Legal Commentary

Hearings Today on U.S. Drug Aid to Mexico

By Jeralyn

the House Homeland Security Agency (Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism) will hold a hearing on President Obama's plan to extend the Merida Initiative with Mexico, began under President Bush, with a plan to spend 1.3 billion on the war on drugs.

The heaering is called "“U.S.-Mexico Security Cooperation: Next Steps for the Merida Initiative.

You can watch the live feed here.

Testimony at Hearing will be provided by: [more...]

10:00 a.m. in 311 Cannon House Office Building

Subcommittee on Border, Maritime, and Global Counterterrorism and the Committee on Foreign Affairs’ Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere JOINT HEARING

“U.S.-Mexico Security Cooperation: Next Steps for the Merida Initiative”

WITNESSES

PANEL I

Ms. Roberta S. Jacobson
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
U.S. Department of State

Ms. Mariko Silver
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy/
Acting Assistant Secretary for International Affairs
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Mr. Alonzo R. Peña
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Mr. Allen Gina
Acting Assistant Commissioner
Office of Intelligence and Operations Coordination
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

PANEL II

Ms. Shannon K. O'Neil
Douglas Dillon Fellow for Latin America Studies
Council on Foreign Relations

Mr. Bill McDonald
Rancher
Douglas, Arizona

The Honorable John D. Negroponte
Vice Chairman
McLarty Associates

The purpose, according to Fox News:The Obama administration is backing a new plan, one that does not rely as heavily on law enforcement toys like helicopters, and more on building up the infratructure in the cities and towns most affected by the violence, and teaching their Mexican allies how to move from reliance on helicopters to the rule of law, through training.

The hearings Thursday in two congressional subcommittees are to discuss the next steps in what is already dubbed "Beyond Merida."

Former Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte said in his prepared comments that the U.S. should raise its investment because Merida has sparked something money can't buy: unprecedented cooperation.

Negroponte, a former U.S. ambassador to Mexico who has been working on drug control for 35 years, urged legislators to not be discouraged by the increased violence or drug availability.

"Problems with narcotrafficking remain with us today notwithstanding the enormous blood and treasure that has been expending up and down the length of the hemisphere to deal with these issues," he said. "So we just all agree that this is a long-term issue to which there are no quick fixes."

Full post as published by TalkLeft on May 27, 2010 (boomark / email).