[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 30 (Tuesday, March 11, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H816]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       VOTE AGAINST HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 58 TO DECERTIFY MEXICO

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 21, 1997, the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Reyes] is recognized 
during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to urge my colleagues to 
support the President's decision to certify Mexico and vote against 
House Joint Resolution 58 to decertify Mexico.
  Mr. Speaker, this is an issue that I know something about. Before 
being elected to Congress, I spent more than 26 years as a member of 
the U.S. Border Patrol enforcing this Nation's interdiction laws. I 
have personally observed Mexico's commitment to stem the tide of drug 
trafficking and have witnessed its strong cross-border drug 
interdiction efforts. I have been on the front lines in the so-called 
war on drugs, and I am here today to tell my colleagues that this 
resolution to decertify Mexico may be only symbolic to us, but it has 
with it some serious implications and consequences to those of us that 
live along the border, and I do not mean just people that live 
exclusively in Mexico.
  We have developed a spirit of cooperation with Mexico in many areas: 
trade, environment, immigration, as well as drug interdiction. Our 
economies are interdependent along the border. In fact, more than 280 
million people passed back and forth between Mexico and the United 
States during fiscal year 1996.
  A vote to decertify Mexico would greatly jeopardize the spirit of 
cooperation we have developed with Mexico. In addition, the threat of 
decertification causes the peso to plunge, as we saw late last month, 
which not only has an adverse effect on the Mexican economy, but can 
also increase the pressures on our border communities and has the 
potential to increase illegal immigration.
  Drug trafficking is not just a Mexican problem or issue. We on the 
northern side of the border must do more to stem the demand for illicit 
drugs. The good news is that the number of people using drugs last 
month declined. The bad news is an estimated 12.8 million Americans, or 
about 6 percent of the household population aged 12 and older, have 
used illicit drugs within the past 30 days.
  Illegal drugs are readily available almost anywhere in the United 
States. We have not done enough to deter drug use among our Nation's 
children and in our Nation's neighborhoods. Illegal drug trafficking is 
not just a Mexican problem, it is our problem, and we must do more to 
reduce drug use and not just point fingers at our neighbor to the 
south.
  Mexico has taken a number of steps in the last year to strengthen its 
efforts to fight the spread of illegal drugs, and they have done so by 
aggressively fighting corruption, they have done so by overhauling 
Federal agencies and recruiting qualified personnel. They have done so 
by strengthening counter-drug cooperation with the United States, and 
they have done so by improving their extradition policy. All of these 
things produce positive results in Mexico's fight on drugs.
  The Republic of Mexico has been certified since 1986, and, moreover, 
the historical relationship between Mexico and the United States has 
been one of increasing cooperation and furtherance of mutual interests. 
Over the past 10 years our southern neighbor has cooperated with our 
efforts to stem drug trafficking while at the same time dealing with 
severe economic, political, and serious trade developments.
  Mr. Speaker, if we want to address the basic problems surrounding the 
certification process, then let us do that. If we are serious about our 
efforts to combat drug abuse, then we need to do better on our side of 
the border. But this resolution does not resolve anything. It does not 
do anything to take drug dealers off the street, it does not do 
anything to help law enforcement agencies on our border, and it does 
not do anything to promote good will and understanding with our 
neighbors in Mexico. It only strains our relationship with our 
neighbor, and it is very counterproductive.
  When all is said and done, Mr. Speaker, more is said than actually 
done. I urge all of my colleagues to refrain from political posturing 
in the name of fighting drug trafficking and to oppose this resolution.

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