides' knowledge and capabilities to combat cross-border firearms
trafficking.
- The United States and Mexico will place special emphasis on the
coordinated and prompt exchange of information about relevant events
that occur on our respective sides of the border that may impact the
other country so that both may effectively determine and initiate any
necessary country-specific or coordinated law enforcement response.
TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
- The United States will provide Mexico with training and technical
assistance in an array of criminal investigative areas, to include:
- Port of Entry Security: the United States will offer training
for Mexican customs officials (vetted units) on the utilization
of truck portal x-ray machines (previously provided by the USG)
at strategically located ports of entry within Mexico;
- Forensics: the FBI will detail for the Government of Mexico
(GOM) how they might best submit evidence to the United States
for advanced forensic examination and analysis, explore
opportunities to transfer U.S. lab equipment to the GOM (and
provide necessary training on the equipment) to assist Mexican
forensic personnel in advancing their forensics capability,
share forensics protocols to ensure full compatibility with
international evidentiary databases (e.g., DNA databases), and
consider mechanisms to permit the rapid exchange of forensic
results; and
- Prison Security: the U.S. Bureau of Prisons will provide
information to the federal prison facilities in Mexico on
electronic devices and equipment used in the U.S. federal
prisons to deter and detect the introduction of contraband into
the prison system.
- In addition, recognizing the devastating impact of this continued
violence on those in the communities on both sides of the border and on
our separate and coordinated efforts to bring to justice those who
perpetuate this violence, the United States and Mexico will work
together to ensure prompt responses to threats against officials,
victims, and witnesses by the violent criminal organizations operating
in the border areas in order to ensure their safety and availability.
To that end, the United States will share its experiences as well as
offer training and technical assistance to Mexico on Victim/Witness
Security Programs, a Crime Victim Fund, and a coordinated
U.S.-Mexican Rewards Program.
- The United States will also explore opportunities to provide and expand
training and technical assistance and equipment to enhance Mexico's
capabilities in post-blast investigations, crime scene preservation,
security-conscious investigative practices, and firearms and explosives
detection at the border (including the use of weapons detection
canines).
ADDITIONAL BILATERAL COOPERATIVE MEASURES
- Finally, State officials will continue their law enforcement
cooperation, support, and discussions on the effective and coordinated
use of task forces in both countries. The federal components of both
the U.S. and Mexican governments will continue to meet on a regular
basis in the U.S.-Mexican Senior Law Enforcement Plenary in an ongoing
effort to coordinate initiatives and overcome obstacles to progress in
all phases of the work against international criminal organizations.
- The United States and Mexico will explore opportunities for bilateral
conferences of judicial branch members.
PREPARED REMARKS FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL ALBERTO R. GONZALES AT THE
MEXICO-UNITED STATES JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13th, 2005
Good afternoon.
I am pleased to be here with my friend and counterpart, Attorney General
Cabeza de Vaca.
I have told the Attorney General privately, but I'd like to repeat it
publicly, that the people of the United States -- especially those whose lives
have been shattered by the winds and waters of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita --
are deeply thankful for the assistance of the Government of Mexico. As we
travel the long road to recovery in the Gulf region, the kindnesses of our
neighbors will not be forgotten.
Texas is my home...and Mexico is the homeland of my grandparents...so I am
very interested in the quality of life for citizens on both sides of our
shared border.
We all agree that narco-violence along the southwest border is impacting
the lives of Mexicans and Americans, and robbing our families of the chance
for a brighter future.
Combating these drug wars is a problem we must face together -- with the
combined experience and expertise of law enforcement agencies from Mexico and
the United States.
We understand -- as neighbors -- that we are stronger when we work
together. We share more than a border. We share a common desire for
prosperity and safety...and a common commitment to peace and freedom.
Therefore, we must increase the level of cooperation and coordination
between our Nations.
I am pleased to report that we've come to agreement on a number of
important actions to help to decrease violence along the border.
Our challenges with narcotics trafficking and violence do not stop on one
side of the border...and neither should our law enforcement efforts. We will
use every available legal authority to better coordinate our joint efforts to
stop the violence.
Representatives from the federal and state law enforcement and criminal
justice communities on both sides of the border met a month ago to explore new
ways to join together in a coordinated attack against narco-violence on the
border.
Through their efforts, we will renew our commitment to share information
and intelligence at both the federal and state level, especially when events
occur on one side of the border that could have an impact on the other. For
example, the United States and Mexico will establish points of contact and a
regular course of meetings to improve and expedite information sharing related
to cross-border firearms trafficking.
We also will share equipment, training techniques, and technical
assistance in a variety of investigative areas such as port security,
forensics, prison security, cross-border currency control, and drug and
firearms trafficking. And we will work together to better protect officials,
witnesses, and victims by sharing experiences from Victim and Witness Security
Programs and the Crime Victim Fund.
Day in and day out, law enforcement officers face an ongoing and ever-
evolving threat from narcotics trafficking...and our citizens face an
escalating level of violence.
On our side of the border, the threat is particularly apparent in the
border town of Laredo, Texas, which lies in a narcotics and firearms
trafficking corridor between Mexico and the United States.
The problems in Laredo highlight the problems we face together all along
the border. That is why I am pleased to announce, in addition to our
agreements with the Government of Mexico, that the Justice Department is
expanding the successful Violent Crime Impact Team -- or VCIT -- program to
Laredo, Texas. Today's action will allow us to double our law enforcement
presence in Laredo.
These rapid-response teams, led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms, and Explosives, target hot-zones for violent activity and identify a
community's worst offenders. They combine the resources of Federal, state,
and local law enforcement -- and, in this case, work with our international
partners -- to investigate and prosecute violent crimes.
We know this program works. The Department has launched twenty Violent
Crime Impact Teams in cities across the country, and the effects were felt
right away from Baltimore to Richmond to Miami.
The violence along our border continues, so it goes without saying that
today's agreements and announcements are just one element of our continuing
commitment to find new ways to work together and new methods for curbing
violence.
We are committed to improving security and the rule of law to make
communities in the border area safer. And, of course, we are doing so in a
manner that preserves civil liberties and promotes commerce between our
countries.
In addition to common heritage and common values, the people of our
nations share the hope of a peaceful world and the desire to pursue the
opportunities of freedom.
It's those dreams that we are working to secure by exploring every
opportunity for coordination and cooperation between Mexico and the United
States.
I am pleased to be a part of this continuing commitment to our citizens --
and to the cause of justice.
Thank you.
SOURCE United States Department of Justice
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