[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 30 (Thursday, March 7, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1657-S1658]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


        DISAPPROVAL OF ADMINISTRATION'S CERTIFICATION OF MEXICO

 Mr. D'AMATO. Mr. President, I rise today to further comment on 
a joint resolution introduced on March 5, 1996, that disapproves of the 
administration's certification of Mexico. I am joined by my colleagues 
Senator Helms, Senator McConnell, and Senator Pressler who are original 
cosponsors of Senate Joint Resolution 50, but were inadvertently 
omitted as original cosponsors upon introduction. I also urge its 
immediate passage.
  In order to determine if a country has cooperated fully with the 
United States, the President must evaluate the country's efforts in 
several areas: their efforts to reduce cultivation of illegal drugs, 
their interdiction efforts, the swift, decisive action by the 
Government against corruption within its ranks and their extradition of 
drug traffickers. The results of the Government's efforts are the true 
indication of success. These same standards should also be used when 
Congress measures the accomplishments of foreign governments.
  As required under the Foreign Assistance Act, the President released 
his list on March 1 and granted Mexico full certification. That 
designation is completely unacceptable, and undeserved. And for that 
reason, my colleagues and I are introducing this joint resolution of 
disapproval of Mexico's certification.
  Mexico is a sieve. For the President to certify that Mexico is 
complying with antinarcotics efforts and curbing the export of drugs 
across the border is simply not supported by the facts.
  Our own Drug Enforcement Agency [DEA] estimates that up to 70 percent 
of all illegal drugs found in the United States come from Mexico. 
Seventy five percent of the cocaine in the U.S. is said to have come 
from Mexico. Virtually all of the heroin produced in Mexico is 
trafficked in the United States. These numbers certainly do not sound 
like full cooperation to me. From these numbers alone, it seems as 
though the Mexican Government has failed horribly in its efforts to 
curb the flow of drugs into the United States. Even the International 
Narcotics Control Strategy Report just released by the State Department 
states that ``no country in the world poses a more immediate narcotics 
threat to the United States than Mexico.'' Our own State Department 
says this.
  Even efforts to end police corruption have failed because the drug 
trade has infiltrated the Mexican law enforcement community. Robert 
Gelbard, Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and 
Law Enforcement Affairs in a congressional hearing, stated that ``we 
have always been aware--and acknowledge--that law enforcement 
corruption in Mexico is a deeply entrenched, serious obstacle to 
bilateral antinarcotics cooperation.'' The State Department, in their 
1996 Strategy Report, while acknowledging some efforts by the Mexican 
Government, indicates the continuation of official corruption by 
stating that, ``endemic corruption continued to undermine both policy 
initiatives and law enforcement operations.''
  It is time that the Mexican Government takes aggressive action 
against drug traffickers. Promises are no longer adequate. Among other 
steps that should be taken, Mexico should be arresting and extraditing 
more of its cartel leaders. Mexico must comply with the 165 outstanding 
requests for extradition by the United States. That would be real 
cooperation.
  The Mexican Government should also swiftly enact legislation stemming 
the growing problem of money laundering and enforce its anticorruption 
laws. There are no reporting requirements if an individual walks up to 
an exchange center with suitcases filled with cash. This should be 
adequate evidence that Mexico needs reporting requirements of large 
cash transactions. Action to identify and prosecute officials that 
interfere with the investigation, prosecution, or have assisted in the 
drug trade, must occur with greater frequency if government officials 
are to be trusted.
  For the President to claim that Mexico has been fully cooperating to 
end the scourge of drugs is beyond belief. I hope that the Senate will 
now closely analyze and debate the extent of Mexico's participation in 
the illegal drug trade. Then we should ask ourselves, ``Is the Mexican 
Government taking actions that actually slows the flow of drugs?'' It 
seems as though it has not.
  The Mexican Government must do more to fight the narcotics industry 
that has permeated the lives of the Mexican people and the economy of 
Mexico. The drug trade is worth tens of billion of dollars to Mexico. 
No wonder Mexico is having difficulty decreasing the flow of drugs from 
their country into ours. There is too much money involved.
  Mexico is now being used to store cocaine from Colombia for shipment 
into the United States. The cartels may be storing as much as 70 to 100 
tons of cocaine in Mexico at any one time. With a developing narcotics 
infrastructure and its close proximity to the United States, Mexico has 
proven to be an asset that the cartels do not want to lose. And now 
there are reports that

[[Page S1658]]

the Mexican gangs may soon take over the drug trafficking from the Cali 
cartel. It is ironic then that Colombia, the source country, was 
decertified while Mexico was fully certified.
  I must also add that I have heard that some foreign officials believe 
our certification process is illegitimate. This is the height of 
arrogance. What is illegitimate about placing conditions on our foreign 
aid and requiring the recipient to curb the flow of drugs?
  The certification process has the net effect of bringing the drug 
problem to the forefront, not only for the United States but also for 
Mexico. It seems as though only when a government is forced to confront 
the problem as difficult as the drug trade will a solution be found.
  As a result of the amount of drugs that are found to have come into 
the United States through Mexico, we know that Mexico has failed to 
stem the international drug trade. If this administration does not want 
to recognize Mexico's failure, then it is up to Congress to do so. 
Again, I encourage my colleagues to join us in this effort.

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